Check Bid Feature

How to use the Check Bid feature - a powerful tool using intelligent algorithms to detect common user errors and data entry mistakes.

The Check Bid feature in Estimating Link® is a powerful tool designed to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of the bidding process.  The feature leverages the capabilities of the program to perform a detailed review of the bid by examining various aspects such as quantities, unit prices, rates/resource costs, markup and more.  Intelligent algorithms detect common errors and flags them, details those errors in a comprehensive list or report, and even brings you to the specific location in the program so you can rectify it before submitting it to your clients or project's owners.

Check Bid is performed automatically in Estimating Link® before a Report is generated.  Initiating Check Bid prior to this point allows you additional functionality such as Save, Locate, and Print. 

When your project is complete, Check Bid should ALWAYS be performed. 

Check Bid serves as a valuable quality control mechanism, empowering you to submit accurate and reliable bids. By leveraging advanced algorithms, it helps mitigate risks, improves bid accuracy, and enhances the overall efficiency of the bidding process.

Initiate Check Bid

Check Bid can be accessed on the Bid Sheet module in either of the following ways:

• Clicking on the Check Bid icon
  • 
• or by going to Services > Check Bid

Check Bid Window

When Check Bid is initiated, the Check Bid window is displayed as shown below:

The grid on the window is separated into 2 columns: References and Warning messages. 

• The Reference column shows relevant information about it's location in the project. 
• The Warning Message column provides a brief explanation of the possible error.

Locate

Locate takes you to the error. 

First select which error you would like to locate, the selected error will be highlighted in blue.  Clicking Locate will take you to the specific location where the possible error was generated from, so you can correct or verify that it's not an error.

Example:

• In the below example, I have ROL-DIRT selected:
• 
• I then clicked Locate and it brought me to my Rate Library, on the Rental resource category, with ROL-DIRT selected.  I can see on the resource that I have it marked as temporary pricing.  I uncheck the Temporary Pricing (after I confirmed that it was the correct price).  I then run Check Bid again, and it's not on my list:
• 

Save

Clicking Save on the Check Bid window, allows you to save a list of all of the current possible errors to your pc in a .txt format with default name: BidWarn:

Print

Clicking Print on the Check Bid window, allows you to generate a report which you can then Save, Print, or Export to various formats such as: XLS, CSV, TXT, RTF, DOC, PDF:

Ok

Clicking Ok on the Check Bid window, closes the window.

Automatic Check Bid

Before generating any project specific report in Estimating Link®, Check Bid is performed and provides a list that contains possible errors, as shown below:

This is an extra accuracy checker that the program provides.  We always recommend initiating Check Bid prior to this point.

Check Bid Possible Errors

• Item Sheet using Temporary Pricing
• Items marked as Open
• Items with no Markup
• Items with no cost/Rate/resource
• Item cost that are zero
• Items not used in the bid
• Bid Unit is less than cost
• Bid Unit is zero
• Bid Unit is not in dollars and cents
• Takeoff Quantity is zero
• Bid Unit has changed since last Indirect Item posting
• And more