What it's for
This bid tabulation template is for whoever collects bids on a package and has to compare them: a general contractor with sub bids for one trade, or an owner or construction manager with several proposals for one scope. Bids for one package can differ in what they cover, so base bids alone are not a fair comparison.
Each bidder gets a column. Where a bidder left out scope, you type your own figure for it under that bidder. Where you take an alternate, you mark it accepted and every bidder's price for it counts. The summary then shows a leveled total for each bidder.
Use it after the bids are in and before you pick. Your own number comes from the construction estimate template, the scope the bidders priced sits in the scope of work template, and the figure you carry forward can go in the construction budget template. Our guide to writing a construction bid and the bid price calculator cover the bidder's side of the table.
What's inside
Two sheets, each protected with no password. Pale yellow cells are yours to fill in, and all other cells are locked.
Bid tab. It prints landscape on two pages, the BID TABULATION letterhead repeating on the second. The project block holds PROJECT, BID PACKAGE OR TRADE, BID DATE and PREPARED BY. Then four sections:
- BIDDERS. One column per bidder, with rows for Bidder, Contact, Phone or email, Date received, Bid bond (Yes, No or Not required), Addenda acknowledged and Base bid.
- SCOPE LEVELING. Ten lines. Each has a SCOPE ITEM and a signed figure under each of BIDDER 1 to BIDDER 4.
- ALTERNATES. Four lines, each with an ACCEPT choice (Yes or No) and each bidder's price.
- SUMMARY. For each bidder, under its name repeated from the Bidders block: Base bid, Leveling adjustments, Accepted alternates, Leveled total, Difference from low and Low bid.
Selected bidder and Notes, below the summary, are yours to type. The whole SUMMARY calculates; the bid bond, date received and addenda rows are records that no total reads.
About this template. Three steps, a note on the example figures, the version (v2, 2026-09-24), the license and links.
How to fill it in
- Fill in the project block, then give each bidder a column. A bidder with a name, leveling figures or alternate prices but no base bid counts as a $0.00 base bid and can show as Low, taking the Low mark from the true low bidder. Type a name once its base bid is in. A column with no name and no figure stays blank in the summary and is left out of the low.
- Enter each Base bid as submitted, a number of 0 or more. Bid bond and Addenda acknowledged are for your record and change no total.
- Under SCOPE LEVELING, list each scope item that at least one bidder left out or added. Leave a cell blank when the bidder included the item as asked. Under a bidder that left it out, type your own figure for what it will cost you to cover. The sheet prices nothing for you.
- Type a minus figure for extra scope in a bid that you would not buy; it takes that amount off the bidder's leveled total.
- Under ALTERNATES, list each alternate, choose Yes or No under ACCEPT, and type each bidder's price. Only lines marked Yes count toward Accepted alternates; a blank ACCEPT counts as not accepted. A blank price under an accepted alternate counts as $0.00, so type the price, or 0 only if the bidder includes it.
- Read the Leveled total row: base bid plus leveling adjustments plus accepted alternates. Low bid marks the lowest total, and Difference from low shows how far each other bidder sits above it. A tie marks both bidders Low.
- Type your Selected bidder and any Notes. The sheet does not pick for you.
The worked example
The file opens on an example, and every bidder and scope item starts with "Example:". The About tab calls the figures illustrative, not typical prices.
| Row | Example: bidder A | Example: bidder B | Example: bidder C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base bid | $48,500.00 | $45,900.00 | $51,200.00 |
| Leveling adjustments | $750.00 | $2,550.00 | $0.00 |
| Accepted alternates | $2,400.00 | $3,300.00 | $2,000.00 |
| Leveled total | $51,650.00 | $51,750.00 | $53,200.00 |
| Difference from low | $0.00 | $100.00 | $1,550.00 |
| Low bid | Low |
Bidder B has the lowest base bid, $45,900.00. But B left out two items. "Example: firestopping at rated walls" carries $1,800.00 under B, and "Example: patching after other trades" carries $750.00 under both A and B. That puts B's leveling adjustments at $2,550.00 and A's at $750.00. The one alternate, "Example: impact-resistant board in corridors", is marked Yes, and it costs $3,300.00 from B against $2,400.00 from A.
After leveling, A comes out low at $51,650.00 and B sits $100.00 above it. The lowest base bid was not the low leveled bid. The adjustments are figures you type, so the ranking is only as good as they are.
Frequently asked questions
Does the file do the math?
Yes. Everything in the SUMMARY is a live formula. The scope leveling figures are yours to type.
Does it work in Google Sheets or Numbers?
Both open .xlsx files. This one has no macros, and its formulas use only IF, AND, ISNUMBER, MIN, ROUND, SUM and SUMIF.
How many bidders does it hold?
Four, with ten scope leveling lines and four alternates. For more bidders, use a second copy and compare the two Low results yourself.
What happens when two bids tie?
Both are marked Low and both show a difference of $0.00.
Does it choose the winner or check bid bonds?
No. Selected bidder is a cell you type in. Bid bond and Addenda acknowledged are records, and no total reads them.
Is this something I send to the bidders?
No. It is your working sheet, and it holds your own figures for what each bidder left out. The file has no client-facing page.