Analyze every subcontractor bid you receive — scored, evidenced, and flagged
When 5 to 15 subs bid a package, the low number isn't the answer — it's the start of the analysis. Bid Reasoner scores every sub bid across six dimensions — price, scope, schedule, compliance, performance, risk — backs each score with a page-cited quote, and flags the unbalanced and front-loaded bids before you commit.
Reviewing sub bids by hand, then picking from gut feel.
A package closes and 11 subcontractor bids land — each in a different format, each with its own line-item structure, each leaving something out. The estimator reads them side by side in a spreadsheet, eyeballs the totals, mentally adjusts for the scope one bidder skipped, and makes a call. The reasoning lives in their head, and the only record is the winner's name.
By hand, you can't reliably catch the line item priced at a penny to game a change order, the bidder whose total is 25% under the field because it left out dewatering, or the mobilization loaded to 14% of the bid. You catch some of them. The ones you miss become the change orders and the disputes you defend later — with no analysis on the record to point back to.
From a stack of bid PDFs to scored bidders — in minutes.
Three steps. You bring the bids; the analysis does the leveling.
Upload the bids
Upload or forward every subcontractor bid PDF for the package — any format. Bid Reasoner reads each one, extracts the line items, and normalizes them so bids that look nothing alike can be compared.
Normalize & score
Each bidder's items map to your scope of work, and every bidder is scored across six dimensions — price, scope, schedule, compliance, performance, risk — with four deterministic rules flagging the risky numbers.
Review & award
Read the page-cited evidence behind each score, see the scope-coverage gaps and risk flags, then recommend a winner under any of 7 decision modes with a confidence score.
Six dimensions, scored. Four risk rules, fixed.
Every bidder is scored on the same six dimensions, then run through four deterministic rules with exact numeric thresholds — no black-box judgment.
Price
Each line item leveled against the peer median, so a low total that hides missing scope doesn't read as cheap.
Scope
How completely the bid covers your scope of work, item for item — gaps surfaced, not assumed away.
Schedule
Whether the bid's durations and sequencing fit the package and the wider project plan.
Compliance
Bonds, insurance, certifications, and the bid-form requirements the package demands.
Performance
The bidder's track record carried into the score, not left as a side note.
Risk
The four deterministic flags rolled up, so pricing games show in the score itself.
The four deterministic risk rules
Unbalanced unit prices
Flags line items priced at or below $1.00 — the penny-priced items used to game change orders.
Peer outliers
Flags any item above 2× or below 0.5× the peer median for that line.
Total-bid outliers
Flags a total that deviates more than 20% from the rest of the field.
Front-loaded mobilization
Flags mobilization that exceeds 10% of the total bid.
What every bid runs through.
scoring dimensions per bidder — price, scope, schedule, compliance, performance, risk.
decision modes, from Lowest Responsible Bid to Best Value to Custom Weighting.
deterministic risk rules with fixed numeric thresholds — no black-box scoring.
US states supported — bidders normalized against the peer median, no government pricing data required.
A spreadsheet compares totals. It doesn't analyze bids.
| Manual review | Generic bid software | Bid Reasoner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scores beyond price | In your head | No | 6 dimensions, every bidder |
| Evidence with page-cited quotes | No | No | Behind every score |
| Deterministic risk flags | Catch some by eye | No | 4 rules, fixed thresholds |
| Scope-gap detection | Manual cross-check | No | Two-way, automatic |
| Recommendation with confidence | Gut feel | No | Scored under 7 modes |
| Audit trail of the decision | Winner's name | Search the folder | Logged & cited |
Subcontractor bid analysis — answered.
How do you analyze a subcontractor bid?
Bid Reasoner reads each bidder's PDF, extracts and normalizes the line items, and maps them to your scope of work. It then scores the bid across six dimensions — price, scope, schedule, compliance, performance, and risk — and runs four deterministic risk rules over the numbers. Every score is backed by a direct quote from the bid PDF, cited to the page.
