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GeneralBid.

Free Bid Leveler · no account · no card

Level every bid.
Miss nothing.

Turn subcontractor proposals into a clean, like-for-like comparison. GeneralBid finds exclusions, prices the gaps, and builds every clarification—before a missed scope item costs you the job.

Level my bids Explore the live sample
  • Every line read from a proposal or a spec shows the words it came from, and you check it before it goes in
  • Every exclusion and omission priced, so bids compare like for like
  • A warning when the lowest number is not the lowest bid

Live project workspace

Level a real-looking bid package.

This is the actual tool—not a video or a mockup. Review three sample drywall proposals, edit scope and prices, then open the clarification tab to see the emails GeneralBid creates. Ready to work? Upload your own proposals free—no account or card required.

GB
ProjectsWestfield Office Renovation

09 29 00 · Drywall & metal framing

Autosaved locallyBid due Oct 18Use your own bids
  1. 1Find Summit’s exclusions
  2. 2Change a plug amount
  3. 3Open clarification emails
  4. LIVE · EDIT ANY CELL

Price the gaps at

A gap is priced at the median of the bidders who priced that line. Fair, and the default. Your own estimate on a line always wins.

Lowest levelled: Keystone Wall Systems, $448,500Not the lowest number on paper1 high-priority flag

Type a number, i for included, x for excluded, or leave a cell empty for not mentioned. Arrow keys, Tab and Enter move between cells. Paste a block copied from Excel to fill a range. Ctrl or Cmd plus Z undoes the last change.

Scope lineYour estimate
plug +17,250
plug +23,400
plug +9,500
plug +14,300plug +14,300
Base bid as written
Sales tax included
Bond included
Notes and qualifications
Sum of priced lines412,000447,500439,900
Plugs for gaps+64,450+0+14,300
Levelled total$476,450#3 of 3$448,500#1 of 3$454,200#2 of 3
Alternates — compared side by side, never in totals

Type a number, i for included, x for excluded, or leave it empty for — not mentioned. Arrows, Tab and Enter move like a spreadsheet. Paste a block from Excel into any cell to fill the range.

Levelled result

Lowest on paper is not lowest levelled.

Summit Interiors wrote the lowest number, $412,000, but leaves out $64,450 of scope. Once every gap is priced, Keystone Wall Systems is lowest at $448,500, and Summit Interiors comes to $476,450.

Lowest levelled
$448,500
Keystone Wall Systems
Spread
6.2%
Lowest to highest, levelled
Gaps priced in the low bid
$0
Would surface later as change orders
High-priority flags
1
6 flags in all

Ranked, like for like

Solid is what they quoted. Striped is what their gaps cost at your plug method.

  1. 1. Keystone Wall Systems$448,500

    Stated $448,500 + plugs $0 · covers 100% of scope · -1.3% vs median

  2. 2. Ridgeline Drywall$454,200

    Stated $439,900 + plugs $14,300 · covers 91% of scope · 0.0% vs median

  3. 3. Summit Interiors$476,450

    Stated $412,000 + plugs $64,450 · covers 64% of scope · +4.9% vs median

What to check before award

Alternates, side by side

Not counted in any total.

AlternateSummit InteriorsKeystone Wall SystemsRidgeline Drywall
Upgrade to abuse-resistant board31,00027,500—

Method: each bid starts from its stated base bid, or the sum of its priced lines when no base bid is given. Every base line a bidder excluded or did not mention gets a plug: your estimate for that line when you have entered one, otherwise the median or highest price from the bidders who priced it, per the plug method. Stated plus plugs is the levelled total, and bids are ranked on it. Alternates are compared side by side and never counted in totals. A line under half or over twice the median is flagged once at least three bidders have priced it. Everything is worked out in your browser.

Invite subs and collect bids straight into this sheet — GeneralBid Pro

Subs price your lines on a link, no account needed, and the sheet levels itself as bids arrive.

Create an account
Upload my proposals

PDFs, pasted emails, Excel sheets, or trade templates · Free · No account

Read proposalsDrop PDFs or paste email textStart from a specDraft scope lines from a sectionPaste from ExcelImport your current comparisonUse a templateChoose a trade scope checklist

The hidden cost

The lowest number is not always the lowest bid.

You invite sixty subs, get eighteen bids by email in eighteen formats, and spend two days levelling them into one spreadsheet, only to find half of them exclude something different.

The lowest number is often low because it leaves something out. Scope that no bid mentions is noticed during construction, and a missed exclusion becomes a change order. That is the work the Bid Leveler does in seconds.

What is bid levelling?

Bid leveling (also spelled bid levelling) is how a general contractor makes subcontractor bids comparable before award. Each bid is checked line by line against one scope list, every excluded or unmentioned line is priced with a plug, and the bids are ranked on those levelled totals rather than the numbers written on the proposals.

