Estimate checker
Paste the bid you are about to send. You get a score out of ten and the exact lines it is missing, in the words to add them.
Runs in your browser. The text never leaves the page.
What the ten lines are for
A customer reading a bid is trying to answer four questions: what am I getting, what does it cost, when does it happen, and what if something goes wrong. The ten checks are the lines that answer those questions before the customer has to ask. A bid that answers them gets signed. A bid that does not gets "let me think about it," which is the customer going to ask someone else.
- Price, scope, timeline, terms: the four a customer reads first, in that order. If any one is missing, the bid is a phone call waiting to happen.
- Exclusions and change orders: the two that keep a signed bid from becoming an argument. "Paint not included." "Work outside this scope is priced in writing first."
- Warranty and expiry: the two that let you charge more and give the customer a reason to decide.
- Who you are and where to say yes: the two that turn a document into a thing that can be accepted.
The score is not the point
The lines are. A seven with the right three missing is a bid that will lose the job to a six that has them. Read the fixes, add the lines in your own words, and send it. Then check the next one. After a few, you stop needing the checker, which is the idea.
If you want them on every bid without thinking about it
BidWriter Pro puts all ten on every estimate from the notes you type, in your words, with a signature the customer can give from their phone. The how-to-bid guides for each trade show the worked price and the lines that trade argues about most.
Questions contractors ask
What does the checker look for?
The ten lines a customer looks for before saying yes: one total price, the work as a list, your company and a way to reach you, a timeline, payment terms, what is not included, a warranty, how changes are handled, how long the price is good, and a place to accept. Each one it cannot find comes back with the line to add.
Does my estimate get uploaded anywhere?
No. The check runs in your browser. The text never leaves the page, and nothing is stored.
My bid scored low but I win plenty of jobs. Does it matter?
It matters on the jobs you lose without knowing why, and on the jobs you win that turn into arguments. Each missing line is a question the customer either asks you on the phone, asks another contractor, or assumes the answer to. The price is rarely the problem. The bid around the price usually is.
Can I check a bid I got from another contractor?
Yes, and it is a fair way to compare two bids for the same job. The lower price with nothing around it is usually the more expensive one by the end.
Why is a warranty on the list?
Because customers pay more for a bid that has one. A year on labor costs you very little and answers the question they are afraid to ask.
The other tools
- Hourly rate calculator. What to charge per hour, from what you want to take home, your overhead, and the hours you can bill.
- Markup vs margin calculator. Enter a cost and a markup, see the price and the real margin. Or go the other way.
- Job price calculator. Materials, labor, markup, and the deposit to ask for. The number that goes on the bid.
- Deposit calculator. Job price and the materials you buy first, out comes the deposit, the schedule, and the payment terms line for the bid.
- Invoice generator. Your business, the customer, the lines, tax, the deposit already paid. A clean PDF invoice, no account.
When the number is right, put it on an estimate the customer signs on their phone. Type the job and see it, no account needed. 30 days free, then $29 a month.