Construction Bid Day Checklist for General Contractors

Short answer: A good bid day runs on preparation. The week before, confirm bidder coverage, issue the final addenda and lock your scope. On bid day, level each subcontractor bid against that scope as it arrives, plug the gaps, confirm exclusions with bidders, and roll the leveled numbers into your final price with time to review before submission.

The week before bid day

• Confirm bidder coverage for every package, with at least two or three committed bidders per trade.
• Issue final addenda and confirm bidders have acknowledged them.
• Finish the scope of work and bid form for every package.
• Complete your internal estimate so every package has a number to compare against.
• Assign an owner to every bid package.
• Agree on markups, contingency and the review process with your team.

The day before

• Chase bidders who haven’t confirmed.
• Level any early bids that are already in.
• Line up backup pricing or plugs for thin-coverage trades.
• Check that your bid form, summary sheet and bid tab templates are ready.

Bid day morning

• Log every bid as it arrives against its package.
• Read inclusions, exclusions, alternates and qualifications, not just the total.
• Level each bid against your scope and flag gaps on the line.
• Call bidders to clarify exclusions before you carry their number.

The final hours

• Swap in revised bids and check what changed, not only the new total.
• Add plugs for missing scope so leveled totals compare fairly.
• Pick the bidder to carry for each package and record why.
• Roll leveled numbers into the summary and apply markups.
• Have a second person review the biggest packages and the largest plugs.
• Submit with time to spare.

After submission

• Save the final bid tab and the reasoning behind each carry decision.
• Note the scope gaps you found so the next scope of work covers them.

How to make bid day less chaotic

Most bid day stress comes from retyping proposals into a bid tab while revisions keep arriving. Tools that read the proposals and level them against your scope as they land give estimators back the hours for judgment calls. If you solicit through BuildingConnected, bids can flow straight into Consight; see BuildingConnected bid leveling. Related reading: what bid leveling is and how to do it and how to find scope gaps in subcontractor bids.

Frequently asked questions

How many bids should a GC get per trade?

Many general contractors aim for at least three competitive bids per major trade, but coverage targets vary by market, trade and owner requirements.

What should happen if a key trade has only one bid?

Compare it against your internal estimate, plug any missing scope, and decide whether to carry it, self-perform or hold a contingency.