How to level subcontractor bids, step by step →

How does the free Bid Leveler work?

The same levelling an estimator does in a spreadsheet, done the same way on every bid, starting from the proposals as they arrived, or from the spec before they do.

  1. 01

    Drop in the proposals, or start from the spec

    PDFs, several at once, or proposal text pasted from an email. Pick a trade template to read them against, or let the first proposal's own lines become the sheet. No bids yet? Drop in your spec section and get its scope lines first, each with the paragraph it came from. Or paste your comparison from Excel, or start from a template and type the numbers in.

  2. 02

    Review what each proposal says about each line

    Each proposal comes back as a price, included, excluded or not mentioned against every scope line, with the words from the proposal it was read from. Nothing goes in the sheet until you have checked it, and you can untick any line. Reading can get things wrong; the quote is there so you can tell.

  3. 03

    Fix anything by hand

    Every cell stays editable: a number, incl for included, excl for excluded, or nothing. A blank means the bid never mentions that line, which is the one that becomes a change order. Undo takes back any change, including a whole proposal.

  4. 04

    Read the levelled result

    Every gap is priced at the median, the highest price, or your own estimate, then the bids are ranked like for like, with coverage, spread, outliers and arithmetic errors flagged.

  5. 05

    Send the clarifications

    One email per sub, listing the exact lines to confirm, with your reply-by date. Copy it, or open it in your email app.

  6. 06

    Keep the record

    Download a CSV, print a levelling sheet for the bid file, or save a link to share with your team.

Built for real estimators

GeneralBid Pro: the bids come to the sheet

The free leveler starts from bids you already have. Pro starts earlier and ends later: the scope from the spec, the subs checked and invited, every bid arriving levelled by link or by email, and the package followed through award and change orders.

  1. 01

    Set up the package

    One per trade you buy, with a due date and scope lines from a template, your own list, or drafted from the spec section.

  2. 02

    Check and invite subs

    From your directory or the GeneralBid network, with a warning on lapsed insurance. Each gets a private link. No sub account.

  3. 03

    Bids arrive levelled

    Priced on the link or emailed to the package's inbox address and read onto your lines. The sheet re-levels as each lands.

  4. 04

    Clarify and compare

    Send the questions the levelling raises, and check every line against your own cost history.

  5. 05

    Award with a record

    Award at the levelled number with a memo and a watchlist of the gaps the winning bid carried.

  6. 06

    Track change orders

    Log each one against the package and see which were gaps you flagged at award.

Before the bids

Get the scope right and the right subs on the list.

Projects and trade packages
Each job is a project; each trade you buy is a package with its own due date, scope notes and levelling sheet, started from a trade template, your own lines, or the spec.
Scope lines from the spec
Drop in the spec section and get one line per item a sub would price, each with the paragraph it came from, including the testing, mock-ups, attic stock and warranties the spec asks for. Lines you already have are left out, and you tick what goes in. It never invents quantities or prices.
Prequalification and documents
Keep each sub's insurance certificate, W-9, licence, bond letter and safety record with an expiry date. Send a link that lets a sub upload them without an account, see a warning when you invite a sub whose insurance has lapsed, and, if you choose, require prequalification before anyone is invited.
Your directory, and the GeneralBid network
Your subs by trade and region with their response and win rates. On paid plans, search subcontractors who have listed themselves on GeneralBid and add them to your directory in one click. Subs whose email is verified carry a Verified badge.

Collecting the bids

Every bid lands in the same sheet, whichever way it arrives.

A private link for every sub
Each invited sub gets a link to your scope lines and prices them there: no account, no login, no format of their own. It works on a phone.
Proposals by email
Every package has its own inbox address. Forward a sub's proposal to it, or give it to subs as the reply-to, and the PDF is read onto your scope lines and waits in the package inbox for you to review and apply. Emailed proposals count toward your proposal reads; we keep the result, not the email or its attachments.
Reminders by email, and by text if the sub opts in
Subs who have not submitted get a reminder before the bid is due. A sub who opts in on their bid link also gets a text message; SMS is only sent after the sub opts in, you cannot opt a sub in for them, and replying STOP ends it. Reminders are on paid plans.
Bids land already levelled
Submissions go straight into the package sheet. Exclusions and omissions are priced, outliers and arithmetic errors flagged, the moment each bid arrives.

Levelling and award

Compare like for like, against your own history, and write down why.

