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Trades & Cost Breakdown

Summary

The Trades & Cost Breakdown section lets you define which trades are included in your bid package and the exact cost items subcontractors will price. This creates a clear, consistent structure so all incoming bids use the same line items, making comparison fast and accurate.

How-To Video

Prerequisites

  • You have a project open in BuilderPal
  • You are creating a new bid package or editing an existing one
  • You have already completed the Basic Details and Requirements steps (or are editing a draft)

Steps

  1. Reach the Trades & Cost Breakdown section — Open your project, go to Bidding, then either create a new bid package or open an existing draft and proceed through the steps until you arrive at Trades & Cost Breakdown.

  2. Add the required trades — Click + Add Trade, search or browse the library, select the trade, and repeat until all needed trades (up to 10) are added.

  3. Add cost items to each trade — Under each trade, click + Add Cost Item. Either select Import Cost Item from Estimates and choose the desired line items or select Manually Enter Cost Item, pick a cost code, enter the Cost Item Title (required) and Cost Item Description (recommended), then click Save.

  4. Review and save/publish the bid package — Optionally expand View Project Estimate to check totals, verify all titles and descriptions are clear, then click Next (to continue to documents) or Save and Publish to make the bid package live.

  5. (Optional) Add your internal estimates for bid levelling — After publishing, go to the bid levelling step and enter Unit Cost, Quantity, Builder Cost, Margin/Markup, etc., so you can compare subcontractor quotes against your numbers.

Confirmation

The Trades & Cost Breakdown section shows all required trades and cost items listed, with clear titles and descriptions. The bid package status shows “Published” or you have successfully moved to the next step.

FAQ

How many trades can I add to one bid package?
Up to 10 trades.

What do subcontractors see of my cost breakdown?
Only the trade name, Cost Item Title, and Cost Item Description. Cost codes, internal quantities, unit costs, and margins are never visible to bidders.

A trade I need is missing from the library. What do I do?
Contact support@builderpal.com — we’ll add it quickly.

Can I edit the trades or cost items after I publish the bid package?
Yes. Open the bid package, go to Trades & Cost Breakdown, make changes, and save again. Updated structure applies to all bidders instantly.

Do I have to import from my estimate?
No. You can import for speed or manually enter items if you prefer full control or are building the breakdown from scratch.

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