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Bid Levelling and Comparing Estimates

Bid Levelling and Comparing Estimates

Summary

Bid levelling lets you compare subcontractor quotes against your own internal numbers — line item by line item — so you can evaluate pricing before awarding.

You

This is the single place where you see your project estimate,estimate, your bid package estimate,estimate, and eachevery subcontractor’s submittedsubcontractor quote side-by-sideside.

while subcontractors

Subcontractors only ever see their own quote and the bid package line itemsitems. (They never see your internal numbers).estimated values.

Prerequisites

When

    you
  • Youcreate have an activea bid package with at least one trade that has received subcontractor quotes.
  • Line items are recommended for detailed comparison (optional but highly valuable).

Steps

  1. Open Bid Levelling for a specific trade — Frompackage, the project → Bidding → select your active bid package → click the desired trade (or open any subcontractor’s Bid Conversation and select the Bid Levelling tab).

  2. Review how line items are created and synced — When you built the bid package you added trades and line itemsadd in the Trades & Cost Breakdown step. Those line itemsstep automatically appearflow ininto your master project estimate (withas $0 values by defaultdefault, or importedwith your existing estimate values if you choseimport to import)them). Subcontractors fillthen outprice thethose exact same line items,items.

    enabling

    In truebid levelling you are compared:

    • Your internal project estimate (or manually entered values)
    • The bid package estimate (synced copy of your line items)
    • Each subcontractor’s submitted quote (totals + line items + attachments)

    The left column always shows your numbers. The right side stacks every subcontractor who bid on that trade.

    Prerequisites

    • An active bid package that has received at least one subcontractor quote
    • (Recommended) Line items created in the bid package for detailed apples-to-apples comparison.comparison

    Steps

    1. Access Bid Levelling — From your project → click Bidding in the left menu → select the active bid package → click any trade with quotes, OR open a subcontractor’s Bid Conversation and select the Bid Levelling tab.

    2. Understand how line items sync between estimate and bid levelling — Line items created in the bid package automatically appear in your project estimate. If you imported values from your estimate when creating the package, those numbers stay perfectly synced — update in one place and they update in both.

    3. Compare your estimate vsagainst subcontractor quote(s) — The left side showsis locked to your internal numbers and total (synced from the project estimate if imported).total. The right side shows eachevery subcontractor’ssubcontractor who submitted for that trade, stacked vertically with their line-item pricingpricing, totals, and total.any Multipleattached subcontractors who bid on the same trade appear stacked for instant visual comparison.files.

    4. Evaluate differencesvariances, allow revisions, and preparecompare tomultiple awardbidders — Scroll and compare line-by-line variances,to totals,spot and any attached documents.differences. Subcontractors can resubmit anytime byusing removingRemove andQuote resubmitting→ theirnew quote.submission. All bidders on the same trade appear together in the fixed layout (no filters needed). The view works identically on mobile (layoutwith adjustsresponsive automatically).adjustments.

    Confirmation

    You are now in the Bid Levelling view withview: your internal estimate on the left, subcontractor quote(s) stacked on the right, and all line items and totals clearly displayedvisible for direct comparison.

    FAQ

    Can subcontractors see my internal estimate values?
    No.No Subcontractors— they only see the bid package line items and their own submitted numbers.pricing.

    What if I didn’t createadd line items into the bid package?
    Subcontractors willcan only submit a lump-sum total andtotal; you willlose onlyline-item bevisibility limited to total-priceand comparison.

    Can a subcontractor update or revise their quote after submission?
    Yes — they can selectclick Remove Quote in their bid conversation and resubmitsubmit a new one as many times as needed.

    Do changes I makeupdates to my project estimate automatically update in bid levelling?
    Yes, if you imported the line items when creating the bid package,package; the values stayremain synced in both places.

    How are multiple bidssubcontractors displayed for the same trade displayed?trade?
    All bidsquotes appear stacked side-by-sidevertically in the same fixed layout sofor everyconsistent quoteside-by-side comparison.

    What happens to the bid conversation after I award the bid?
    The conversation stays open. Communication simply moves to Project Job Chat or Action chats.

    Does bid levelling work on mobile?
    Yes — the layout adjusts for smaller screens but all functionality is evaluated consistently.identical.

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