Bid Leveling Engine

Stop awarding the cheapest headline figure.

Upload up to five vendor quotes. Trueleveler normalizes every inclusion, exclusion, retainage term, and payment schedule — then tells you which one actually costs less.

Get a Free Analysis → Open App

app.trueleveler.com — Bid Leveling · MEP Package · 32-Unit Multifamily

Bid Level Results — 4 Vendors · Analyzed in 38 seconds

Vendor

Headline Bid

True Cost

Risk

Retainage

Δ Market

★ Apex HVAC Inc.

$231,000

Low

10%

−2.1%

Summit Mech.

$211,000

$277,000 ⚠

Med

15%

+17.3%

Metro Systems

$252,000

Low

10%

+6.8%

Delta MEP LLC

$264,000

Low

10%

+12.4%

✦ AI Award Recommendation

Award to Apex HVAC Inc. at $231,000. Summit Mech's headline bid of $211,000 carries 14 exclusions totaling $66,000 — true cost exceeds Apex by $46,000. Negotiate Apex's retainage from 10% to 5% after 50% completion.

The Problem

The cheapest quote isn't always the cheapest job.

A bid showing $211,000 can carry $277,000 in true cost once you add back the 14 line items listed as "by others" and account for a higher retainage rate. Trueleveler reads every page of every quote and does that math for you — across all vendors, in seconds. Most estimators catch this eventually. By then, you've already signed.

$43k

average overpaid per project on unleveled trade package bids*

* Source: Based on AGC 2024 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook Survey and CFMA Financial Benchmarker data on procurement waste in commercial construction.

What You Get

Six outputs, every analysis.

True Cost Comparison

Effective cost per vendor after normalizing all inclusions and exclusions to a common scope. No more comparing apples to oranges.

Retainage & Payment Analysis

Retainage rates, payment period terms, and cash flow impact of each vendor's payment schedule — flagged side-by-side.

Market Rate Benchmark

How each quote compares to current market rates for that trade package and region. Know if you're getting a fair price.

Award Recommendation

A plain-English verdict: who to award, why, and what to negotiate before you sign the subcontract.

Exclusion Register

Every 'by others' and excluded item itemized per vendor — the checklist your PM needs before mobilization.

Audit Trail Export

PDF or Excel report formatted for owner or client sign-off, with full methodology visible to your QS or legal team.

How It Works

Upload to results in seconds.

Upload quotes

PDF, Excel, or Word. Up to 5 vendors. No template — Trueleveler reads your documents as-is, however they're formatted.

AI normalizes scope

AI extracts every line item, maps inclusions and exclusions to a unified scope, and calculates effective cost per vendor.

Review the level

Interactive table showing headline vs true cost, risk scores, retainage delta, and market benchmark per vendor.

Export for sign-off

One-click export to branded PDF or Excel. Includes the award recommendation and negotiation notes for your subcontract.

Use Cases

Built for how construction procurement actually works.

HVAC & MEP packages

Structural steel & concrete

CSI Division 15–17 packages

Subcontract trade packages

Design-Build procurement

Civil and earthworks

Specialty trade bids

CM/GC bid management

Owner's Rep competitive bidding

Federal & prevailing wage projects

Pricing

Start free. Upgrade when you're ready.

Bid Leveling is included in every paid plan — along with all 9 AI engines, the Procurement Tracker, and Vendor Database.

Free

^$0/mo

Procurement Tracker only. 1 user. No credit card.

Pro POPULAR

^$199/mo

All 9 AI engines. 100 runs/mo. Up to 3 users.

Business

^$499/mo

300 runs/mo. 10 users. API access. Custom templates.

See full pricing including Enterprise →

Level your next trade package bid — free.

Upload your own documents and get a full AI analysis within minutes.
No credit card, no templates.