Commercial Construction Bid Template: Free And Easy To Use

The construction industry is very competitive, and winning commercial projects thrives on razor-sharp bids. However, the lowest-priced bid isn’t always the best-valued. A comprehensive commercial construction bid must outline the proposed construction methodology and costs and convince the project owner you’re the right fit. 

Creating commercial construction bids is an intricate process requiring time, research, and many people working together. However, construction bid templates help to shorten the time and effort required. The pre-designed and customizable document has a format that ensures you include only relevant details. 

Even with a template, you must know the information to include in each section. This guide helps explain the commercial construction proposal template and how to fill it out, as well as provide other tempalte. Let’s start by defining the bid template. 

What is a Commercial Construction Bid Template?

A construction bid template is a pre-designed document that general contractors and subcontractors use to create comprehensive bids without starting from scratch. The structured framework ensures essential project information is included in an organized and clear manner. The template saves time, ensures completeness, simplifies the bidding process, and guarantees a professional presentation. 

Let’s review the template and how to fill it out. 

What’s Included in A Construction Bid Form Template?

A commercial construction bid form is a fill-in-the-gaps document with the following sections:

Cover Page and Introduction

This section is meant to introduce your company to the construction project owner. It contains the project title and the submission date. You should also include the company and client’s information, such as name, address, phone number, email address, and website. 

You should highlight your experience with similar projects in the introduction section. Explain your confidence in undertaking this project. Think of this section as an icebreaker focused on capturing the client’s attention. 

Avoid fluff content or a salesy pitch. Instead, write naturally and focus on the strengths that will benefit the project. 

Project Breakdown

Construction project managers appreciate contractors who take the time to understand project descriptions and requirements. Use this section of the template to win them over. Here are a few things you must mention and explain in depth. 

Project Overview

Think of an overview as an executive summary of the entire project. It clarifies what’s being built, for whom, and the project’s location. Clarity is crucial in this section.

Include one or two sentences briefly explaining the project’s purpose and location. For instance, you could say - “This project involves the construction of a 5-story office building located at 123 Street Address, CA.”

Scope of Work

The project scope is the foundation of your commercial construction bid proposal. Include all the tasks that your construction company will handle, and reference the client’s specifications and plans. 

The best way to write a comprehensive project scope is by breaking down the entire project into phases or deliverables. For instance, you could mention the demolition, foundation, electrical, and plumbing phases. You can make a copy of our free project scope template.

Ensure you include a bulleted list of every task involved in every phase. 

Let’s take the demolition phase as an example. You could frame it as follows:

Phase 1: Demolition 

• Break down the existing structures on the construction site.
• Haul and dispose of the debris in accordance with local regulations.
• Compact the demolition site per requirements. 

The actual details could vary depending on the project’s specifications and size. 

A detailed scope proves you understand the project better and have solutions to every problem. 

The Line Item Sheet

Also known as the Bill of Quantities, it includes all elements associated with the construction project. Think of it as a shopping list, including resources like labor, materials, equipment, permits, and fees. The line item sheet has several benefits. It helps determine the actual project price and the profit margin. 

When creating the line item sheet, it’s best to use the latest market prices to avoid errors and budget overruns during the construction process. We’ll discuss the project pricing later and see how the two relate. 

Ensure you include every detail. For instance, you must include every material required from the beginning to the end of the project, no matter how small they are. Include estimated labor hours to handle different construction elements. For instance, how many workers are required in the demolition phase, and how long should they work?

When listing equipment requirements, ensure you include even the tools needed to complete the project, regardless of their size. 

Qualifications

Every bidder must prove their qualifications to the client, such as success in similar projects. This section convinces the client to consider your construction bid and recommendations since they come from someone with experience. Here are a few more things to include:

Company Experience 

Mention any relevant or similar projects you have completed to convince the client you understand the requirements. It’s also crucial to highlight any challenges you faced in these projects and how you navigated them. Doing so proves you’re a problem solver and a proactive contractor. Also, include the project’s size and complexity to add more credibility to your proposal. 

Team Expertise

Include your team’s compositions, qualifications, and how they’ll contribute to the project. Do you have specialized team members who would be beneficial to the project? Ensure you include them in this section. 

