Estimate type · Construction documents / bid day
Bid-day estimates
A bid-day estimate is a detailed estimate prepared from construction documents.
Coverage board
5 of 8 trades carried
The service
What you send. What you get.
You send
- Construction documents: plans and project manual
- Bid form with alternates and unit price requests
- All addenda issued
- Your labor rates, material pricing and equipment costs
- Supplier and subcontractor quotes you want carried
Start with a short description. We arrange document sharing after confirming the work.
You get
- Priced takeoffQuantities priced line by line with your approved rates and quotes.
- Bid form breakoutBase bid, alternates and unit prices organized to match the bid form. You complete and sign the form.
- Addenda logEach addendum listed with the quantities or lines it changed.
- Scope letter draftInclusions, exclusions and qualifications written for your review.
Typical buyers: Subcontractors bidding public and private work; General contractors self-performing trades; General contractor estimators preparing a check estimate.
What goes in
Built from your documents.
The estimate is a full quantity takeoff priced at the labor, material and equipment rates you approve. It comes with an addenda log, inclusions, exclusions and qualifications, with base bid, alternates and unit prices broken out to match the bid form. Your team sets markups and the final price. We confirm fit and a fixed quote after reviewing your documents.
- Quantities by trade, area and sheet
- Labor, material and equipment cost by line
- Addenda received and what each one changed
- Inclusions, exclusions and qualifications
- Base bid, alternates and unit prices as the bid form lists them
Before we start
Questions to resolve and work not included.
Questions we help identify
- Addendum revises a sheet without clouding the change
- Specification and plan note disagree on the product
- Bid form asks for unit prices on items the plans do not quantify
- Alternate scope overlaps the base bid
Not included
- Final bid price, markups and bid strategy
- Bid bonds, insurance certificates and signatures
- Delivering or uploading the bid
- Site visits and pre-bid meeting attendance
Questions
About bid-day estimates.
How is a bid-day estimate different from a budget estimate?
A bid-day estimate is built from construction documents with a detailed takeoff and your rates. A budget estimate uses parametric or assembly pricing because the design is incomplete. AACE RP 56R-08 places bid and tender estimates in Class 2 and Class 1, its two most detailed classes.
What do you need from me before bid day?
The construction documents, 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.
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.
Related
Keep reading.
- Quantity takeoffsAny stage with a measurable plan set
- Public sealed bidsWe organize the forms and attachments for your public construction bid.
- Subcontractor bid proposalsWe turn your estimate into a clear proposal for the general contractor, showing your price and exactly what it covers.
- Flooring estimatesA-602Division 09: Finishes
- Door, frame and hardware estimatesA-801Division 08: Openings
Send the plan set details.
We confirm availability, scope, price and timing before any work begins.