BidMates by EstiMates
Sub bids back in one grid, in your units.
Send bid packages straight from your takeoff. Subs answer from their phone with no account. The grid lines up every price, converts units, flags missing scope, and your award goes back into your tool.
Invited by your GC
Drywall · Clinic renovation
Firestopping, after-hours work
No account. You can edit until the due date.
For estimators
From takeoff to award, with no spreadsheet in between.
The quantities you measured become the scope subs price against, so every bid lines up line for line.
- 1
Import the takeoff
XLSX, CSV or paste from PlanSwift, STACK, On-Screen Takeoff, Bluebeam, Sage or Excel. Lines group into MasterFormat divisions, and you can edit them.
- 2
Build a package per trade
Scope lines with quantities and units, the plan sheets that matter, notes, documents and a due date.
- 3
Invite your subs
Each sub gets an email with their own link. Reminders go out before the due date. Resend or revoke a link any time.
- 4
Watch coverage
Invited, opened, bid, declined, last activity. The chase list shows who to call.
- 5
Level and award
One grid per package. Pick a winner or carry a plug number, with notes on any cell.
- 6
Send it back
Export the awarded numbers as CSV or XLSX in your takeoff tool's own layout, or copy and paste.
The comparison grid
Apples to apples, even when a sub quotes in m².
- Subs as columns, your scope lines as rows.
- Each price is converted to your unit, and the sub's original is shown beside it. Nothing is converted silently.
- Unpriced lines and exclusions are flagged, so a low number isn't low because it's missing scope.
- Low, median and high for each line. Pick a winner or carry a plug.
| Scope line | Acme Drywall | Summit Interiors | Coastal Walls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gyp board, 5/8" type X12,400 sq ft | $2.10 | $1.95 | $2.08from $22.40 / m² |
| Metal studs, 3-5/8"3,150 lf | $4.80 | $5.10 | Not priced |
| Acoustic insulation6,200 sq ft | Excluded | $0.85 | $0.90 |
| Total | $41,1601 exclusion | $45,515 | incomplete |
For subs
Got a BidMates link?
A general contractor sent you a bid request through BidMates. Open the link from your email to see the scope and send your price. It takes a few minutes from a phone.
Lost the email? Ask the GC to resend it. Each link is yours alone, and a resend replaces the old one.
- Free. You never pay, and there's no account to create.
- Open the link on your phone or laptop and see the scope, quantities and attached sheets.
- Price it your way: lump sum, unit prices in your own units, or both.
- Add exclusions, lead time and questions, or attach a photo of your paper quote.
- Edit your bid until the due date, or withdraw it.
- Not bidding this one? Decline in one tap, with a reason if you want.
- Other subs never see your numbers.
Drywall patch at door frame, not sanded
Acme Drywall · fixed from their link
Contract line: 09 Finishes · holdback $350
After the award
Punch items and closeout, on the same kind of link.
When the job is near done, your GC can send your punch items and closeout requests through BidMates too: one private link per company and project, by email.
- See only your items, pinned on the drawings, with the GC's photos.
- Mark an item fixed with an after photo, or tell the GC it isn't yours and why.
- Sent back? You get an email with the reason, and the item comes back to your list.
- When the GC asks for closeout documents (warranties, lien waivers, O&M manuals), upload them from your phone.
- One reminder a day for overdue items, with a one-click unsubscribe.
- No account, no app, and never a charge.
Send your next bid package from BidMates.
Leveling is part of the Team plan, $79 per seat per month. Subs you invite never pay.
Start freeIn beta. You'll accept the Beta Tester Agreement before you start.