Bid day has a way of compressing a lot of decisions into a few hours. Quotes arrive late, scopes don’t line up, and someone has to decide which number to carry. BidMatrix helps by giving the team one place to level and compare subcontractor quotes against defined bid packages. How well it helps on the day depends a great deal on the setup done in the days before.
The work that happens before quotes arrive
The calmest bid days we see share one trait: the bid packages and scopes were settled early, while there was still time to think.
Define bid packages around how you buy
Set up bid packages to reflect how you intend to award the work, not only how the specifications are divided. If you normally buy drywall and acoustical ceilings together, or split site concrete from building concrete, let the packages follow that. It makes leveling more straightforward and brings the bid closer to how the job will be bought out.
Write scopes as lists, not paragraphs
For each package, build a clear list of scope items you expect a subcontractor to include. Each line becomes something you can mark as included, excluded or clarified when a quote comes in. Useful lines usually cover:
- The core work by specification section
- Commonly missed items, such as layout, cleanup, hoisting, permits or testing
- Alternates and unit prices you have asked for
- Items you know are often excluded in your market
A thoughtful scope list does double duty. It guides the leveling review, and it gives the team a consistent script when calling subcontractors to clarify.
Decide your plugs in advance
For each package, agree on a reasonable plug number before quotes arrive, based on your own estimate or recent buyout history. When a quote is missing a scope item, you will already know what value to carry in its place. Making that call ahead of time, rather than under pressure, tends to produce more consistent numbers.
Assign owners
Decide who is responsible for each package on bid day. Clear ownership means every quote is entered and reviewed by someone who understands the scope, and nothing waits in an inbox.
A clean leveling review
When quotes start coming in, the aim is to compare like with like. A steady routine helps:
- Enter each quote against the scope list. Mark each line as included, excluded or qualified, based on what the quote says, not what you assume.
- Apply plugs for gaps. Where a subcontractor has excluded a scope item, carry your agreed plug so the comparison is fair.
- Read the qualifications. Exclusions buried in the notes — schedule assumptions, material escalation clauses, bonding — can matter as much as the price.
- Call to clarify where it matters. If a low number looks too good, or a key item is unclear, a quick call often settles it.
- Record why you chose the carried number. A one-line note for each package makes the post-bid review and buyout much easier.
The leveled comparison should let anyone on the team see, at a glance, which subcontractor is carried in each package and why.
The final hour
As the deadline approaches, the focus shifts from collecting quotes to confirming the numbers you are carrying. It helps to have one person review the leveled packages as a whole, looking for anything still uncovered, packages relying heavily on plugs, or late quotes that haven’t been entered.
Common questions
How early should bid packages be set up?
As early as the documents allow. Many teams set up packages and scope lists as soon as they decide to pursue a bid, then refine them as addenda come in.
Can scope lists be reused?
Yes, and that’s one of the easiest ways to improve over time. Starting from a scope list that has been refined on past bids saves effort and helps catch items that were missed before.
Bid day will always be busy, but it doesn’t have to be chaotic. If you’d like to talk through how your team sets up BidMatrix, we’re glad to help.