Introduction
Winning TxDOT work isn’t just about bidding low. It’s about knowing where the money flows and where others aren’t looking. Each month, we break down state letting data to show where opportunities really are.
We focus on three ideas:
Unique Bidders — Fewer competitors mean better odds.
Total Spend — More dollars means more work to win.
Single-Bidder Jobs — The quiet corners where one bid gets the job done.
October in a Snapshot
In October 2025, TxDOT let $555.7 million across 168 projects in 98 counties.
731 bids came from 230 unique firms, and 17 jobs were won with only one bidder.
It was a busy, balanced month. Competitive, but full of places where smart targeting paid off.
Where the Money Went
Taylor County led October with over $75 million across three projects. It drew 22 bidders, showing strong interest.
Lampasas came next, with one $54.8 million job and just seven competitors—a rare, rich opportunity.
Ellis, Upton, and Freestone followed with big totals and moderate competition.
Taylor County — 3 projects, 22 bidders (21 unique), $75.7M
Lampasas County — 1 project, 7 bidders, $54.8M
Ellis County — 3 projects, 16 bidders (8 unique), $31.0M
Upton County — 1 project, 5 bidders, $25.7M
Freestone County — 2 projects, 10 bidders, $25.3M
Takeaway: Taylor brought the most dollars, but Lampasas offered the biggest payout per competitor.
Where Bidders Had the Most Leverage
“Spend per bidder” tells you how much work was up for grabs per competitor—a higher value signals lighter competition.
Lampasas — $7.82M per bidder
Upton — $5.14M per bidder
Terry — $4.46M per bidder
Potter — $4.28M per bidder
Ellis — $3.88M per bidder
Takeaway: Lampasas and Upton were the best bets this month with large payouts and few competitors.
Single-Bidder Jobs
There were 17 single-bidder awards this month, about 10% of all projects. They were scattered across smaller, rural counties rather than clustered in one region.
Takeaway: October rewarded precision over scarcity. Firms that priced sharply in Lampasas, Upton, or Terry saw the best leverage.
Competitiveness Rankings by County (October 2025)
Rank | County | Projects | Bidders | Unique Bidders | Single-Bidder Jobs | Spend |
1 | Lampasas | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $54.8M |
2 | Upton | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $25.7M |
3 | Terry | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $22.3M |
4 | Potter | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $17.1M |
5 | Ellis | 3 | 16 | 8 | 0 | $31.0M |
6 | Taylor | 3 | 22 | 21 | 0 | $75.7M |
7 | Limestone | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $13.9M |
8 | Navarro | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $15.4M |
9 | Montague | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $20.1M |
10 | Gaines | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $8.2M |
11 | Freestone | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $25.3M |
12 | Frio | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $9.6M |
13 | Winkler | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $14.1M |
14 | Midland | 3 | 10 | 6 | 0 | $13.6M |
15 | Travis | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | $2.1M |
16 | Uvalde | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $6.1M |
17 | Nueces | 3 | 6 | 6 | 1 | $6.0M |
18 | Bowie | 4 | 13 | 10 | 0 | $15.6M |
19 | Eastland | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $7.8M |
20 | Childress | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $7.4M |
21 | Borden | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $7.3M |
22 | Maverick | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $694.2k |
23 | Sabine | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $666.7k |
24 | Henderson | 3 | 11 | 10 | 0 | $12.5M |
25 | Hill | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $3.6M |
26 | Cass | 2 | 11 | 10 | 0 | $11.8M |
27 | Live Oak | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $8.0M |
28 | Milam | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $438.0k |
29 | Harrison | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $396.5k |
29 | Marion | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $396.5k |
29 | Panola | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $396.5k |
32 | Wilbarger | 2 | 10 | 6 | 0 | $4.6M |
33 | Val Verde | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $363.3k |
34 | Matagorda | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $4.9M |
35 | Cameron | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $1.3M |
36 | Collin | 5 | 21 | 14 | 1 | $4.0M |
37 | Johnson | 1 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $4.6M |
38 | El Paso | 2 | 7 | 6 | 0 | $3.4M |
39 | Wilson | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $2.1M |
40 | Hunt | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | $767.0k |
41 | Hays | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $2.0M |
42 | Parker | 1 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $5.0M |
43 | Bastrop | 2 | 17 | 15 | 0 | $7.3M |
44 | Fort Bend | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $889.8k |
45 | Harris | 3 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $7.9M |
46 | Tom Green | 3 | 16 | 16 | 1 | $3.5M |
47 | Palo Pinto | 2 | 14 | 13 | 0 | $5.5M |
48 | Shelby | 2 | 6 | 6 | 1 | $1.2M |
49 | Fisher | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $2.9M |
50 | Fayette | 4 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $6.9M |
12-Month Trends (Nov 2024–Oct 2025)
Across the last year, TxDOT let $10.18 billion for 2,016 projects in 229 counties.