Highlighting your team’s expertise helps to improve the client’s confidence and trust in your capabilities, increasing the chances of winning the contract. 

Safety Records

Construction projects are dangerous, with victims suffering life-changing injuries. You must demonstrate your commitment to a safer working environment. Highlight the safety measures you often deploy to protect workers from injuries and equipment from damage. 

Show how your safety measures have impacted your recent projects and the challenges you often face implementing them. 

Project Schedule

Construction projects are time-sensitive, and you must demonstrate how you plan to utilize every minute. Here are a few things to include in this section. 

Project Timeline

Use Gantt chart or table format to present a realistic project delivery timeline. Ensure you reference the project’s key milestones, such as foundation completion, electrical completion, etc. 

Work Schedule

Clients love clarity, and you must explain how you plan to accomplish the tasks. Explain the daily and weekly working hours you expect to complete the project. This information helps the client estimate the project’s delivery date and plan appropriately. 

Cost Proposal

It’s perhaps the most important section of the construction bid template since it determines the project’s cost. Contractors also use cost proposals to establish the profit margin and decide whether to accept or reject the contract. The cost estimate also helps the project management choose desirable bids. That's why construction companies must submit realistic and verifiable cost estimates in their bid proposal.

Every construction project has direct and indirect costs. Direct expenses include material, equipment, and labor. Indirect ones include insurance, permits and fees, legal, rent, accounting, and administrative costs. Ensure you include contingency funds and profit to handle unforeseeable expenses and make profits. 

Establish a reasonable payment schedule to keep the project running. Some contractors prefer to be paid after project delivery, and others opt for progress payments tied to milestones. Pick a payment schedule that works for your company. 

Insurance and Warranties

Given the risky nature of construction projects, general contractors must have good insurance coverage. Include the amounts and types of insurance coverage your company has. The basic insurance includes General Liability, Worker’s Compensation, and Commercial Auto Insurance. 

Do you have any warranties for every completed project? Highlight that information and the duration for each warranty. Some contractors provide material warranties, indicating their faith in the chosen materials. You must also indicate the limitations to your warranties to prevent potential exploitation. For instance, you could say the warranty doesn’t cover normal wear and tear caused by negligence. 

Try Our Other FREE Commercial Construction Bid Templates

Our free construction bid templates helps you create detailed and professional bids with minimal effort. We were inspired by hundreds of contractors and subs who shared their pain points when creating construction bid documents and managing the bidding process. The result are these customizable construction bid templates you can edit and start using immediately.

Our team has worked hard to ensure each template covers every detail included in professional bids. Using our bid templates, we will help you increase the chances of winning more contracts. 

Try these customizable construction bid templates today. 

General Contractor Estimate Template

Designed for general contractors, this estimate template facilitates the creation of precise and comprehensive estimates. It encompasses all material, labor, and overhead costs, reducing the risk of underestimating and improving bid competitiveness. Accurate estimates lead to better financial management and client trust.

Bid Leveling Template

This template for bid leveling aids contractors in fairly comparing multiple bids, ensuring an even playing field. It standardizes the evaluation process, focusing on the specifics of each proposal to identify the best value. Effective bid leveling can significantly impact project completion by choosing the most suitable contractor.

Invitation for Bid Template

Speeding up the bid invitation process, this template ensures that all necessary project details and submission guidelines are communicated clearly. It helps in attracting qualified contractors by providing them with all the information needed to submit an accurate proposal, thereby facilitating better project matches.

Construction Bid Contract Template

This bid contract template outlines essential contract terms clearly, setting the groundwork for a solid working relationship between contractors and clients. By defining expectations and responsibilities early, it helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures smoother project execution. The contract template is crucial for safeguarding both parties' interests throughout the project.

Final Thoughts

Construction bid templates save the time and cost of creating construction bids traditionally. They also ensure that bids follow a consistent format to help clients understand your proposals. Construction bid templates cover everything required in a comprehensive bid, ensuring you submit complete and accurate proposals that fulfill project requirements. You can use one template to create multiple bids, helping you secure more opportunities and respond to bids faster. Make the bidding process easier with our templates.