ESTIMATING

Bid Comparison Sheet with INDEX/MATCH

10 min read · Template referenced below

When three or four subs bid the same scope, comparing PDFs side by side is slow and error-prone. A structured comparison sheet turns that into a two-minute read.

Set up rows and columns.
Rows = line items (e.g. "Rough plumbing," "Electrical rough-in"). Columns = one per bidder, each with their quoted price for that line item.

Find the lowest bid per line item.
=MIN(B2:E2) returns the lowest price across all bidders for that row.

Identify which bidder submitted it.
=INDEX($B$1:$E$1,MATCH(MIN(B2:E2),B2:E2,0)) looks up which bidder's column matches the lowest price and returns their name — no manual scanning required.

Highlight the lowest price automatically.
Select the bid columns, then Conditional Formatting → New Rule → "Use a formula": =B2=MIN($B2:$E2), and set a green fill. Every lowest bid highlights itself as you enter new numbers.

Total each bidder's overall package.
=SUM(B2:B20) per bidder column shows total bid price — useful since the lowest bidder line-by-line isn't always the lowest overall.

Keep a separate "Notes" column per line item for scope clarifications or exclusions a bidder mentioned — the lowest number on paper isn't always the same scope as everyone else's.

This turns bid leveling from a multi-hour manual comparison into something that updates itself the moment a late bid comes in.

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