Free bids from contractors?

[James Warren]

Hello all. I'm looking to get started wholesaling soon, and have been studying Brandon Turner's "The Book On Investing In Real Estate with No and Low Money Down". In the chapter on wholesaling, he states that many wholesalers include detailed bids from contractors in their proposals to potential cash buyers. I'm curious to know what people's personal experience has been getting such bids for free. It does make logical sense that a contractor would have incentive to do this for free or at a very low cost, but I figure it can't hurt to ask. Can I really count on this not costing me money? If not, how much should I expect to pay?