Bid package: federal two-step
Two-step sealed bidding, both steps prepared
Step one is a technical proposal with no prices. Step two is a sealed bid that must match it. We prepare both and check the link between them.
Fixed price in 2 business hours. Pay only after you accept.
- Fixed price agreed before any work starts
- Plan review is free
- You pay only after you accept the price and delivery date
- Bid packages in 5 business days
- Your facts, your prices, your signature
Quick answer
Two-step sealed bidding support from Bidmere prepares both stages of a federal two-step solicitation for general and specialty contractors. You get a technical proposal outline keyed to step-one criteria, a price-leak check, a step-two bid workbook and an addenda log. Packages are priced from $1,950 and ready in 5 business days.
What does two-step sealed bidding support include?
It covers both submissions and the consistency between them.
- Technical proposal outline: sections keyed to step-one criteria, each with an owner and status
- Price-leak check: a review of the step-one volume for pricing information, which the request does not permit
- Step-two bid workbook: the bid form organized for your prices, each line checked against the specifications and your step-one proposal
- Addenda log and submission checklist: each addendum tracked, plus signature and delivery items for both steps
How does two-step sealed bidding work?
It is a federal method used when specifications are not definite enough for a standard sealed bid. The rules are in FAR Subpart 14.5.
- Step one: offerors submit technical proposals with no prices.
- Evaluation: each proposal is rated acceptable, reasonably susceptible of being made acceptable, or unacceptable.
- Step two: sealed bids are invited only from offerors whose technical proposals were acceptable.
- Award: step two follows sealed bidding rules, so price decides among conforming bids.
Why does a price leak matter in step one?
The request states that technical proposals shall not include prices or pricing information. A cost figure, a percentage savings or a labor rate in the technical volume can cause problems.
Price can slip in through small things: a quoted product price, a staffing cost, a claim like ‘saves 15 percent’. We review the step-one volume line by line before your team submits it.
Which two-step issues should be settled early?
- A technical description that could reveal pricing information
- An amendment that changes step-one criteria after drafting starts
- A step-two bid line that departs from your step-one technical proposal
- What the solicitation says about who is invited to step two
- Different due dates and delivery methods for each step
Not included: signing, certifying or submitting either step; bid security, bonds and insurance; setting your technical commitments or prices; creating experience or credentials.
Have the solicitation in hand? Send the RFP or bid documents. Fixed quote within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Get a fixed quoteHow do you keep step two consistent with step one?
By checking each bid line against the technical proposal you submitted, not only against the specifications. If step one committed to a method, product or sequence, the step-two price must cover it.
The workbook carries a reference column that points each bid line to the step-one section it relies on. Differences go on a list for your team to resolve before you sign.
What should you send?
- The step-one request, all amendments and any questions and answers
- Step-one evaluation criteria and format rules
- Approved technical facts: methods, resumes, project references and safety information
- Your step-two pricing, kept out of step one
- Bid security and bond details for step two
- The name of your authorized signer
Before you send plans
Common questions about handing off the work
Will someone else be writing claims about my company?
Only from facts you supply and approve. Gaps go on a list for your decision. Nothing is invented to fill a page.
Who is responsible for the final submission?
Your company. We prepare and check. Your authorized signer approves, signs and submits.
What if our deadline is close?
Send the due date with your request. We confirm what can be delivered before you accept, or we tell you the scope needs to shrink.
What if the quote is more than we expected?
You see the fixed price before any work starts and pay nothing unless you accept it. You can also narrow the scope to selected sections.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does two-step sealed bid support cost?
Each job gets a fixed price after we read the documents. Substantial bid and proposal packages are priced from $1,950. Smaller tasks are quoted to the work involved. Step one and step two can be quoted separately. The quote arrives within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept the price and delivery date.
How fast can you turn it around?
We reply with a fixed quote or our questions within 2 business hours. Substantial two-step packages are ready in 5 business days from your accepted quote and complete documents. Tell us your due date and your internal review date. If the time left cannot support the work and your review, we say so before you accept.
What is two-step sealed bidding?
It is a federal method used when specifications are not definite enough for a standard sealed bid. In step one, offerors submit technical proposals with no prices. In step two, sealed bids are invited only from offerors whose technical proposals were acceptable. The rules are in FAR Subpart 14.5.
Can pricing appear in the step-one proposal?
No. The request states that technical proposals shall not include prices or pricing information. We review the step-one volume for anything that reveals price, including quoted product costs, labor rates and percentage savings claims, before your team submits it. Anything we find goes on a list for your team to remove.
Does the step-two bid have to match the step-one proposal?
Yes. A step-two bid must comply with the specifications and with the bidder’s own technical proposal. We check each bid form line against both, and your team resolves any difference before signing the bid. A mismatch can make the step-two bid nonresponsive, so this check matters.
Can you price the step-two bid?
Yes, through our estimating service, quoted separately. We measure quantities and price them at your rates, then carry totals into the step-two workbook. Your team sets markup and the final number. Overlapping work between the estimate and the bid package is not charged twice.
How do you handle confidential documents?
Start with a short, non-confidential description in the quote form. The form takes text only, with no uploads and no payment. If the job needs your plans, financials or pricing, we arrange a secure document exchange after scope review. Leave private rates and personal data out of the first message.
Do you sign or submit the bid for us?
No. Bidmere prepares the agreed documents for your review. Your team verifies the facts, approves prices and terms, obtains bonds and insurance, signs the forms and submits before the deadline. Preparation does not guarantee compliance, a shortlist or an award. The owner decides.
Get a fixed quote
Share the project basics. You get a fixed price and delivery date within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.