There were 8,841 total bids from 539 firms, and 179 of those jobs had only one bidder.
Top Counties by Spend
Travis — $1.46B (39 projects)
Dallas — $1.01B (50 projects)
Brazos — $695M (27 projects)
Denton — $521M (41 projects)
Collin — $361M (49 projects)
Most Competitive (Unique Bidders)
Denton (104)
Collin (97)
Harris (87)
Travis (82)
Tarrant (77)
Low-Competition Hotspots (Single-Bidder Jobs)
El Paso (10)
Dallas (8)
Jefferson (6)
Nueces (6)
Bexar (5)
Takeaway:
The big cities Travis, Dallas, Harris still drive most of the spending. But El Paso, Jefferson, and Nueces continue to surface as the quieter, high-margin markets. The smart play is selective targeting: go after the large markets for scale, and the smaller ones for margin.
County Competitiveness: Last 12 Months (Nov 2024–Oct 2025)
Rank | County | Projects | Bidders | Unique Bidders | Single-Bidder Jobs | Spend |
1 | Dallas | 50 | 191 | 70 | 8 | $1.0B |
2 | Travis | 39 | 173 | 82 | 3 | $1.5B |
3 | El Paso | 31 | 85 | 34 | 10 | $168.6M |
4 | Brazos | 27 | 102 | 60 | 1 | $695.2M |
5 | Bexar | 49 | 200 | 80 | 5 | $257.9M |
6 | Deaf Smith | 3 | 6 | 5 | 1 | $47.4M |
7 | Collin | 49 | 196 | 100 | 3 | $361.1M |
8 | Grayson | 21 | 78 | 46 | 3 | $144.2M |
9 | Kenedy | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $61.6M |
10 | Hartley | 2 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $100.3M |
11 | Gregg | 10 | 52 | 29 | 2 | $101.6M |
12 | Madison | 7 | 31 | 20 | 0 | $202.8M |
13 | Harris | 72 | 366 | 87 | 2 | $288.1M |
14 | Culberson | 4 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $127.7M |
15 | Moore | 8 | 19 | 18 | 3 | $42.2M |
16 | Webb | 17 | 62 | 45 | 2 | $137.4M |
17 | Hidalgo | 25 | 105 | 58 | 1 | $264.3M |
18 | Galveston | 18 | 78 | 49 | 2 | $138.5M |
19 | Maverick | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | $18.8M |
20 | Kleberg | 8 | 32 | 23 | 0 | $181.6M |
21 | Sterling | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $22.8M |
22 | Castro | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $3.6M |
23 | Lubbock | 20 | 66 | 41 | 4 | $50.4M |
24 | Tarrant | 48 | 203 | 83 | 4 | $101.6M |
25 | Cochran | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $28.9M |
26 | Winkler | 3 | 14 | 10 | 1 | $28.2M |
27 | Kaufman | 31 | 138 | 69 | 2 | $127.3M |
28 | Upton | 3 | 13 | 9 | 0 | $49.3M |
29 | Bastrop | 14 | 85 | 57 | 2 | $103.2M |
30 | Taylor | 19 | 99 | 59 | 2 | $103.2M |
31 | Lampasas | 3 | 15 | 11 | 0 | $56.1M |
32 | Denton | 41 | 220 | 105 | 0 | $521.5M |
33 | Reeves | 7 | 28 | 16 | 0 | $70.6M |
34 | Nueces | 29 | 104 | 59 | 6 | $37.1M |
35 | Starr | 3 | 20 | 15 | 0 | $64.3M |
36 | McLennan | 28 | 144 | 80 | 1 | $166.3M |
37 | Jefferson | 36 | 144 | 77 | 6 | $45.2M |
38 | Armstrong | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $19.9M |
39 | Brooks | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | $1.9M |
40 | Menard | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $11.3M |
41 | Lipscomb | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $18.7M |
42 | Lamb | 6 | 18 | 15 | 1 | $27.3M |
43 | Hood | 4 | 16 | 16 | 1 | $27.7M |
44 | Liberty | 8 | 33 | 23 | 1 | $38.0M |
45 | Montague | 7 | 37 | 19 | 0 | $60.4M |
46 | Williamson | 16 | 87 | 61 | 0 | $182.0M |
47 | Gaines | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | $8.9M |
