Bid leveling software for general contractors
Every sub words their proposal differently. BuildRoutine reads each one and drafts the leveling sheet for you, so your estimator checks the numbers instead of typing them.
Proposals in, leveling sheet out
Upload the PDFs, or attach a proposal straight from a sub's email reply. Each bidder's inclusions, exclusions, alternates and qualifications are lined up on one sheet.
See the real low number
Exclusions are flagged per bidder, and items one bidder priced that another left out stand out, so a low price that leaves out scope is easy to spot before award.
The sheet your team already knows
One column per bidder, the bid breakdown, subtotal, tax and total, then plugs and deducts down to a leveled total. Each sheet is a real spreadsheet you can edit and export to Excel.
Your estimator decides
Every line points back to the proposal it came from, so it is quick to verify before you award.
Why leveling eats an estimator's week
On a typical job each trade comes back with several proposals, and no two are written the same way. One electrician carries temporary power and another excludes it. One drywall sub includes patching after the other trades and another leaves it for the GC. One HVAC bid is a lump sum and the next is broken out by system with three alternates at the bottom.
Before you can compare prices you have to rebuild every proposal into the same shape: what is in, what is out, what is an alternate and what is a qualification buried in the fine print. That retyping is where the hours go, and it is where expensive mistakes hide.
How bid leveling works in BuildRoutine
Bring the proposals in. Upload the PDFs, drop in a scanned quote, or attach the proposal straight from the sub's reply to your bid request. BuildRoutine reads each proposal and drafts the leveling sheet for that scope.
Read it side by side. Scope lines are marked Included, Not included or NIC for every bidder, so the gaps stand out at a glance. The base bid, the breakdown, tax and total sit in each bidder's column.
Level it. Add a plug for scope a bidder left out, or a deduct for something they carried that you don't need, and the leveled total updates. You can also just ask the sheet: “add a $5,000 plug for the isolators they excluded.” The math is recomputed by the app every time, never left to guesswork.
Award with confidence. Every line points back to the page of the proposal it came from, so your estimator can check a number in seconds before the award goes out.
Exclusions that change the number on a New York job
The bids that look cheapest are often the ones that leave the most out. On New York City work, the usual suspects are DOB filing and permit fees, controlled and special inspections, after-hours and weekend premiums, hoisting and elevator time, protection and cleanup, sidewalk sheds and street work, and patching behind other trades.
When a leveling sheet lines those items up for every bidder, you can see what each price really covers and put a fair plug against the gaps before you compare totals.
From bid request to buyout on the same job
Leveling is one step of the job, not a separate tool. Bid requests go out from BuildRoutine, the replies and proposals come back to the same bid, the leveling sheet is drafted from those proposals, and once you award, the scope moves to the buyout log with the rest of the job's subs, insurance and documents.
Questions
What is bid leveling?
Bid leveling is comparing subcontractor proposals line by line, adjusting for what each bidder included or left out, so you compare equal scopes and not just bottom-line prices.
Does it work with any proposal format?
Yes. PDFs, scanned proposals and emailed quotes all go on the same sheet.
Can I still use Excel?
Yes. Every leveling sheet is a real spreadsheet. Edit it in place, or export it to Excel and keep working the way your team already does.
Who makes the final call?
Your estimator. BuildRoutine drafts the sheet and flags gaps, and every line links back to the proposal so a person verifies it before award.
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