Learn how you can use the Bid Leveler to manage and organize bids so you can quickly collaborate with your bidders and be prepared to submit your bid.
As a General Contractor compiling, comparing, collaborating, and choosing which bids you are going to use on just one project can be all-consuming. PlanHub's Bid Leveler page helps you complete these tasks quickly.
To get to the Bid Leveler click on the Bid Leveler page in your PlanHub account. Then enter the name of the project you want to work on in the "Project" field.
Or
Navigate to the Project Overview page for the project you are focused on and click on the "Compare Bids" button at the top of the page. This will take you to the Bid Leveler for this project.
Bid Leveler
At the top of the Bid Leveler, you can see the project name you are working on and search for other projects by entering the project name into the Project Feild:
You can sort the bids you have received by clicking on the "Sort By" field.
Use the "Filters" field to filter the bids you are viewing on a particular project:
Check off all that you wish to view:
Toggle on the update bids only view to only see the bids that have been resubmitted, great for projects where you have added addendums or have gone out for a rebid:
A quick snapshot of subcontractor and supplier activity on your project is provided as well:
You can quickly add any bids you receive outside of PlanHub.
In the list of bids below, you can select which trades in each division you would like to include in your proposal. These selections are private to you and your team.
You can indicate preference of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place for each bid. These selections are private to you and your team.
On each bid submitted by a registered PlanHub user, you have a quick snapshot of the bid and a number of quick actions:
- You can send a request for a bid breakdown by clicking on "Request a breakdown of this bid".
- View the submitter's name, company information, and contact details.
- You can take quick action using the buttons at the bottom of the bids.
- You can Message the bidder, Download the bid, Hide this bid from your list of bids, and Like/Unlike the bid for your and your team's reference. Hiding and Like/Unlike are private to you and your team.
Baseline:
The Baseline can be used in two ways the first is to send out a baseline bid form to the subcontractors asking them to fill in the pricing for their trade types.
- *TIP: Suppliers do not have access to your Baselines, they should only be sent to subcontractors.
The second is to build out your own baseline expectations for the cost of the trades needed for a project. Those who use this approach typically will compare their expectations with the actual bids they have received for a project and may choose to include the baseline in their proposal export.
To start a Baseline for either approach, click "Start a Baseline"
We will give you the option to automatically prefill the trades needed according to the trades you listed on the project, utilize the baselines from your templates, or add your Baseline trades for this project from scratch.
If you select to use one of your templates you will then be able to select from your Baseline templates you have saved.
If you select the option to have us open a section for all the trade divisions you invited to bid on your project the system will automatically create these sections.
To add trades to a section click the plus sign in that division
If you select the option to create your Baseline from scratch you will be given a blank form. You can search for your trades by using the Select Trade field and entering the name of the trade.
Select the Division you wish to add or type in the name of the trade you are looking for and select the result that aligns.
Once you have added a trade you can edit the fields for that trade by clicking on the Edit icon.
Once you have made any edits to a trade type you would like to click the "Save" button.
You can partially fill out a field(s) and send the Baseline off to the Subcontractor to have them add their pricing.
Once you have added all desired trades, scroll to the bottom. You can add the local tax rate, Save to Templates, Save and return to continue working on the Baseline, Share with subs, or Cancel:
Please make sure your Baseline is complete before you share it with Subcontractors. Any changes to your Baseline after you have shared it will not be seen by the Subs who received your Baseline until you reshare it.
The subcontractor is then prompted to fill in each section that aligns with their trades.
This is from the Subcontractor's perspective.
Once they have submitted this back, you will see it as a bid in your project's bids.
If you would like to learn more about how to track the traffic on your projects go to: General Contractor | How To View Activity On Your Projects.