Invited Bidders

The Invited Bidders tab displays a list of all who have been invited to bid on the project.

Depending on the permission assignment, the following tasks can be completed by either:

  • Pre-construction Managers

  • Estimating Coordinators

  1. From the top navigation tabs, click the Bidding tab.

    Use this method if you are not already working in a project.

    2. Bidding Tab Global Nav Bar
  2. On the Bidding page, choose a project from the All Projects menu.

    The Bid Packages page is displayed.

  3. Click the name of a bid package to view the Bid Package Details page.

Use the Invite feature to send out invitations to bid to new contacts (not already included in the invited bidders grid), or to add additional codes to existing invited bidders. Once you send the invitation to bid, all contacts selected will be included in the Invited Bidders List.

The bidding instructions document will be attached to the email with the invitation.

If you are using the construction codes feature to identify bidders, the companies' construction codes must match those assigned to the project for contact to show up on the filter.

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. Click Invite.

    4. The Invite Bidders page is displayed.

  4. Enter or modify the subject of the invitation mail in the Subject field.
  5. Enter an optional message to the bidders in the Message field.
  6. Click Add Contact or Remove Contact to add or remove additional contacts.
  7. Click Send.

Use the Re- invite feature to resend the invitation to bid to a contact who may have misplaced the invitation or may not have responded to the previous invitation.

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. Select the check box next to the bidder(s) you want to re-invite.
  4. Click Re-invite.
    The Invite Bidders page is displayed.
  5. Enter or modify the subject of the invitation mail in the Subject field.
  6. Enter an optional message to the bidders in the Message field.
  7. Click Add Contact or Remove Contact to add or remove additional contacts.
  8. Click Send.

If you are viewing the list of invited bidders using Bidders View, you can update the status of bidders manually. It is important to clarify that Trimble Unity Construct automatically updates the bid status of each invited bidder based on their responses via the bidder portal. The status is set to Pending when an invitation has been sent but no response has been received. Once an invited bidder responds electronically, ( Will bid or Will not bid ) the status is updated accordingly. You also have the option of manually updating the bidder's status.

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. In the Invited Bidders table, click the drop-down lists under the Bid Submitted and Status columns to manually change each status.

Use the Print feature on the Invited Bidders tab to print out a list of potential bidders to use.

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. Click Print.

Exporting bid coverage information is useful for bid analysis purposes. This is a handy feature that allows you to include data for use in external financial reports. The export feature allows you to avoid manual data entry and export right from Trimble Unity Construct into Excel.

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. Click the Export to Excel icon Export to MS Excel icon .

Use the Award feature to simultaneously send a bid award notification to the winning bidder and notifications to other bidders who have submitted a bid response.

If the Bid Award to Commitment feature has been activated on the Bid Options page (Setup > Bidding > Options), then the designated commitment process can also be initiated when the bid is awarded.

If the incorrect bidder was selected, select the Undo Award option to rescind the bid award. Note that messages that were already sent cannot be retracted.

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. Click the Bid Tab Navigation Menu button beside the bidder you want to award.
  4. Select the Award option from the Bidder Options popup menu.
    The Award Notification window is displayed.
  5. Select the Send message to the winning bidder check box and enter or modify the message to the winning bidder in the Message field.
  6. Select the Send message to the other bidders check box and enter or modify the message to the other bidders in the Message field.
  7. Click Send.

    If the Bid Award to Commitment feature was activated, the Send and Initialize Commitment Process button will be displayed on this page. Use this button to send the bid award notification message and initiate the commitment process.

Use the Revoke feature to prevent a bidder from participating in the bid but continue to keep them in the Invited Bidders list for historical purposes.

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. Click the Bid Tab Navigation Menu button beside the bidder invitation you want to revoke.
  4. Select the Revoke option from the Bidder Options popup menu.
  5. In the popup that is displayed, select OK to confirm the action.

    If the incorrect bidder was selected, select the Restore option from the Bidder Options popup menu to undo the revocation.

Use the Delete feature to remove the bidder entirely from the bid and the Invited Bidders list. When this feature is used, the bidder will not be tracked in the bid history either. A bid manager will most likely delete a bidder only if they were accidentally invited.

  1. Go to the Bid Package Details page.
  2. Click the Invited Bidders tab.
  3. Click the Bid Tab Navigation Menu button beside the bidder invitation you want to delete.
  4. Select the Delete option from the Bidder Options popup menu.
  5. In the popup that is displayed, select OK to confirm the action.

