Getting and Comparing Bids

Best practices for getting bids, what to look for, and red flags in contractor bids.

Reason for revision: the published body is sound general advice but says nothing about how the app actually works, and readers arriving from Trades & Bids expect to be told where to click. The advice is kept and app-accurate steps added. Nothing in the published body was contradicted.

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The 3-bid rule

Get at least three bids for every trade. Three prices tell you the market rate and give you room to negotiate.

Do it in OwnerDraw

1. On **Trades & Bids**, select **Manage Trades** and tick the trades you are buying.
2. Select a trade pill, then **Add Bid Request**. Answer the scope questions — this is what makes the prices comparable.
3. Use **Add Line Item** to link the budget lines the work will be paid from.
4. **Save Bid Request**, then share the scope: copy or download it from **Scope of Work**, or use **Send Bid Package** to email a branded PDF with a link the contractor can use to send a price back.
5. Duplicate the bid under another company name to send identical scope to the next bidder.
6. When prices arrive, use **Enter Bid Amount** on each bid and split the total across the linked lines.
7. Set the bid you are going with to **Accepted**, then select **Push to Budget** to record it as that line's **Agreed Cost**. Pick the contractor from your vendor list first, so the push also attaches them to those budget lines for insurance tracking.

Amounts sit side by side in the bid list for the selected trade. There is no separate comparison screen, so read each bid's scope answers alongside the numbers.

Pushing does not sign, send or pay anything, and changing the price afterwards does not change the budget — you will see a notice on the bid pointing you to the **Budget** line to correct the **Agreed Cost** yourself.

What to look for

  • **Detailed line items** — labour and materials broken out
  • **Timeline** — when they can start, how long it takes
  • **Inclusions and exclusions** — record these in your scope answers and notes; a bid has no separate field for them
  • **Payment schedule** — how and when they expect to be paid
  • **References** — three recent projects

Red flags

  • **Extremely low bids** — usually missing scope
  • **No written contract** — never proceed without one; OwnerDraw does not produce a contract for you
  • **Full payment up front** — professional subs do not ask for this
  • **No insurance** — track the certificate on **Vendors** before work starts
  • **No references**

After you accept

Accepting a bid and pushing it to the budget are your own records. Nothing is signed, sent or paid. You still sign your agreement, confirm insurance on **Vendors**, and record money as it goes out on **Expenses**.

> TIP: The lowest bid is rarely the best. A sub who turns up on time and works cleanly costs less over a whole build.

Full detail: *Collecting and Comparing Contractor Bids*.