Set up the bid, send vendor quote packages to a planroom they can open without a login, post addendums, answer bid RFIs, price alternates, and send the proposal from Bid Desk. When you win, the estimate turns into the project with the files and bid history attached.
Start the bid with the job, customer, owner, estimator, location, bid due date, vendor quote deadline, pre-bid walk, wage/tax/bond flags, priority, contacts, and conversion status. The estimator works from this record instead of a loose folder of notes.
Use the Files tab as the bid file manager. Drawings, specs, addenda, RFP package files, quotes, internal scope notes, and proposal drafts stay organized before the work becomes a project.
The RFP tab is for sending quote requests to vendors and subs. The estimator builds scope groups, picks invited bidders, sends packages, tracks who received/opened/responded, records no-bids, and keeps quote cards on the bid.
Invited vendors get a secure public link where they can review the bid package, download files, see addendums, answer the RFP, and upload a quote. They do not need a Build Daily account just to price the job.
When the bid package changes, addendums stay attached to the estimate. The team can post the addendum, attach revised files, notify invited vendors, and keep proof of who was sent the update.
Pre-award questions need a record. Estimate RFIs keep bidder questions, drawing/spec references, contacts, due dates, distributions, responses, and closeout actions connected to the bid.
Alternates keep option pricing from polluting the base bid. Estimators can track alternate descriptions, vendor coverage, acceptance status, and pricing impact before the customer proposal is built.
Takeoff keeps quantity work tied to the bid record. Users can track rows, templates, units, quantities, labor/material factors, totals, and visual takeoff launch where enabled.
Bid Letters are where the estimator builds the actual proposal going to customers and GCs. The user writes scope, inclusions, exclusions, clarifications, pricing basis, alternates, and proposal language, then Build Daily renders the package from the contractor's Word template into a PDF.
Bid Desk is the customer proposal desk. This is where the contractor chooses the GCs/customers receiving the bid, generates proposal drafts, reviews each recipient's proposal amount, sends or resends proposals, and watches delivery/open activity.
Competitor tracking is for the firms the contractor keeps running into at bid openings. Estimators can record who bid, who was apparent low, who was awarded, notes about the market, and how their own numbers compare over time.
Bid Results records bid-day outcomes, especially public bid openings where you learn how you did against the field. Once the job is won, the estimate converts into a project with the customer, location, files, proposal history, and bid history intact.
Set up the bid before pricing starts.
Track who was invited, what they looked at, and what they sent back.
Move from takeoff to a customer-ready bid.
Record the result and turn won work into a job.
Open the estimate, confirm dates and contacts, review files, scope groups, addendums, RFIs, alternates, takeoff, competitor notes, and whether the bid is ready to submit.
Issue vendor RFPs, collect quotes through the public planroom, manage pre-award questions, build the Bid Letter PDF, and send proposals from Bid Desk.
Use a secure planroom link to review files, see addendums, respond to the RFP, and upload quotes without creating a Build Daily login.
Review proposal activity, bid results, competitor patterns, apparent lows, awarded contractors, and whether the estimate should convert into a project.
| What You Need | How Build Daily Handles It |
|---|---|
| Estimate setup | Yes Capture job, customer, owner, contacts, dates, priority, wage, tax, bond, notes, and bid status. |
| Bid file manager | Yes Manage folders, uploads, previews, downloads, internal/external files, protected package folders, and zip packages. |
| Vendor RFPs | Yes Build scope groups, invite bidders, send RFPs, track sent/opened/downloaded/no-bid/quote-upload status, and follow up. |
| No-login public RFP planroom | Yes Give vendors a secure outside package with files, addendums, response status, and quote upload without requiring a Build Daily account. |
| Addendums | Yes Post bid-package changes, attach revised files, notify invited vendors, and preserve the notification trail. |
| Estimate RFIs | Yes Track pre-award questions, drawing/spec references, recipients, official answers, distributions, and closeout actions. |
| Bid alternates | Yes Keep add/deduct options, alternate descriptions, pricing impact, vendor coverage, and proposal language separate from the base bid. |
| Takeoff | Yes Track takeoff rows, templates, quantities, units, labor/material factors, totals, and visual takeoff launch where enabled. |
| Bid Letters | Yes Build customer proposal scope, inclusions, exclusions, clarifications, alternates, pricing basis, and PDF output from Word templates. |
| Bid Desk proposals | Yes Generate proposal drafts, review per-recipient proposal amounts, send to customers/GCs, resend when needed, and see who received and opened each one. |
| Competitor tracking | Yes Record who else bid, apparent lows, awards, notes, and repeated competitors from public bid openings. |
| Bid Results | Yes Compare public-sector bid outcomes, submitted numbers, alternates, winners, scenarios, and performance against other bidders before project conversion. |
| Convert to project | Yes Move the awarded estimate into a project with the customer, location, files, proposal history, and bid history intact. |
We will walk through it using the way your company handles the work today.
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