1. Add the bids
Header: item, estimate, bidder names…. One BASE row with each lump-sum price. Then one row per scope item: incl (in the base), excl (add your estimate), ? or blank (not addressed), or a dollar amount (their own price for it).
Paste a table or load the example, then click Level the bids.
Result
Leveled ranking
| Rank | Bidder | Base bid | Scope adds | Leveled total | Over lowest |
|---|
Where the adds come from
| Scope item | Your estimate | Included | Excluded | Not addressed | Own price |
|---|
Things to confirm before awarding
The rules, and what they leave out
- Leveled total = base bid + adds. An included item adds nothing; an excluded item adds your estimate; a bidder's own price for an item is added instead of your estimate.
- Not addressed (
?or blank) adds your estimate times the weight you set. At 100% it is treated like an exclusion, the cautious reading. - Outlier flag — a base under the median by the percentage you set, with at least three bidders.
- Rank is by leveled total, lowest first. Ties keep the order pasted.
- Reconciles. For every item, included + excluded + not addressed + own price equals the number of bidders.
- Not modelled: bid validity dates, alternates and unit prices, schedule, bonding capacity, insurance, qualifications, or whether an estimate is right. It will not tell you who to hire.
Common questions
What is bid leveling?
Bid leveling puts every bidder on the same scope before you compare prices. Bids rarely cover the same work: one includes controls, another excludes permits, a third never mentions rigging. Leveling adds your estimate for each excluded or unaddressed item to that bidder's base price, so the totals are comparable.
How does this tool level a bid?
For each scope row, a bidder is included (adds nothing), excluded (adds your estimate), not addressed (adds your estimate times a weight you choose, default 100%), or has a price of its own (that price is added). The leveled total is the base price plus those adds.
Why is the lowest bid often not the cheapest?
Low bids frequently omit scope that the owner or general contractor then pays for through change orders. The tool shows the swing, and flags a base far under the median, which is a common sign of a missed drawing or a missing trade.
Is my bid data uploaded?
No. The table is parsed in your browser tab and nothing is sent anywhere. Bids contain confidential pricing, which is why there is no account and no upload.
What format do I paste?
A CSV or tab-separated table (copy straight from Excel or Google Sheets): a header of item, estimate and each bidder's name; one BASE row with lump-sum prices; then one row per scope item with incl, excl, ? or a dollar amount in each bidder's column.
Does this replace my estimator or a bid review?
No. It applies fixed arithmetic to the estimates and answers you enter. It does not read bid documents or judge whether a sub is qualified, bonded or able to perform.