Feature
Bid leveling
Every subcontractor quote leveled against the documents.
Quotes come back in different formats, each with its own inclusions and exclusions. CIM reads every quote against the trade scope from the drawings and specification, lines them up item by item with the sheet and clause behind each line, and shows where one quote has allowed for work the others left out. The estimator decides how each gap is carried. On a healthcare bid, CIM leveled 6 trades in about 24 hours, where the senior estimator would normally allow 2 weeks.
| Scope item | Source | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piles to design depth | S-1101 · notes | Incl. | Incl. | Incl. |
| Dynamic pile load testing | Spec 31 62 §3.4 | Missing | Incl. | Missing |
| Excavated material removed from site | Spec 31 62 §1.7 | Incl. | Incl. | Excluded |
| Pile cut-down and trim to level | S-1102 · detail 3 | Excluded | Silent | Incl. |
Quotes received
- Quote A4 exclusions
- Quote B2 exclusions
- Quote C6 exclusions
Only Quote B allows for dynamic load testing. A clarification is drafted for A and C.
3 piling quotes against the same scope, with the allowance only one of them carries.
The old way
Weeks of the bid spent lining up quotes by hand
The lowest price is usually missing something
Finding the allowance it left out means reading every quote against the drawings, line by line, for every trade.
Every subcontractor prices in their own format
Lump sums, unit-price breakdowns and two-page letters with the exclusions on the last page, all retyped into one comparison sheet.
The gap turns up after the package is awarded
Work that no quote covered gets priced again in the field, at a worse rate, and the margin pays for it.
With CIM
Every quote read against the same scope before the package is awarded
Each quote read against the trade scope
Inclusions, exclusions and qualifications are matched to the scope register built from the drawings and specification, with the sheet and clause on every line.
The allowance only one quote carries
On a healthcare bid, CIM found a six-figure dynamic pile load testing allowance that only 1 of the piling quotes had included. Every price on the table could then be compared on the same scope.
A comparison the estimator can check line by line
Export the comparison to Excel, check it against your own working, and send each subcontractor the clarifications CIM drafts for their quote.
What it does for your team
Builders
Every quote compared on the same scope
The gaps between quotes are listed against the drawings before anyone signs the subcontract, and the estimator decides how each one is carried.
Developers
The lowest number covers the same work
Each package is compared on the scope the documents describe, so the lowest price is a price for the full scope.
Consultants
Quote coverage checked trade by trade
What each quote includes and excludes, against the sheet and clause it relates to.