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Setting Up Bid Sheets
Once you’ve established your list of trade categories (those trades required to complete your project) you’ll want to set up bid sheets for each trade. See our Sample of a Completed Bid Sheet to get an idea of how a bid sheet is made up and managed; use this as a guide for all other trades.
We provide a more complete list trades you may need in our Sample Subcontractor trade Categories.
Follow these instructions to set up your bid sheets:
List
the bidders across the top of the bid sheet. Leave
several blank columns to add bidders as you will invariably get bids
from other contractors who hear of your project.
Make a list of each item of work for that trade on the left hand side. This list can be made up from the items shown on the plans and/or additional items you would like to have bidders include in their proposal. The list is also developed by what the contractors include in their bids. Some bidders will include items that others have excluded so it’s important to read each quote. Use the quotes to help you develop your list of items to be sure you're comparing "apples to apples". For example, under drywall or sheetrock you would want to know if the bidder is included taping and spackling and preparing it to receive paint. Likewise, you should ask the painting contractor if they include spackling so you don’t have a duplication of spackling costs.