Construction Estimating, Bid Support and Scheduling for General Contractors

Estimating and Scheduling for General Contractors for general contractors covers the full bidding cycle: reviewing the solicitation, taking off and pricing every division, leveling subcontractor bids, preparing the bid package and supporting the post-bid process through award and buyout.

General contractors carry the risk of the whole project, so the estimate has to cover every CSI division, every addendum and every general condition. Bid Sharp works as an extension of your estimating team on public and private projects, from the first solicitation review to buyout.

Send us a full estimate request, an independent check of subcontractor numbers or overflow work during bid season, and we return Excel and PDF files that drop straight into your bid.

Full-scope estimating from Division 01 to Division 33

We prepare estimates organized by CSI MasterFormat: general requirements and general conditions, existing conditions, concrete, masonry, metals, wood, thermal and moisture protection, openings, finishes, specialties, equipment, MEP, sitework and utilities. See our division and trade pages and construction estimating.

Pre-bid support

We review the solicitation, track addenda, submit RFIs, complete takeoffs and price alternates, allowances and unit prices. See pre-bid estimating support and our pre-bid checklist.

Post-bid support

We analyze bid tabulations, level subcontractor proposals, prepare clarifications, price value engineering and support buyout. See post-bid support.

Public and private projects

We support public bids, including prevailing-wage and Davis-Bacon solicitations, and private open-shop projects. See public bid estimating.

Scheduling and cost control

We build CPM schedules linked to the estimate and cost-control reports that carry the estimate into the project budget.

What you receive

• Complete estimate by CSI division
• Subcontractor scope sheets and bid-leveling sheets
• Addenda and RFI logs
• Bid-form pricing and qualifications
• CPM schedule and budget handoff

Technical scope and terminology we work with

• General conditions, bonds, insurance and markups
• Subcontractor coverage, scope sheets and bid leveling
• Alternates, allowances, unit prices and base bid
• Addenda, RFIs, bid tabulation and buyout
• Prevailing wage, Davis-Bacon and certified payroll
• CSI divisions 01–33 and work breakdown structure

Who this service is for

General contractors, construction managers and design-build firms bidding commercial, industrial, multifamily, institutional and public projects.

How it works

1. Upload plans, specifications and addenda with the bid date.
2. We confirm scope, firm price and turnaround.
3. We take off, price and review the estimate.
4. We support addenda, leveling and post-bid clarifications.

Software, standards and file formats

We work in PlanSwift and Bluebeam Revu for takeoff, Excel with RSMeans-style cost data for pricing, Oracle Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project for scheduling, and AutoCAD-compatible formats for drawings. Files are delivered as Excel, PDF and DWG, organized by CSI MasterFormat.

When to use this service

Use estimating and scheduling for general contractors when a bid date is close, when your team is stretched across projects, when you need an independent check of your own numbers or drawings, or when you want consistent deliverables in the same format every time. Tell us the due date when you request a quote so the schedule can be planned around it.

Engagement options

• One project: order estimating and scheduling for general contractors for a single bid or job and receive a firm price and turnaround before we start.
• Several trades or divisions: combine this service with related scopes so quantities, drawings and pricing agree.
• Bid-season capacity: send multiple projects with their due dates and we schedule the work to hit each one.
• Ongoing support: repeat-volume contractors can agree standard formats, cost codes and turnaround so every delivery drops straight into their process.

Quality control, confidentiality and communication

Every deliverable is reviewed by a second team member before it reaches you, and assumptions, inclusions and exclusions are written down so they can be checked. If information is missing we send a short list of questions rather than guessing, and we tell you which assumption we used when a question cannot be answered in time. Your plans, specifications and files are used only to prepare your project work and are not shared publicly; see our privacy policy.

Related services, guides and pages

• Construction estimating and quantity takeoff
• Pre-bid, solicitation response and post-bid support
• Shop drawings, structural drafting and permit drawings
• Public bid estimating, pricing, samples, FAQ and bidding glossary

How general contractors use Bid Sharp

• Overflow estimating: send trades or whole projects when your estimating team is at capacity.
• Independent check: compare subcontractor numbers with an independent trade estimate before you carry them.
• Bid package support: scope sheets, leveling sheets, bid-form pricing and compliance checklists.
• Post-award handoff: estimate-to-budget conversion, cost codes and buyout tracking.

Typical project types

Commercial and retail, self-storage, office and mixed-use, multifamily and townhomes, warehouse and industrial, schools and healthcare, civic and public works, and renovation and tenant improvement. We estimate by CSI division from Division 01 general requirements to Division 33 utilities.

Delivery methods

Design-bid-build, construction manager at-risk, design-build and negotiated work each need a different estimating approach: complete takeoffs for hard bid, assembly-level estimates and allowances during design, and guaranteed-maximum-price support during preconstruction. See design-phase estimating.