Template · Bidding

Subcontractor bid leveling sheet

Level subcontractor bids for scope gaps: each excluded or qualified item adds its plug value to the base bid.

Downloads are included in the $19.85 yearly membership. Sign in

XLSXCSVODSXMLNumbers

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J
1	Subcontractor bid leveling
2	Example data — replace the blue input cells with your own.
3
4	LOWEST LEVELED SUB	LEVELED AMOUNT	LOWEST BASE BID	LEVELED LESS LOWEST BASE BID
5	Example Mechanical Co.	$1,934,400	Riverbend Example Mechanical	$50,400
6
7	Trade	Mechanical (HVAC)
8	Project	Example Elementary School addition
9	Qualified item adjustment (share of plug value)	50%	A qualified item adds this share of its plug value to the base bid
10	Subcontractors
11	Subcontractor		Example Mechanical Co.	Northwind Example HVAC	Riverbend Example Mechanical	Hillcrest Example Inc.
12	Base bid (as submitted)		$1,912,000	$1,968,500	$1,884,000	$1,936,250
13	Scope status by subcontractor (Included, Excluded or Qualified)
14	Scope item	Plug value	Example Mechanical Co.	Northwind Example HVAC	Riverbend Example Mechanical	Hillcrest Example Inc.	Adjustment: Example Mechanical Co.	Adjustment: Northwind Example HVAC	Adjustment: Riverbend Example Mechanical	Adjustment: Hillcrest Example Inc.
15	Ductwork fabrication and installation	$42,000	Included	Included	Excluded	Included	$0	$0	$42,000	$0
16	Duct insulation	$9,500	Included	Included	Excluded	Included	$0	$0	$9,500	$0

Showing the first 16 of 49 rows and 10 of 10 columns. Cells with formulas show the formula on hover.

	A	B	C	D
1	Scope checklist and plug values
2	One trade. Each scope item has a plug value: the estimated cost the GC carries if a sub excludes that item.
3
4	Scope items for the trade on the Leveling tab
5	#	Scope item	Plug value	What the plug covers
6	1	Ductwork fabrication and installation	$42,000	Labor, material and hangers for the duct runs in the bid documents
7	2	Duct insulation	$9,500	Insulation to the specified R-value, including jacketing
8	3	Air terminal devices (diffusers and grilles)	$6,800	Diffusers, grilles and registers scheduled on the drawings
9	4	Rooftop unit setting	$11,500	Rigging and setting of each rooftop unit
10	5	Crane and rigging	$14,000	Crane time, operator and rigging for equipment lifts
11	6	Refrigerant piping	$8,200	Piping and specialties from the condenser to the evaporator
12	7	Condensate drainage	$2,400	Traps, drain lines and tie-ins to the building drain
13	8	Exhaust fans	$3,900	Fans, curbs and disconnects for exhaust
14	9	Thermostats and control wiring	$5,600	Thermostats, sensors and low-voltage wiring
15	10	Building automation controls and programming	$12,800	Controls panels, points list and programming
16	11	Test and balance	$9,200	Air and water balancing, with a written report

Showing the first 16 of 24 rows and 4 of 4 columns. Cells with formulas show the formula on hover.

	A
1	Subcontractor bid leveling
2	Notes: what this workbook does, how to use it and the method behind it.
3
4	What it does
5	Puts subcontractor bids for one trade on the same scope. Each bid is adjusted for the scope items it excludes or qualifies, so the leveled bids can be compared. The example is a mechanical (HVAC) package for four subcontractors.
6
7	How to use it
8	1. Enter the trade and project on the Leveling tab.
9	2. On the Scope tab, list the scope items for the trade and enter a plug value for each: the estimated cost of the item if a sub excludes it.
10	3. Enter each subcontractor's name and base bid in the Subcontractor and Base bid rows.
11	4. For each scope item and subcontractor, choose Included, Excluded or Qualified. Blank or misspelled entries are reported as invalid.
12	5. Read the lowest leveled sub, the leveled amount and the leveled bid less the lowest base bid in the Summary tiles, then review each sub's exclusions.
13
14	Formulas and method
15	Adjustment per item: Excluded adds the plug value; Qualified adds the plug value times the qualified factor; Included adds nothing.
16	Total adjustments: sum of the item adjustments for each subcontractor.

