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Award or Decline Bids

Award or Decline Bids

Summary

In BuilderPal, awarding a bid officially assigns one or more trades to a subcontractor and moves the project forward. There is no formal “Decline” button — this is intentional. Bids are declined implicitly by awarding a bidder or by letting un-awarded bids expire naturally. This mirrors real-world construction bidding practices, reduces unnecessary negative notifications to subcontractors, and keeps communication professional and focused on positive outcomes.

You can award from either the Bid Conversation or the Bid Leveling tab — both trigger the exact same award flow. Partial awards are fully supported (you can split scopes across multiple subcontractors), and you can un-award at any time without penalty if plans change.

Once awarded, the subcontractor receives a notification and must formally Accept the Award from their side before the assignment is locked in.

How-To Video

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Prerequisites

  • You are an Admin (GC), Team Business Manager, or Team Project Manager on the project
  • A bid package has been sent out
  • At least one subcontractor has submitted a bid

Steps

  1. Go to the Bidding section of your project — Open the project and select the Bidding tab.

  2. Select the trade you want to award — Click the trade (e.g., Electrical, Plumbing, Framing, etc.) to open its bid overview.

  3. Open the bidder’s Bid Conversation — Click the subcontractor’s name or bid card to open the conversation panel.

  4. Start the award process — At the top of the Bid Conversation, click Award Bid.

  5. Choose which trades to award — In the Award Bid modal, toggle the specific trades or select all. You may award the entire package or split scopes across multiple subcontractors.

  6. Assign the subcontractor to your directory — For each awarded trade, either select an existing contact or create a new subcontractor record.

  7. Finalize and send the award — Review the summary, then click AWARD BID.

Confirmation

The Bid Conversation now shows the AWARDED badge and the button changes to Unaward Job. The subcontractor receives an Inbox notification and can accept the award from their side. In Bid Leveling, the awarded bidder is highlighted with an AWARDED label.

![](https://scribehow.com/shared/Award_Bid_Package__f8HfsGzURl2IiGSRVa4gnA?redirect=false&step=8)

FAQ

Can I award only some trades to a subcontractor and the rest to another?
Yes. Use the toggles in the Award Bid modal to split scopes however you need.

What happens to the other bidders when I award one?
They remain in “Submitted” status. You can let their bids expire naturally or manually un-award if you change your mind — no explicit decline notification is sent.

Do I have to wait for the subcontractor to accept before proceeding?
No. You can continue assigning tasks, actions, schedule items, etc. immediately. Their acceptance simply confirms their commitment and locks the assignment.

Can I unaward a bid after it’s been accepted?
Yes. Click Unaward Job in the Bid Conversation at any time. The assignment is reversed and the subcontractor is notified.

Is the award process the same on mobile?
Yes — the entire flow (review → award → assign → confirm) is fully available in the BuilderPal mobile app.

![](https://colony-recorder.s3.amazonaws.com/files/2025-11-21/5a7cc992-84e2-427a-b3b6-26d034ff8cec/stack_animation.webp)

Metadata

Relevant Roles: Admin (GC), Team Business Manager, Team Project Manager
Feature Area: Hire Trades & Manage Bids
Article Type: Workflow / Tutorial

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