Bids
A bid is the price you send for a project to one general contractor or owner. When you price the same job for three general contractors, the project has three bids. Each bid has its own due time, status, decision and result.
| Menu | Estimator > Projects, then open a project |
| Permission | Manage own projects and bids, or Manage all projects and bids |
| Feature | Estimator |
What you see depends on your role. If the menu, a button or a setting on this page is missing, ask your administrator to give you the permission listed above or to turn on the feature. Only administrators can turn features on and change site settings.
Add a bid
- Open Estimator > Projects, and open the project.
- Click Add bid.
- Fill in the form. Only Bid to is necessary while the bid is a draft.
- Click Save.
The project page opens, and the bid shows under Bids.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Bid to | The general contractor or owner the bid goes to. |
| Contact | The name, email and phone number of your contact there. |
| Bid type | Hard bid, Negotiated, Design assist or Budget. |
| Due | The date and time the bid is due, in the time zone of the project. The hint under the field shows the time zone. |
| Status | Where the bid is. See Bid statuses. |
| Bid/no-bid checklist | Your rating of the points that decide whether to bid. See The bid/no-bid checklist. |
| Bid decision | Not decided, Bid or Do not bid, and a note about why. |
| Bid bond required | Select it when the bid needs a bid bond. |
| Prevailing wage | Select it when the job pays prevailing wages. |
| Our bid | The amount you bid. |
| Winning bid | The amount of the bid that won, when you know it. |
| Our rank | Your place among the bidders. 1 is the lowest bidder. |
| Notes | Other notes about the bid. |
To add a new project and its first bid together, use the New Bid wizard.
The bid/no-bid checklist
Before you spend days on an estimate, decide whether the job is worth a bid. The Bid/no-bid checklist on the bid form lists ten points. Rate each point from 1 - Unfavorable to 5 - Favorable. A point you do not know yet can stay Not rated.
| Point | Counts |
|---|---|
| Relationship with the general contractor or owner | Double |
| Fit with the work we do well | Double |
| Location and travel | Once |
| Crew and estimating capacity | Once |
| Schedule and duration | Once |
| Number of competing bidders | Once |
| Payment history and financial strength of the client | Double |
| Contract terms and risk | Once |
| Quality of the drawings and specifications | Once |
| Expected margin | Double |
Under the points, the checklist shows a score from 0 to 100 and a recommendation. The score changes while you rate. It counts only the points you rated: 100 means every rated point is at 5, and 0 means every rated point is at 1.
| Score | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| 70 or more | Bid |
| 45 to 69 | Review the weak points before you decide |
| Less than 45 | Do not bid |
You get a recommendation when you rate at least 5 of the 10 points. The checklist only recommends: you make the decision in Bid decision. The bid rows on the project page and in the bid calendar show the score.
Bid statuses
A bid goes from Draft to In progress to Submitted, and then to Won, Lost or Withdrawn. The Status list shows only the statuses the bid can go to next.
| From | The bid can go to |
|---|---|
| Draft | In progress, No bid |
| In progress | Draft, Submitted, No bid |
| Submitted | In progress, Won, Lost, Withdrawn |
| Won, Lost or Withdrawn | Submitted |
| No bid | Draft |
A bid that is Submitted, Won, Lost or Withdrawn needs its Due date and time and the amount in Our bid. If one of them is missing, the form tells you, and the bid is not saved.
Change or delete a bid
- To change a bid, click Edit on its row, on the project page or in the Bid calendar. Change the fields, and click Save.
- To delete a bid, click Delete on its row, and confirm. You cannot undo it.
When a bid is won
When a bid is won, set its status to Won, and enter the Winning bid and Our rank if you know them. The bid leaves the bid calendar. The project status does not change by itself: edit the project and set its status, for example to Won.