Invited Bidders Tab Details

  • Project: The name of the project.
  • Bid Package: The name of the bid package.
  • Project Number: If available, the project number is displayed in this field. Project numbers allow you to have a unique identifier for each of your projects. Account administrators can add project numbers by going to Administration Tools > Projects > Project Settings > Choose a custom field option from the Project Number Custom Field drop-down menu.
  • Status: The status of the bid package (open or closed).
  • Show Notes: Select this check box to view notes directly on the table for each respective contact.
  • Notes Icon :Click the Notes button to add or view notes for the contact such as call logs.
  • Contact: Click the contact name to view the invitation details for that contact.
  • Status: Click this drop-down list and manually change the status of the construction code or bidder (if construction codes were not used).

    Trimble Unity Construct automatically updates the bid status of each invited bidder based on their Accept or Decline response via the bidder portal. The status is set to Pending when an invitation has been sent but no response has been received. Once an invited bidder accepts or declines electronically, the status is updated to Will Bid or Will Not Bid.

  • Bid Submitted: Select whether the bid was submitted or not.
  • Show: If you chose to use construction codes to identify bidders, you can access two different views from this drop-down menu:
    •  Bidders View: Choose this view in order to view the list of invited bidders by company name and contact information. If there are construction codes associated with the contact, expanding the contact will display the associated construction code(s).
    • Construction Codes View: Choose this view to see a list of construction codes. The # Invited column will allow you to see how many bidders are on the invited list from each division. Expanding the division will display the associated contact(s).

Invite Bidders Page Details

This page can be accessed by clicking the Invite button on the Invited Bidders tab on the Bid Package Details page.

  • Project: The name of the project.
  • Project Number: If available, the project number is displayed in this field.
  • Subject: The subject of the invitation message.
  • Message: The message body of the invitation.
  • Selected Bidders: The contacts who have been selected to receive the invitation.
  • Custom Fields: When available, this section includes the custom fields set up by Administrators under Invitation Custom Fields.

If you chose to use construction codes to identify bidders, you can access two different views - the Bidders view and the Construction Codes view.

These views are available on the Potential Bidders tab and the Invited Bidders tab. To switch between the views click the Show drop-down arrow.

Bidders View

The bidders view displays each potential/ invited bidder, their company name, contact person, email, phone number and the date their contact information was entered into Trimble Unity Construct. If construction codes were used to categorize your contacts, click the expand button under each contact to view all associated divisions and construction codes.

  • notes_add(Notes Icon): Click to add a note to the invited bidder's record. You're able to see all added notes by expanding the bidder's record.
  • Company: This column displays the name of the company that the invited bidder belongs to.
  • Contact: This column displays the invited bidder's name.
  • Email: This column displays the invited bidder's email address.
  • Phone: This column displays the invited bidder's phone number.
  • Bid Submitted: This column displays whether or not the bid has been submitted.
  • Bid Tab Navigation Menu (Bidder Options Icon): The Bidder Options icon (Bid Tab Navigation Menu) allows you to take any of the following actions:
    • Re-Invite: Select this option to resend an invitation to bid.
    • Revoke: Select this option to remove the bidder from participating in the bid but keep them in the invited bidder list for historical purposes.
    • Award: Select this option to award the bid.
    • Delete: Select this option to remove the bidder entirely from the bid – no history will be tracked. A bid manager most likely will only delete a bidder in the event that they were accidentally invited.
    • Submit Bid: Select this option to submit the bid.
    • Undo Award: Select this option rescind an award.

  • update_bid_status (Update Status Icon): Click this icon to update the bidding status of all construction divisions associated with a single bidder.

Construction Codes View

The Construction Codes View is only available if you've managed bidders by construction codes. For more information, see Manage Construction Codes. The construction codes view displays a list of construction codes assigned to the project, grouped by division, with the number of potential/ invited bidders associated with each division in the column on the right.

  • Code: This column lists all available construction codes. Expanding the division will display the associated contact(s).

  • # Invited: This column displays the number of bidders that have been invited to bid from each division. The Status drop-down menu is editable, so you're able to update the status of each person's invitation manually, but it is important to note that Trimble Unity Construct automatically updates the bid status of each invited bidder based on their responses via the bidder portal. The status is set to Pending when an invitation has been sent but no response has been received. Once an invited bidder responds electronically, ('Will bid or Will not bid') the status is updated accordingly.

  • # Pending: This column displays the number of invited bidders whose invitation to bid is pending. This status is automatically applied by Trimble Unity Construct if an invitation has been sent but no response has been received. When the division is expanded, the Response field is editable and allows you to update the response to Yes or No.

  • # Declined: This column displays the number of invited bidders who have declined to bid.

  • # Accepted: This column displays the number of invited bidders who have accepted the invitation to bid.

  • # Bids: This column displays the number of bids the invited bidder was invited to.

  • # Awarded: This column displays the number of bids the invited bidder has been awarded. The award icon provides a visual indication of the bidder's awarded status.

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