Preconstruction support
Preconstruction services for contractors, without the overhead
Bidmere handles the desk work of preconstruction: budget estimates, quantity checks, bid packages and bid leveling. Your team keeps the design, schedule and owner decisions.
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
Quick answer
Preconstruction services from Bidmere give general contractors and subcontractors outsourced estimating support before a job is bid or built. We prepare budget estimates, quantity checks against design changes, bid packages and bid leveling sheets from your plans. Trade estimates are from $195 in 48 hours. Bid packages are from $1,950 in 5 business days.
What do preconstruction services include?
Preconstruction services are the planning, pricing and procurement work done before construction starts. On most projects they cover budgets, design reviews, scheduling, constructability input, subcontractor buyout and bid packaging.
Some of that work needs someone at the table with the owner and design team. Some of it is desk work that can be done from the documents. Bidmere does the desk work:
- Budget estimates at schematic, design development and construction document stages
- Quantity checks that track how design changes move the numbers
- Bid packages organized by trade, with scope sheets and forms
- Bid leveling that lines up subcontractor bids on the same scope
Your project manager, preconstruction manager or owner keeps the decisions. We supply the numbers and the paperwork behind them.
Is Bidmere a construction manager or preconstruction consultant?
No. Bidmere is not a construction manager, CM at risk, owner’s representative or design consultant. We do not take on project risk, hold contracts, or stamp anything.
That matters because “preconstruction consultant” can mean very different things. Here is the line:
| Bidmere does | Bidmere does not |
|---|---|
| Budget and bid estimates from your documents | Act as CM, CMAR or owner’s rep |
| Quantity checks between design revisions | Provide design, engineering or code review |
| Trade bid packages and scope sheets | Attend owner meetings or site walks |
| Bid leveling of sub proposals you send | Contact or negotiate with subcontractors |
| Value engineering pricing of options you name | Make constructability calls that need field judgment |
| Lists of open questions for the design team | Sign, submit or guarantee any bid |
If you need a firm to run preconstruction for an owner, hire a CM or owner’s rep. If you are the contractor and need estimating hours, that is where we fit.
How are budget estimates prepared at each design stage?
Budget estimates are priced at the level of detail the drawings support. Early drawings get broader assumptions; later drawings get measured quantities.
- Conceptual or schematic. Priced by system or area, with assumptions written out for each one. Used for go or no-go and early owner budgets.
- Design development. Major quantities measured by trade. Assumptions narrow as systems are chosen.
- Construction documents. Full trade takeoffs priced at your rates. This is close to a bid estimate.
Every budget lists what was assumed, what was excluded and which allowances were carried. That way the owner sees why the number may move. See budget estimates and the types of construction estimates for more detail.
Can outsourced preconstruction track design changes?
Yes. When a new design set is issued, we compare quantities for the trades in scope against the prior set. You get a short list of what moved and by how much.
This is a quantity comparison, not a design review. It answers questions like:
- How much did exterior wall area change after the facade revision?
- Did the new reflected ceiling plan add ceiling area or fixture counts?
- Which door hardware sets were added or deleted?
- What changed in the site paving area after the civil revision?
We flag conflicts we see between sheets, such as a schedule that no longer matches the plan. Resolving them stays with the design team.
What goes into a preconstruction bid package?
A bid package gives each subcontractor the same scope to price. Clear packages produce bids you can compare.
A typical trade bid package includes:
- A scope of work sheet with inclusions and exclusions
- The drawing and spec sections that apply to the trade
- Alternates and unit prices the trade must fill in
- The bid form and the date, time and method for submittal
- Insurance, bonding and qualification requirements you set
- Addenda issued to date
We draft from your approved facts and the project documents. Your team sends the packages and handles contact with bidders. See bid packages for a sample of what is delivered.
How does bid leveling work in preconstruction?
Bid leveling lines up sub bids so you compare the same scope. We put each bid into one sheet and mark what each bidder included, excluded or qualified.
The sheet shows:
- Base bid and alternates by bidder
- Scope items missing from each bid, with a plug value if you supply one
- Qualifications that shift risk back to you
- The leveled total for each bidder
You choose the sub. We make the gaps visible. See bid leveling and the bid leveling sheet guide.
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 quoteWhat should you send for preconstruction estimating?