Showing the first 16 of 31 rows and 1 of 1 columns. Cells with formulas show the formula on hover.

What does this template do?

Subcontractor bids for the same trade rarely cover the same scope. One sub excludes controls, another qualifies its crane time, and the lowest base bid may be the one that leaves the most out. A general contractor uses a leveling sheet to put the bids on one basis before choosing a sub. This workbook is set up for one trade, mechanical (HVAC) in the example, and four subcontractors.

The Scope tab lists the scope items with a plug value for each, which is the estimated cost to carry the item if a sub excludes it. On the Leveling tab, each sub's status for each item is Included, Excluded or Qualified. An Excluded item adds its full plug value to the base bid, a Qualified item adds the plug value times a qualified factor, and an Included item adds nothing. The leveled bid is the base bid plus the total of those adjustments, and the leveled bids are ranked.

All names, bid amounts, plug values and statuses are fictional example data. The plug values are estimates, not market quotes.

What’s inside

Scope checklist of 18 items for one trade, each with a plug value
Included, Excluded and Qualified status for each item and each of four subcontractors
Adjustments and leveled bid for each subcontractor, ranked lowest first
Gap to the lowest leveled bid and the lowest base bid shown in the summary tiles
Check for statuses that are blank or misspelled

Which tabs does the workbook have?

Tab	What it holds
Leveling	Trade and project inputs, subcontractor base bids, scope statuses, adjustments and the leveled summary.
Scope	Scope items for the trade, the plug value for each and what the plug covers.
Notes	Purpose, steps, formulas used, assumptions and limits.

What formulas does this template use?

This template holds 168 formulas in 385 cells across 3 tabs, so 44% of its cells calculate. They use 10 distinct functions; the longest formula is 204 characters and 36 of them read from another tab.

Function	Uses	What it does
`IF`	272	one result when a test is true, another when false
`COUNTIF`	20	counts cells meeting one condition
`SUM`	9	adds numbers
`MIN`	8	smallest value
`RANK`	8	position of a value in a list
`COUNT`	7	counts numeric cells
`COUNTA`	4	counts non-empty cells
`INDEX`	2	value at a position in a range
`MATCH`	2	position of a value in a range
`OR`	1	true when any test is true

Counted from the workbook itself. Only functions that Excel, LibreOffice Calc, Google Sheets and Apple Numbers evaluate the same way are used, so the formulas survive every download format.

How do you use it?

On the Scope tab, list the scope items for the trade and enter a plug value for each.
On the Leveling tab, enter the trade, the project and the qualified factor.
Enter each subcontractor's name and base bid.
For each scope item and subcontractor, choose Included, Excluded or Qualified.
Read the lowest leveled sub and the leveled amount, then review the exclusions and qualifications for each sub.

What is it good for?

Comparing mechanical, electrical or plumbing sub bids before award
Showing a sub how its exclusions change its position
Recording which scope items each sub carries in the bid

Questions about this sheet

What is a plug value?

A plug value is the estimated cost to carry a scope item when a subcontractor leaves it out. It is set by the general contractor, and it is added to the base bid when the item is excluded.

How is a qualified item priced?

A qualified item adds the plug value times the qualified factor, which is 50% in the example. Change the factor on the Leveling tab to match how you price qualifications.

Why does the lowest leveled sub differ from the lowest base bid?

The leveled bid adds the cost of excluded and qualified items to the base bid. A sub with a low base bid and many exclusions can rank below a sub with a higher base bid and full scope.