# Bid leveling

> Compare subcontractor bids line by line in BuildX Studio, review each bid's exclusions, set bid status, and award a bid to create a draft purchase order.

Source: https://docs.buildx.pro/docs/studio/bid-leveling/

Bid leveling lives at studio.mybuildx.com/bid-leveling ("Level every bid side by side"). Open it from a project with **Leveling**, or from the **Costs** tab's **Open bid leveling**. It shows one job at a time.

## What you can do

- Pick a job with **Select job** and see **Bidders**, **Bids in**, **Line items**, and **Lowest total**.
- Enter a bid or edit its line items, total, and exclusions.
- Compare bids line by line, with the lowest total marked **Lowest**.
- Change a bid's status: **Invited**, **Submitted**, **Leveled**, **Awarded**, or **Rejected**.
- Tick off each bid's exclusions under **Exclusions, checked**.
- Award a bid, which creates a draft purchase order.
- **Export CSV** of the line items.

## Who shows up as a bidder

Bidders are the companies you added to that job on the [Subcontractors](https://docs.buildx.pro/docs/studio/company-library.md) page. Each bid column shows the company, its trade, its prequal badge (**Pending**, **Qualified**, or **Rejected**), and the bid's status.

## Enter or edit a bid

1. Select the job and click **Enter a bid**.
2. Choose a bidder already on the job, choose a company from your library, or choose **New bidder…** and enter its company name.
3. Add the quoted scope as line items with quantities and unit rates, or enter a lump-sum total. Workbook scope suggestions can supply starting descriptions and quantities.
4. Add the bid's exclusions, then click **Enter bid**.
5. To correct a saved bid, use its **Edit bid** control and click **Save bid**. The bid and its line items save together. Awarded bids cannot have their lines replaced.

Collect the quote from the bidder first. This form records a quote; it does not send a bid invitation.

## Read the leveling table

- Rows are line items; columns are bids. A dash means that bid has no amount for the line.
- The **Total** row uses the sum of a bid's line items. If a bid has no priced line items, it uses the bid's lump-sum amount.
- Search line items with **Search line items...**.

## Review exclusions

Under **Exclusions, checked**, each bid lists what it excludes. Tick each one as you review it; the card shows "N of M reviewed". A bid with no exclusions says "This bid covers the full scope as listed." Ticks are saved in your browser only.

## Award a bid

1. In the bid's column, set the status to **Awarded**.
2. **Award this bid?** shows the company and total and warns it can't be undone.
3. Click **Confirm award**. Studio records the award and creates a draft purchase order for that company (or links an existing one). See [Purchasing](https://docs.buildx.pro/docs/studio/purchasing.md).

## Delete a bid

Click the trash icon in the bid's column, then **Confirm delete**. Awarded bids can't be deleted: cancel the linked purchase order instead.

## Good to know

- Subs can't submit bids to you through this page. Use **Enter a bid** to record quotes you receive.
- To compare prices from subs today, collect their quotes outside BuildX. BuildX doesn't send bid invites to subs.
- Awarded bids feed the project's **Costs** tab (awarded bid total versus purchase orders, by trade).
- The company directory pages show each sub's bid history and win rate once 3 bids are tracked.

## Related

- [Subcontractors and company library](https://docs.buildx.pro/docs/studio/company-library.md)
- [Purchasing](https://docs.buildx.pro/docs/studio/purchasing.md)
- [Hiring subs](https://docs.buildx.pro/docs/gcs/hiring-subs.md)