48 | Henderson | 16 | 63 | 49 | 3 | $35.6M |
49 | Sabine | 7 | 24 | 19 | 2 | $17.4M |
50 | Bowie | 19 | 74 | 45 | 2 | $39.5M |
51 | Hopkins | 16 | 56 | 46 | 4 | $23.5M |
52 | Hansford | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $12.5M |
53 | Nacogdoches | 11 | 44 | 34 | 2 | $28.3M |
54 | Montgomery | 17 | 77 | 46 | 2 | $36.0M |
55 | Robertson | 9 | 48 | 26 | 0 | $60.0M |
56 | Franklin | 4 | 14 | 14 | 2 | $10.7M |
57 | Smith | 21 | 112 | 62 | 1 | $70.2M |
58 | Martin | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $11.3M |
59 | San Patricio | 13 | 54 | 34 | 2 | $24.9M |
60 | Midland | 18 | 59 | 34 | 2 | $24.6M |
61 | Bosque | 5 | 16 | 16 | 1 | $16.9M |
62 | Leon | 4 | 17 | 12 | 0 | $25.0M |
63 | Angelina | 22 | 103 | 59 | 1 | $60.4M |
64 | Johnson | 12 | 62 | 47 | 1 | $47.7M |
65 | La Salle | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | $1.3M |
66 | Limestone | 4 | 17 | 13 | 0 | $24.9M |
67 | Concho | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $15.3M |
68 | Dawson | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $17.1M |
69 | Wichita | 15 | 52 | 39 | 2 | $24.7M |
70 | Ector | 23 | 88 | 49 | 2 | $30.4M |
71 | Orange | 13 | 58 | 46 | 3 | $21.4M |
72 | Tom Green | 20 | 76 | 57 | 2 | $35.1M |
73 | Wheeler | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $14.8M |
74 | Crockett | 2 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $24.7M |
75 | Ward | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $17.5M |
76 | Austin | 9 | 44 | 31 | 1 | $26.8M |
77 | Nolan | 6 | 29 | 26 | 0 | $44.9M |
78 | Jones | 3 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $15.2M |
79 | Parmer | 3 | 23 | 21 | 0 | $34.3M |
80 | Delta | 5 | 18 | 17 | 2 | $8.9M |
81 | Hunt | 20 | 101 | 69 | 2 | $36.1M |
82 | Frio | 6 | 27 | 18 | 0 | $28.1M |
83 | Kinney | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $6.2M |
84 | San Saba | 6 | 25 | 24 | 2 | $12.0M |
85 | Wise | 10 | 42 | 33 | 1 | $24.6M |
86 | Borden | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $7.3M |
87 | Navarro | 23 | 113 | 70 | 2 | $33.7M |
88 | Hill | 9 | 36 | 26 | 1 | $18.6M |
89 | Brewster | 9 | 20 | 19 | 2 | $9.1M |
90 | Scurry | 4 | 13 | 10 | 0 | $14.3M |
91 | Live Oak | 10 | 43 | 34 | 1 | $24.1M |
92 | Ellis | 28 | 155 | 63 | 0 | $87.8M |
93 | Jim Hogg | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $5.5M |
94 | Lamar | 19 | 83 | 44 | 3 | $14.8M |
95 | Cameron | 13 | 54 | 32 | 1 | $21.2M |
96 | Cass | 7 | 30 | 22 | 1 | $14.4M |
97 | Gillespie | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $9.2M |
98 | Brown | 13 | 56 | 42 | 3 | $13.2M |
99 | Hutchinson | 2 | 7 | 7 | 1 | $4.4M |
100 | Terrell | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $3.7M |
Acting on October’s Signals
Go where leverage is high: Lampasas, Upton, and Terry stood out this month.
Mix scale with focus: Ellis offered a solid balance of size and activity.
Be selective in Taylor: Big payouts, but lots of competition.
Think long-term: Travis and Dallas bring steady volume, while El Paso and Jefferson repeat as low-competition zones.
October’s $555 million in lettings is a reminder: opportunity isn’t just in how much TxDOT spends, but where you look.
Bidlo helps contractors see that clearly—sorting, mapping, and prioritizing what matters.
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