LESSON A12

Bid estimator & proposals

What you'll make: a priced estimate and a client-ready proposal PDF, generated from the same app your submittals come from.

Video coming soon — the written steps below cover everything.

Build the estimate

  1. Open the Bid Estimator tab.
  2. Enter the job's counts and quantities — heads, pipe footage, valves, and the rest.
  3. Set your labor rates and material pricing, then your markup. The estimate totals update as you type.

Generate the proposal

  1. When the numbers look right, generate the proposal PDF — it lands on your letterhead with your company block, scope language, and pricing.
  2. Send it as-is, or pair it with a submittal for a design-build package that looks like it came from a much bigger shop.
Keep your rates current: pricing you enter is remembered for the next estimate — update your labor rate once and every future bid uses it.

Next lesson: B1 — Meet Spotter: heads on a plan in 10 minutes

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