Cost history and suggested estimates
Every priced line you level builds your team's cost library. Fill empty estimates from your own median, see a typical range beside each line, and spot a price far from your history. Your history is private to your team.
Opt-in benchmarks
If an admin turns on sharing, your priced lines join an anonymous pool and you see network ranges alongside your own. Benchmarks are opt-in and aggregated from at least 5 companies; no company, project or bidder is ever named. Sharing is off until you turn it on.
A clarifications log
The questions the levelling raises, one per line and per sub, tracked from open to answered to closed, so nothing is agreed only on the phone.
Award memo, watchlist and audit trail
Award at the levelled number with a written rationale. The award keeps a watchlist of the lines the winning bid excluded or never mentioned, with the plug used for each. Every invitation, view, submission, sheet change and award is logged with its time.

After award, and around it

Follow the package into construction, and take the data with you.

Change orders against the package
Log each change order with its amount, status and source, and link it to a watchlist line. The post-award summary shows how many were gaps flagged at award, and what they cost against the levelled prediction.
Branded share links
Share a read-only levelling with your company name on it, for an owner, an architect or your own team. Choose to hide your estimates, or show bidders as Bidder A, B and C.
Exports and webhooks
Download a package as JSON, or an awarded package as a schedule-of-values CSV for Procore, Autodesk Build and most ERPs (check your import template). Signed webhooks send bids, awards and change orders to your own systems, or to Zapier and Make. Native Procore sync is not available yet.
Today board and bid calendar
What is due in the next two weeks, which packages have fewer than three bids, which subs have gone quiet, proposals waiting in your inboxes, and insurance about to expire.
Start 14-day free trial$399 per estimator, per month →Exports and webhooks →

  • For subcontractors: free, always

    Bidding on a GC's link never needs an account. A free sub account tracks every invitation from every GC, keeps your documents current for all of them, and lists you for GCs looking for your trade.

    How it works for subs →

  • Integrations

    Schedule-of-values CSV and JSON exports, signed webhooks, and Zapier or Make. Native Procore sync is not available yet; the CSV imports into Procore.

    Exports and webhooks →

  • Security

    Proposals and specs are read, not stored. Documents sit in encrypted storage. Analytics are first-party with no IP stored, and error reports carry no personal data.

    What we keep, and what we do not →

A subcontractor? Create a free sub account

Who it is for

  • Estimators

    Draft the scope from the spec, level a trade in the time it takes to paste it, with every gap priced the same way, and send the clarifications before the bid is due.

  • Project managers and precon

    See why the recommended bid is the recommended bid, keep an award record for the file, and see which change orders were gaps flagged at award.

  • General contractors and CMs

    On projects from 500k to 50m, where one missed exclusion can take the fee on a package.

  • Subcontractors

    Invited through GeneralBid, you price the GC's scope lines on one link, free and with no account. If you want one, a free sub account tracks every invitation from every GC in one place.

