Four phases. Every bid. No exceptions.
Every bid follows the same documented sequence, whatever the size, GC or scope. This is the part that is hard to copy, so it is the part we show you.
Bid intake
Intake starts when an invitation arrives and ends when the project is organized, logged and assigned. No estimating starts before it is finished.
- Intake
The invitation is received and loaded
The bid arrives at estimator@mkconsulting.mx. A project is created in STACK and every document that came with it is uploaded. Nothing filtered, nothing left in an inbox.
- Decision
Go or no-go, with your direction
The bid is logged as pending until you decide. If it is a go, a priority, a target markup and any scope notes are attached before it moves.
- Setup
The project folder is built
One folder in Drive with the same six subfolders every time: Plans, Specs, Addenda, Takeoff, Estimate, Submission.
- Record
The bid enters the log
Project name, GC, due date and status. This row follows the bid all the way to its final outcome.
A bid that is organized, assigned and traceable before a single quantity is counted.
Estimate production
The core of the work. Every estimate is built from scratch, reviewed internally and delivered as a complete package, not just a number.
- Assignment
An estimator and an internal deadline
The bid is assigned and an internal deadline is set at least four hours before the GC's. The buffer is a rule, not a target.
- Takeoff
Full quantity takeoff in STACK
The estimator works the plans and specs from the project folder and completes the full takeoff. No local copies, no items half counted.
- Pricing
Priced, with the scope written down
Priced to the markup you set, with inclusions and exclusions documented. Those notes protect you if the work gets argued about later.
- Quality control
An internal review before you see it
Checked against the plans for accuracy, scope and your direction. Corrections go back in writing and get reviewed a second time.
- Delivery
The estimate package reaches you
A reviewed estimate with inclusions, exclusions and scope notes. Not a first draft.
A reviewed estimate with the scope written down, ready to put in front of a GC.
Submission
Starts when you approve the estimate and ends when the bid is submitted, saved and logged.
- Approval
You approve, or send it back
Revisions go back through quality control before they return to you. Final pricing and bid strategy stay with you, always.
- Submission
The bid goes to the GC
Submitted per the GC's instructions, by email or their platform, under your company name.
- Record
The final version is saved and logged
The submitted PDF and any confirmation go to the Submission folder. Date, amount, method and who submitted it go in the log.
- Confirmation
You are told it went out
You get the submission date, the final amount and any notes. No bid leaves without you knowing it went and at what number.
A permanent record of exactly what was submitted, at what number, and when.
Result
When the GC answers, the outcome gets recorded. A bid pipeline you cannot look back at is not a pipeline, it is a pile.
- Outcome
The result is logged
Awarded, not awarded or pending, with the result date.
- If not awarded
The bid is closed
Closed in the log with the result recorded. The record stays, and it is worth reading later.
- If awarded
The contract value is registered
Recorded against the original bid, so over time you can see the gap between what you bid and what you signed.
- Billing
Invoiced with the math shown
Any fees due under your agreement are invoiced with the full calculation and backup attached.
A closed loop, and a growing record of what you bid, what you won and at what price.
What this looks like on a real engagement.
A Denver specialty subcontractor bidding commercial work across the region, from tenant improvements to large builds. Enough volume to need a real estimating operation, not enough to justify a full in-house team.
Bids handled without central tracking. Deadlines tracked informally. No master record of what was submitted, when, or at what price.
Every bid logged from intake to result. Leadership can read the full pipeline at any moment without asking anyone for a status update.
No formal quality control. Estimates went out without a second set of eyes, so takeoff or scope errors could reach the GC.
Every estimate reviewed before delivery. They never receive a first draft, only work that has already passed review.
Plans, specs and addenda living in email threads. Finding the right version at submission time was a recurring problem.
A dedicated folder per project with the same six subfolders every time. Every document has a home and every version is findable.
What the system actually runs on.
- 01
STACK
Primary estimating software, used for every quantity takeoff.
- 02
Google Drive
One folder per project, six subfolders every time: Plans, Specs, Addenda, Takeoff, Estimate, Submission.
- 03
Priorities file
Where go or no-go decisions, priority, target markup and scope notes are recorded before work begins.
- 04
Estimating log
Every bid from intake to final result: submission dates, amounts, outcomes and contract values in one place.