Estimate type: construction documents and bid day
A bid estimate built from construction documents
A bid-day estimate is the detailed estimate behind your number. We build it from the construction documents at your rates, broken out to match the bid form.
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
- Single-trade estimates in 48 hours
- Your rates, your markup, your final number
Coverage board
5 of 8 trades carried
Quick answer
A bid estimate from Bidmere is a detailed estimate prepared from construction documents for subcontractors and general contractors on bid day. You get a priced takeoff at your rates, a bid form breakout of base bid, alternates and unit prices, an addenda log and a scope letter draft. Estimates are priced from $195 and are ready in 48 hours.
What goes into a bid estimate?
A full quantity takeoff priced at the labor, material and equipment rates you approve, organized to match the bid form.
- Priced takeoff: quantities priced line by line with your rates and quotes
- Bid form breakout: base bid, alternates and unit prices organized to match the form
- Addenda log: each addendum with the quantities or lines it changed
- Scope letter draft: inclusions, exclusions and qualifications for your review
- Delivered as an Excel estimate with live formulas, color-coded marked-up PDF plans, and a written list of assumptions, exclusions and open questions
How is a bid estimate different from a budget estimate?
A bid estimate uses complete documents and a detailed takeoff. A budget estimate uses parametric or assembly pricing because the design is incomplete.
| Budget estimate | Bid estimate | |
|---|---|---|
| Documents | Schematic or design development | Construction documents and addenda |
| Method | Parametric, assemblies, unit costs | Detailed quantity takeoff |
| Pricing | Historical or assembly rates | Your current rates and quotes |
| AACE RP 56R-08 class | Class 5 to 3 | Class 2 to 1 |
| Purpose | Feasibility, budget, design choices | Bid price and buyout |
How do you build a bid-day number from its parts?
Each trade is carried as measured, as a supplier or subcontractor quote, as a plug number or as an open scope check. The coverage board shows which is which.
Fictional example: an invented project with eight trades. Five are carried from measured takeoffs. Metals and plumbing carry plug numbers while quotes are pending. HVAC is flagged for a scope check because the quote excludes controls. Your team decides what to carry at the deadline.
Which bid-day problems does the estimate catch?
- An addendum revises a sheet without clouding the change
- A specification and a plan note disagree on the product
- The bid form asks for unit prices on items the plans do not quantify
- Alternate scope overlaps the base bid
- A subcontractor quote is based on an earlier addendum
Not included: final bid price, markups and strategy; bid bonds, insurance and signatures; delivering the bid; site visits and pre-bid meeting attendance.
Have plans for this scope? Send them over. Fixed quote within 2 business hours. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept.
Get a fixed quoteSample takeoff
What a takeoff looks like
| Trade | Carried as | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete | Carried | Measured takeoff | |
| Masonry | Carried | Measured takeoff | |
| Metals | Plug number | Your allowance | Quote pending |
| Roofing | Carried | Measured takeoff | |
| Drywall and ceilings | Carried | Measured takeoff | |
| Plumbing | Plug number | Your allowance | Quote pending |
| HVAC | Scope check | Sub quote | Excludes controls |
| Electrical | Carried | Measured takeoff |
Fictional example: bid-day coverage board for an invented project
Before you send plans
Common questions about handing off the work
Will I lose control of my number?
No. We price with your rates. You set markup, review every line and choose the bid price.
Who is responsible for the final bid?
Your company. Bidmere prepares the estimate. Your team reviews, signs and submits.
Do you visit the site?
No. We measure from the documents. Existing conditions go on the open-question list for your team to verify.
What if the plans are incomplete?
Gaps go on the open-question list with the source sheet. Nothing is guessed silently.
Monthly estimating plans
Bidding every week? Put estimating on a monthly plan
If plan sets arrive faster than your team can measure them, a monthly plan keeps a remote estimator on your bid calendar. Starter is $1,395 per month for up to 6 bids. Pro is $2,595 per month for up to 12 bids. Scale is $4,795 per month for up to 25 bids. Every estimate uses your rates and lists its assumptions and open questions. Start with one estimate to see the work first.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does a bid estimate cost?
Qualifying single-trade estimates are priced from $195, with 25% off your first estimate. Multi-trade bid estimates are priced from $1,150. Each job gets a fixed quote within 2 business hours after we review the plans. Plan review is free, and you pay only after you accept the price and delivery date.
How fast is the estimate delivered?
Qualifying single-trade estimates are ready in 48 hours from your accepted quote and complete documents. Multi-trade estimates get a delivery date in the quote. A 24-hour rush for 30% more option is available when capacity allows. Tell us your bid date in the request so the quote and the delivery date reflect it.
What do you need from me before bid day?
The construction documents, the bid form, every addendum, your labor rates and material pricing, and any supplier or subcontractor quotes to carry. You set the markups and approve the final number. A plans link is enough to get a fixed quote within 2 business hours.
What are AACE estimate classes?
AACE International’s RP 56R-08 classifies building estimates from Class 5, the least defined, to Class 1, the most detailed. Bid and tender estimates sit in Class 2 and Class 1. Our guide to construction estimate types compares all five classes.
Do you submit the bid?
No. Your company signs and submits the bid and provides any bid bond. We prepare the estimate and scope documents for your review. If you also need the bid forms and attachments organized, our bid preparation service handles that as a separate scope.
Who sets the prices in the estimate?
You do. Quantities are priced with the labor rates, material pricing and markup you approve, and they sit in their own columns. You review every line, adjust what looks wrong and decide the final bid number. We never sign or submit a bid.
What happens when an addendum is issued?
Send it as soon as you receive it. Every quantity ties to a sheet and revision, so we can show which lines change. Whether the revision is inside the original quote or needs a small added quote is confirmed with you before work continues.
Do you offer monthly estimating plans?
Yes, for contractors who bid every week. Plans start at $1,395 per month for up to 6 bids, with Pro at $2,595 per month for up to 12 bids and Scale at $4,795 per month for up to 25 bids. Each estimate uses your rates and lists assumptions and open questions. Most contractors start with one estimate to see the work first.
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.