Bid levelling questions, answered

Is the Bid Leveler really free?
Yes. No account, no card, and no limit on how many sheets you level; each one holds up to 40 bidders and 300 lines. It runs in your browser and does not stop working after a trial.
Where do my numbers go?
The levelling is worked out in your browser and the sheet is kept in this browser's local storage so a refresh does not lose it. Three things are sent to us, and only when you ask: a proposal you drop in to be read, a spec section you drop in to draft scope lines, and a sheet you save with “Save & get a link”. Anonymous links expire after 30 days.
How is an exclusion priced?
With a plug. If you entered your own estimate for that line, that is the plug. Otherwise it is the median of the bidders who priced it, or the highest price if you choose the conservative method. Each bid's levelled total is its stated number plus its plugs.
What is the difference between excluded and not mentioned?
Excluded means the bid says so, and you can ask for an add price. Not mentioned means the bid is silent, which is how scope ends up in nobody's contract. Both are plugged; not mentioned is highlighted because it is the one people miss.
Can I paste from my existing spreadsheet?
Yes. Copy the block with bidder names across the top and scope lines down the side. A Total or Base bid row, Tax and Bond rows, Alt rows and an Estimate column are all recognised, as are words like incl, excl, NIC and by others.
How are proposals read?
The PDF or pasted text is sent to GeneralBid with your scope line names, and an AI model (Claude, from Anthropic) reads it onto those lines: a price, included, excluded, or not mentioned, each with the quote it came from, plus the base bid, tax, bond, exclusions and qualifications. It is told to leave a line the proposal never mentions as not mentioned rather than guess, and never to make up a price. It is not perfect, especially on scanned pages, so you review every line before it is applied, and any warning is shown to you.
Can I start from the spec instead of the bids?
Yes. Drop in the spec section for one trade, or paste its text, and you get one scope line per item a sub would price separately, each with the spec paragraph it came from, such as 09 21 16 – 2.3.B. Commonly missed items the spec states, like testing, mock-ups, attic stock and warranties, come out as their own lines, and the spec's alternates as alternates. It never invents quantities or prices. You tick the lines you want, and any already in your sheet are left out.
Is my proposal or spec stored?
No. The file is sent to GeneralBid and passed to Anthropic, the AI provider that reads it for us, and the result comes back to your browser. We keep neither the file nor its text. Under Anthropic's commercial terms for its API, content sent to it is not used to train its models; Anthropic may keep it for a limited period under those terms, for example to detect misuse. What you apply lives in your browser's sheet, like everything else you type. The privacy policy has the details.
Is there a limit on reading proposals?
Yes, a few a minute and a daily cap per connection, so the free tool stays free, and reading can pause for the free tool on a very busy day. If you reach a limit, a free account keeps you going. Pasting, templates and typing into the sheet have no limit.
Can subs email their proposals in?
Yes, in GeneralBid Pro. Every package has its own inbox address. Forward a proposal to it, or give it to subs as the reply-to on your invitations, and each PDF is read onto the package's scope lines and waits in the package inbox until you review and apply it. We keep the reading and who it came from; the email and its attachments are not stored.
Do subcontractors pay, or need an account?
No. A sub opens the link in their invitation, prices your lines and submits, with no account. Subs who want one can create a free subcontractor account to see every invitation from every GC in one place, keep their documents current, and be listed for GCs looking for their trade. Subs are never billed.
Do you send text messages to subs?
Only to a sub who has opted in. SMS is only sent after the sub opts in on their own bid link or in their free account; a GC can add a phone number but can never opt a sub in. Texts are reminders of a bid due date with the link, and replying STOP ends them. Reminders are part of the paid plans.
What are benchmarks, and is my data in them?
Only if your team turns sharing on; it is off by default. Benchmarks are opt-in and aggregated from at least 5 companies, and a range is only shown when there are enough points behind it. No company, project or bidder is ever named. Your own cost history is always private to your team, whether you share or not.
Does GeneralBid integrate with Procore?
Native Procore sync is not available yet. An awarded package exports as a schedule-of-values CSV that Procore, Autodesk Build and most ERPs can import (check your import template), every package exports as JSON, and signed webhooks can send bids, awards and change orders to your own systems or to Zapier and Make.
What does GeneralBid Pro cost?
399 dollars a month per estimator, for projects, sub invitations, proposals by email, the directory and the GeneralBid network, prequalification, reminders, clarifications, award records and change orders. 1,200 dollars a month covers several offices and unlimited estimators, with analytics.
Can I move a free sheet into a project later?
Yes. Save it with a share link, then create an account from the link under the result. The sheet comes with you and becomes a trade package.

Pricing

The Bid Leveler is free, with no account. Estimator is priced per seat, one for each estimator on your team. Subcontractors never pay, and their accounts are free.

  • Bid Leveler

    Freeforever, no account

    Level the bids already in your inbox.

    • Unlimited levelling sheets
    • Proposal reading, PDF or pasted text
    • Scope lines drafted from your spec section
    • Scope templates for 16 trades
    • A clarification email for every bidder
    • CSV export and print or PDF
    • Share links
    Level bids now →

  • Estimator

    Recommended

    $399per estimator, per month

    Run every bid from invitation to award, and after.

    • Unlimited projects, invitations and proposal reads
    • Sub portal invitations, no sub account
    • A proposal inbox address for every package
    • Scope lines drafted from the spec
    • Subcontractor directory with hit rates
    • Find subs on the GeneralBid network
    • Prequalification, documents and expiry warnings
    • Email reminders, plus SMS for subs who opt in
    • Cost history and suggested estimates
    • Clarifications log, award memos and audit trail
    • Change orders and the post-award watchlist
    • Branded share links, JSON and schedule-of-values exports, webhooks
    • Invite your team: one seat per estimator
    Start 14-day free trial →

  • Multi-office

    $1,200per month

    For contractors running bids from more than one office.

    • Everything in Estimator
    • Unlimited estimators at one price
    • Offices, with projects and people filed under each
    • Analytics by trade, estimator, office and sub: bid coverage, spread, exposure caught, change orders, win rate
    Talk to us →

Prices in USD. Estimator starts with a 14-day free trial: card required, cancel any time. A free account adds one active project with the sub portal, ten invitations a month, 25 subcontractors in the directory and ten proposal reads a month, uploaded or emailed; email sending, reminders and the GeneralBid network are on the paid plans. Subcontractor accounts are always free.

Drop in every proposal. Get one levelled sheet.

Drop in the sub proposals as PDFs or pasted email text and review each one line by line before it goes in, or start from your spec section, paste from Excel, or pick a trade template. See every exclusion priced, the real low bid, and a clarification email for each sub. Free. No account, no card, no call.

Open the Bid Leveler

The levelling runs in your browser. GeneralBid only sees a proposal or spec you choose to have read, and does not store it, or a sheet you choose to save as a share link.