Free Bid Go/No-Go Scorer for Contractors (Excel)

Pricing a job takes hours. Pricing the wrong job wastes them. Score any public tender or private bid on 10 plain questions (scope fit, crew and schedule, how the client pays, competition, margin, risk, bonding, travel, relationship, and bid effort) and get GO, MAYBE or NO BID in about 10 minutes.

Public tenders and private bids are weighted differently, because competition matters more on public work and the relationship matters more on private work. Knock-out questions (bonding and insurance, mandatory requirements, time to price properly, tickets and licences) stop you chasing a job you can't take. Compare up to 5 bids side by side and see which one to chase first.

What's in the zip

- EXAMPLE scorer (.xlsx) with made-up bids, so you can see how scoring works

- BLANK scorer (.xlsx)

- README quick start

- 4 tabs: Instructions · Setup · Score a Bid · Compare Bids

Key features

- 10 criteria with separate public and private weights, plus 2 spare rows for your own.

- Score out of 100, with GO and NO BID cut-offs you can change (defaults: GO at 65+, NO BID under 45).

- 4 knock-out questions. Any No gives NO BID whatever the score.

- Shows your weakest criterion, and says INCOMPLETE instead of erroring when a score is missing.

- Compare Bids ranks up to 5 bids and skips knock-out and incomplete ones.

- Every criterion, weight, cut-off and knock-out question is editable on the Setup tab.

Who it's for

Contractors and fab shops who bid public tenders or private work and want a quick, consistent way to decide what's worth pricing.

FAQ

Is it really free? Yes. There's no card and no trial.

Do I have to join the newsletter? No. Tick the box only if you want it.

Can I change the questions? Yes. Every criterion, weight, cut-off and knock-out question is editable on the Setup tab.

Can I share it? Use it in your business as much as you like. Point other contractors to the download page rather than sending the file.

Why try this before buying anything? It's built the same way as the paid sheets. If it opens and works on your computer, they will too.

Licence: free to use in your own business. Please don't resell it. Sharing the download link with another contractor is fine.

Policy: free, so no refund question. Updates go out by email if you're on the list.

Disclaimer

A decision aid, not legal, financial, bonding or insurance advice. Read every tender document and contract yourself. Example bids and scores are made up.

Inside the file: one small grey line points to the paid workbook: "Scored a GO? Price it properly... payhip.com/BidSheets".

About the maker

Built by a tradesperson with 35 years in fabrication and construction across Western Canada.

Compatibility (spreadsheets)

- Made for Microsoft Excel 2016 or newer, Windows or Mac. Plain .xlsx with no macros.

- LibreOffice Calc (free): every workbook recalculates with no formula errors.

- Does it work in Google Sheets? You can upload the .xlsx and open it in Google Sheets, but Sheets drops the sheet protection (so grey formula cells can be typed over) and ignores the print layouts. For printing, Excel is recommended.

- Not tested in Apple Numbers.

- Type in the yellow cells. Grey formula cells are locked (no password), so you can't break a formula by accident.

- Grab the free Bid Go/No-Go Scorer first. It's built the same way, so if it opens and works on your computer, the paid sheets will too.

Updates

Buyers get the 2027 update free. I'll email you the new version when it's ready. Each January I refresh the payroll rates (CPP, EI, WCB) in the estimating workbook and fab calculator, re-check the Alberta OHS and prompt-payment references in the safety and billing products, and re-check the standards references in the takeoffs.

Support

Questions? Email support@bidsheets.ca. I usually answer within 2 business days.