See every sub bid in one snapshot.
BuildCrux gives every project a Bids tab that levels all your trades on one board — variance against your AI estimate, coverage per trade, scope-gap flags, and a normalized best value — then sends one project out to every sub with a no-login invite link. Stop leveling bids on a legal pad.
See every bid in one snapshot
The Bids tab levels all your trades on one board: variance against your AI estimate, coverage per trade, scope-gap flags, and a normalized best value that is not fooled by a cheap bid that quietly excluded scope. Then export the whole comparison as a PDF to share or print.
See how the board readsSend one project to every trade
Mint a per-trade invite link each sub opens and uploads to with no login and no account. Send invited subs a full bid package — plans, bid due date, walk-through date, RFI contact, and an auto-drafted per-trade scope — and let automatic reminders chase them for you.
See how you send bids outOne snapshot
Every trade, leveled against your AI estimate
Instead of a stack of mismatched PDFs and a legal pad, you get one board. It groups bids by trade, shows each bid’s variance against your AI should-cost, marks scope gaps, and keeps unbid trades held so the committed total is never quietly short.
| Trade | AI should-cost | Coverage | Best value | vs AI | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical | $84,200 | 3 bids | $79,500 | -5.6% | Awarded |
| Plumbing | $61,000 | 2 bids | $58,400 | -4.3% | Awarded |
| HVAC One bid only — no leverage yet | $73,500 | 1 bid | $77,900 | +6.0% | Reviewing |
| Framing Low bid excluded blocking — held at should-cost (GAP) | $48,000 | 2 bids | $46,200 | -3.8% | Awarded |
| Fire Protection No bid yet — stays held so the total is never short | $32,500 | 0 bids | Held on AI estimate | — | Chasing |
| Flooring | $27,800 | 2 bids | $25,900 | -6.8% | Awarded |
Export the whole comparison as a PDF
One printable snapshot of the entire leveling sheet — committed versus AI, every trade broken out with its bids, the awards you made, and the scope gaps that were held at should-cost. Share it with a partner, print it for the bid-day meeting, or drop it in the project file. What you see on the board is what prints.
- Committed total versus your AI estimate on the front of the sheet
- Per-trade breakout with raw, normalized, and variance figures
- Awards and scope gaps captured, so the reasoning travels with the numbers
Collect bids
Three ways to get a bid on the board
However the bid reaches you, it lands on the same board and gets leveled the same way. AI reads each uploaded bid into line items, a total, and its inclusions, exclusions, and assumptions — copying the printed figures, never inventing numbers.
Upload the PDF yourself
Drop in a bid a sub emailed you. AI reads it into line items, a bid total, and the inclusions, exclusions, and assumptions — copying the printed figures, never inventing numbers. A scanned or unreadable bid is kept as a flagged total-only entry, so an upload is never lost.
Send a no-login invite link
Mint a per-trade invite link and send it to the sub. They open it and upload their bid with no account and no login — nothing for them to sign up for. You still get the same AI read into line items and scope.
Key in a total by hand
Got a number over the phone or on a napkin? Enter a bid total by hand and it sits on the board next to the uploaded bids, so every trade is leveled the same way.
Send bids out
Send one project out to every sub
An invite link on its own is a link into silence. BuildCrux sends invited subs a real bid package and then chases them automatically, so the bids actually come back — with no account for the sub to create.
A real bid package, auto-drafted
Send invited subs a bid package with the project plans, the bid due date, the walk-through date, an RFI contact, and an auto-drafted per-trade scope of work — so every sub bids the same scope instead of guessing what you meant.
Reminders that chase for you
Automatic bid-due-date reminders keep subs on schedule without you babysitting the inbox — at most a nudge and a final, then it stops. The link into silence becomes a bid that actually shows up.
One project, every trade
Send the same project out to as many trades as the job needs. Each invite is scoped to that trade, so electrical sees electrical and framing sees framing — and every bid lands back on the one board.
How bid leveling works in BuildCrux
Send the project to your subs
Open the Bids tab on a project and send each trade a bid package — plans, due date, walk-through, RFI contact, and an auto-drafted scope. Invite links need no login on the sub’s side.
Collect bids three ways
Subs upload through their invite link, you upload PDFs you were emailed, or you key in a total by hand. AI reads each uploaded bid into line items, a total, and its inclusions, exclusions, and assumptions.
Level everything on one board
The board groups bids by trade, flags scope gaps, normalizes bids that exclude scope to your should-cost, and shows variance and coverage — so best value is honest, not just cheapest sticker.
Export the snapshot, then assemble the bid
Export the whole comparison as a PDF to share or print, then roll the awarded bids plus AI-held scope into a draft customer estimate with your GC markup, ready to send through your normal flow.
Why level bids in BuildCrux instead of a spreadsheet
Apples to apples
Bids that exclude scope are normalized to your should-cost, so a cheap sticker that skipped work does not win by accident.
Nothing falls through
Coverage dots and held unbid trades mean you always know what still needs a chase — and the committed total is never quietly short.
You stay in control
You decide every award. The AI estimate is the should-cost anchor, not an auto-picker, and awarded bids assemble into a customer estimate with your markup.
Frequently asked
What is bid leveling?
How do subs send me their bid?
Do subcontractors need an account to bid?
What happens when a bid leaves scope out?
What if a trade has no bid yet?
Does the lowest bid win automatically?
Can I export the leveling comparison?
Do I get reminders chasing the subs?
What do I do once bids are in?
Stop leveling sub bids on a legal pad
Collect every bid, level it against your AI estimate, export the snapshot, and assemble the customer bid — all on one board. 30-day money-back guarantee.