What should I look for when evaluating subcontractor bids?
Look past the bottom-line number at scope coverage, schedule, compliance, the bidder's performance history, and pricing risk. The common traps are unbalanced unit prices (line items priced at or below $1.00), individual items that sit far off the peer median (more than 2× or less than 0.5×), a total that deviates more than 20% from the field, and mobilization front-loaded above 10% of the total. Bid Reasoner scores all six dimensions and flags each of those traps automatically.
What's the difference between lowest bid and best value?
Lowest bid picks the smallest number that meets the basic requirements; best value weighs price against scope completeness, schedule, compliance, performance, and risk together. Bid Reasoner supports both as decision modes — Lowest Responsible Bid and Best Value — alongside Lowest Risk, Schedule Priority, Scope Completeness, Budget-Constrained, and Custom Weighting. The recommendation comes with a confidence score so you can see how close the call is.
How do you spot an unbalanced or front-loaded subcontractor bid?
Bid Reasoner runs four deterministic risk rules over every bid. It flags unbalanced unit prices at or below $1.00, line items that fall above 2× or below 0.5× the peer median, total bids that deviate more than 20% from the field, and mobilization that exceeds 10% of the total. These are fixed numeric thresholds, not a black-box score, so you can see exactly why a bid was flagged.
Can software find scope gaps in a subcontractor bid?
Yes. Bid Reasoner runs a scope-coverage gap analysis on each bidder: it surfaces items in your scope of work that the bidder didn't quote, and items the bidder priced that weren't in your scope. That two-way comparison is what catches the low number that's low because it left work out.
Does it work in any state, without DOT pay-item data?
Yes. Bid Reasoner works in any US state through peer-median normalization — it levels each bid against the other bids in your package, so no government pay-item data is required to start. Built-in DOT baselines for select states are a head start, not a requirement.
How many bids do I need to compare?
Bid Reasoner is built for the typical package of 5 to 15 subcontractor bids, where peer-median normalization and outlier detection have enough bidders to work against. It still analyzes and scores smaller fields, but the more bids you compare, the sharper the peer comparison and the risk flags become.
Will the analysis hold up if the owner questions the award?
Yes. Every score links to a page-cited quote from the source bid, the four risk rules apply fixed numeric thresholds anyone can check, and any override of the recommendation requires a category and reason that's logged. That audit trail and evidence carry through into the seven Word documents Bid Reasoner generates, so the answer to 'why this bidder?' is on the record.
Trade-specific bid analysis
The scope checklist and the common gaps differ by trade. Start with yours.
Paving & asphalt →
Tack coat, joint sealing, density testing, and MOT — the gaps that hide in a paving bid.
Structural steel →
Fabrication vs erection, field welding, and delegated connection design.
Concrete →
Formwork, rebar supply vs install, placement, finishing, and curing.
Grading & earthwork →
Dewatering, undercut, haul-off, and compaction testing — the gaps in an earthwork bid.
Drainage & storm sewer →
Pipe per LF, structures per EA, dewatering, and pavement restoration.
Structures →
Falsework, waterproofing, and the rebar supply-vs-install split on bridges and culverts.
Electrical & signals →
Long-lead poles, detection, temporary signals, and testing & turn-on.
Guardrail & barrier →
End terminals and attenuators per EA that swamp the per-LF rail line.
Traffic control & MOT →
A lump-sum MOT line that's easy to understate — and schedule-tied.
Wet utilities →
Main per LF, fittings per EA, testing & disinfection, and connections to existing.
Erosion & sediment control →
Recurring SWPPP inspection and maintenance over the whole project, routinely understated.
Landscaping & restoration →
Allowances and a maintenance period carried past substantial completion.
See it analyze your own bids.
Bring one package's subcontractor bids. We'll score them across six dimensions, flag the risk, and recommend a winner on the call.