Skip to content
Consight logo
Book a demo

Bid leveling

Bid leveling software built around the scope sheet

Every proposal lands on the same scope sheet — same line items, same units, same quantities. You see what each sub carried, what they left out, and what it costs to make the numbers comparable.

Start for freeTalk to sales
Bid leveling software built around the scope sheet

What it actually takes to make two bids comparable

  • Reads proposals in PDF, Excel, or an email body
  • Maps every bid line back to your scope
  • Normalizes units and quantities
  • Surfaces exclusions, allowances, and alternates
  • Lets estimators plug missing scope so totals compare
  • Flags outliers against your internal estimate
  • Keeps every bid revision as a version
  • Keeps every adjustment editable by the estimator
  • Exports a clean bid tab for the owner

One scope sheet, every bidder on it

Bidders get their own column and your internal estimate stays in view. When a sub prices a line differently or leaves it out, the difference shows up as a number instead of a note in the margin.

See the scope sheet
One scope sheet, every bidder on it

How it works

Where leveling sits in a normal bid day

  1. Set the scope

    Build the scope sheet for the package from your drawings, specs, and past jobs. It becomes the spine every bid is measured against.

  2. Collect proposals

    Forward bids as they land — PDF, spreadsheet, or pasted into an email. Revisions attach to the same bidder.

  3. Level against scope

    Each proposal is mapped line by line to the scope sheet. Exclusions and missing work get plugged so totals compare fairly.

  4. Review and award

    Work the gaps, make the calls, adjust what you disagree with, and export the bid tab you hand to the owner.

Side by side

Leveling in a spreadsheet vs. leveling in Consight

  • Setting up the tab

    Spreadsheet bid tabRetype line items for every package, every job

    ConsightScope sheet carries over and adapts to the package

  • A new bid arrives

    Spreadsheet bid tabCopy, paste, re-sort, re-check the formulas

    ConsightDropped in and mapped to the existing scope lines

  • Exclusions

    Spreadsheet bid tabBuried in the proposal PDF until someone reads it

    ConsightPulled out and shown against the line they affect

  • Missing scope

    Spreadsheet bid tabEasy to miss until a change order shows up

    ConsightFlagged and plugged so totals stay comparable

  • Where a number came from

    Spreadsheet bid tabYou trust whoever typed it

    ConsightClick any cell and see the source proposal

  • Revised bids

    Spreadsheet bid tabNew file, new tab, new version confusion

    ConsightA new version for the same bidder, with the earlier one kept

The software levels. The estimator still decides.

Consight does not pick a winner. It removes the retyping and the reconciliation so the estimator can spend the time on scope calls, coverage questions, and the trades that actually carry risk.

Built for estimators
Estimator working over a set of drawings with a scale rule

Consight gives our team a more consistent way to catch scope gaps before award.

Hennie van Niekerk, Preconstruction Manager
Alston Construction logo
  • Clayco logo
  • Alston Construction logo
  • Gray logo
  • Benchmark Construction logo
  • Pave America logo

Built for $50M to $5B+ commercial general contractors

Consight is used by ENR-ranked and regional GCs, and its largest customers are $500M to $5B+ general contractors. Preconstruction teams at Clayco, Gray Construction, Alston Construction, W.M. Blanchard and NRP use Consight to put every bid package through the same review, whichever estimator runs it.

See how large GCs use Consight
Consight scope sheet leveling three subcontractor bids against a GC budget

Bid leveling FAQ

What is bid leveling?

Bid leveling is the process of putting competing subcontractor proposals on a common basis so they can be compared. That means matching each bid to your scope of work, normalizing units and quantities, accounting for exclusions and allowances, and adding back any scope a bidder left out. Without it, the low number is often just the bid with the most missing work.

How is this different from a bid tab in Excel?

A bid tab holds the numbers. Consight holds the scope behind the numbers. Every value stays linked to the proposal it came from, exclusions are surfaced instead of buried, and revisions attach to the bidder rather than becoming a new version of the file.

Do we have to change how we solicit bids?

No. Keep using BuildingConnected, your ITB emails, or whatever process you have today. Consight starts when the proposals come back.

Can estimators override what the software does?

Yes, and they should. Every mapping, plug, and adjustment is editable. Consight makes the first pass so the estimator is reviewing instead of retyping.

What file types can you level?

PDF proposals, Excel and CSV bid forms, scanned documents, and bids pasted into the body of an email.

How much does AI bid leveling software cost?

Pricing runs from a free spreadsheet to a per-user subscription for AI bid leveling software. Excel costs nothing extra, but every proposal is retyped by hand. BuildingConnected includes bid leveling in its paid Pro plan, and Procore in its bidding tools. Consight Pro, which adds AI bid leveling and scope generation, is $199 per user per month billed annually ($219 monthly) for teams of up to 3, with Enterprise pricing for larger teams.

Is there free bid leveling software?

Mostly spreadsheets and trials. Subcontractors bid for free on BuildingConnected, but its bid leveling is a paid Pro feature for general contractors. Consight has a 14-day free trial with no credit card, so you can level a live package before paying.

How long does it take to level a package?

Most teams see a first pass within minutes of the bids landing. The time you spend after that is review — working gaps and making calls — not data entry.
Still have questions? Talk to sales

Keep reading

Related pages