Send the current design set and anything that sets the basis of the estimate. Missing items become assumptions on the estimate.
- Drawings at the current stage, with the prior set if you want a comparison
- Specifications or outline specs
- The owner’s program or scope narrative
- Your labor rates, material pricing and markup structure
- Allowances or contingencies the owner already set
- Subcontractor bids, if you want them leveled
- The schedule milestones that affect pricing, such as phasing
The first inquiry form takes text only. We arrange document sharing after we confirm the work.
Which preconstruction gaps cause budget overruns?
Most budget surprises come from items that were never priced, not from wrong unit costs. These are the gaps we check for:
- General conditions and general requirements left out of early budgets
- Site utilities and offsite work shown only on civil sheets
- Allowances carried too low with no basis written down
- Owner-furnished items whose installation was never assigned
- Escalation between budget date and bid date
- Design contingency removed too early
- Permit fees, testing and inspections assumed by others
Each one appears on the estimate as an included item, an allowance or a written exclusion.
Sample takeoff
What a takeoff looks like
| Item | Prior set | Current set | Unit | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior wall area | 18,400 | 19,150 | SF | Added parapet height on east elevation |
| Storefront glazing | 2,200 | 2,640 | SF | New entry vestibule |
| Roof area | 22,800 | 22,800 | SF | No change |
| Interior partition | 9,600 | 10,320 | LF | Added offices on level 2 |
| Acoustical ceiling | 31,500 | 30,900 | SF | Open ceiling in lobby |
| Site asphalt paving | 41,000 | 38,200 | SF | Parking reduced for detention pond |
Fictional example: design development quantity check for a two-story office, prior set vs current set. Not a customer project.
Before you send plans
Common questions about handing off the work
Will I lose control of my number?
No. Quantities are priced with your rates. You set markup and the final bid price.
Can you sit in on owner meetings?
No. We work from documents. Your team carries our numbers and questions into the meeting.
Are early budgets reliable?
They are as reliable as the drawings allow. Every assumption is written down so you can explain movement.
Who is responsible for the final bid?
Your company. Your team reviews, signs and submits. Bidmere never signs or submits a bid.
Monthly estimating plans
Bid preconstruction every week? Use a monthly estimating plan
If preconstruction bids land on your desk every week, a monthly plan works like an outsourced estimating department. 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. Each plan uses your rates and templates and runs on your bid calendar.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much do preconstruction services cost?
Single-trade estimates are from $195, multi-trade estimates are from $1,150, and bid packages are from $1,950. Every job gets a fixed price within 2 business hours after a free plan review. You pay only after you accept the price and delivery date.
Is Bidmere a preconstruction consultant?
Bidmere provides outsourced preconstruction estimating, not consulting. We prepare budgets, quantity checks, bid packages and bid leveling from your documents. We do not act as a construction manager, owner’s representative or design consultant, and we do not attend meetings or visit sites.
How fast can you turn a budget estimate?
Single-trade estimates are ready in 48 hours from an accepted quote and complete documents. Bid packages take 5 business days. Multi-trade budgets get a delivery date in the fixed quote, based on the number of trades and the stage of the drawings.
What do you need to start?
The current drawings and specs, your labor rates and material pricing, and any allowances the owner set. If you want a comparison, send the prior design set too. The first form takes text only; we set up document sharing after confirming the work.
Who sets the prices in a preconstruction budget?
You do. We price measured quantities with rates you approve and carry the markup structure you give us. Your team reviews the budget and decides what goes to the owner. If you have no rates for a trade, tell us, and we list that pricing as an open item rather than guessing.
How are design revisions handled?
Send each new set as it is issued. We compare quantities for the trades in scope and list what changed. The accepted quote explains how revision work is priced, so you know the cost before we start. Each comparison names the sheets and revision dates it used, so nobody prices from an old set.
Do you do value engineering?
We price the options you or the design team name, so you can compare cost. We do not choose substitutions or judge whether they meet the design intent. Each option is priced on the same basis as the base estimate, with its assumptions listed. See value engineering proposals for how we organize the write-up.
Is my project information kept confidential?
Yes. Drawings, rates and owner budgets are used only for your project. The first inquiry asks for text only. We explain secure document sharing after we accept the scope. Nothing is shared with subcontractors, suppliers or other clients. See our security page for details.
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.