About BidGaps

BidGaps is a free, trade-by-trade library of what construction bids usually leave out, plus a bid leveling sheet and a short weekly newsletter.

Who it's for

Owner's reps, facilities managers, small developers and owner-builders running small commercial and tenant-improvement projects. If you collect bids from trade contractors and have to decide who to hire, this is for you.

The problem

The low bid is often just the bid that excluded the most. Every contractor writes their proposal a little differently, with different inclusions, exclusions, allowances and assumptions. Until every bid is priced on the same scope, the totals don't really compare.

What we publish

Scope checklists for each trade (14 trades so far) that you can send to every bidder.
Common exclusions, how they tend to be worded in proposals, and why they matter.
Questions to ask bidders before award.
A free leveling sheet that runs in your browser and exports to CSV.

How the content is made

Checklists are based on widely used industry practice and real bid sets, with all names and figures removed. We don't publish cost ranges until we have real, sourced data, which is why “typical cost to cover” reads TBD for now.

BidGaps is general guidance, not legal, engineering or estimating advice. Always check scope against your own plans, specs and contract.

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