Subcontractor Bid Tracking Spreadsheet

Instructions on how to use the Bid Tracker

These instructions help set up the ISQFT Bid Management Tab before downloading the subcontractor list, which will be used for the bid tracker.  

Important: When starting a new project, always use a new copy of the master; do not reuse other project versions.

1. Open ISFQT and click on the project you are working on.
2. Then click on the Bid Management Tab.
3. You need to check the order of the column headings so they match the order from the Excel Bid Tracker. If not, follow the steps below to correct it. Once correct, your downloaded file will match the Excel file headers when you transfer to the bid tracker file.

View from ISQFT

View from Bid Tracker

4. If your ISQFT header does not match, please do the following:
   1. Click and hold the column header
   2. Drag it horizontally to the position to match the above.
   3. Once you have completed this step, you will not be required to repeat it. The change is global and will be applied to all of your ISQFT projects.

5.  Download sub-list
   1. Click on the Export button 
   2. A 2^nd window will pop up, then click the Export button

3. Then two things may happen:
   1. The download will start at the bottom left corner or
   2. You will get an email with a link to download the file.
   3. Once the download is complete, go to your computer's Download folder to open the Excel file.

6. The following is how to clean up the Excel Data before copying it to Bid Tracker
   1. Delete the rows of the trades not assigned to you.
   2. Click on the first column, "A" header, and hit delete to remove the data. Do not delete the column. The data in this column is not required.
   3. There are several trades where subcontractors are listed multiple times, e.g., Div. 9 Flooring / Div. 10 Specialties/ Div 5 Metals. To avoid sending multiple emails to the same person, we will clean up duplicates. Once done, there is no need for multiple Div 10, just one category. The same goes for metals and flooring.
      1. Highlight the rows of the entire division for which you will be removing duplicates.
      2. Go to the Data tab and click on Remove Duplications
      3. A window pops up:
         1. Click on Unselect All
         2. In the column window, click on the columns that have the emails, which are in the sample G.
         3. Click ok to remove duplications.

4. Once the action is complete, you may sort it by company name.

7. Transferring subs to the tracker
   1. Select the rows to be moved.
   2. Copy and Paste the Sub Bidder. In the event the formatting is lost, do the following:
      1. Highlight a row where the formatting was not erased
      2. Click on the Home tab and find Format Painter
      3. Click the row to apply the new formatting.

3. Once you have pasted the list, change all" Will Bids" to "Undecided". The reason is that you cannot assume they will bid until you have confirmation either by email or by phone. Many subs will click and forget about it.

8. Managing the "Blast" Process with Outlook
   1. It is recommended that you wait 2-3 days from when the Invitation to Bid is issued to perform the "Blast."
   2. Create a standard email with applicable project information:
      1. Title – "Name of Project" – Bid Confirmation – "Trade" (keep it simple)
      2. Name of Project and Location
      3. Trade
      4. Bid Due Date
      5. Other Applicable Dates and information, i.e., RFIs due, Walk-Thru date, Scope Sheet issue date
   3. It is recommended to create one email per trade; do not lump all of your trades into a single email.
   4. Copy the email addresses from isqft.com and BCC them into your "Blast" email and copy yourself in the "To" line prior to issuing.
   5. Hit send
   6. Continue blasting during the week until you get enough coverage. 
   7. If you are not getting coverage for a particular trade, make phone calls and discuss this with your lead ASAP. 
9. Working with the Bid Tracker
   1. Once you start receiving email responses from subs, input the reactions on the Bidder Tracker as:
      1. Will Bid
         1. The sub has confirmed through email that they will be bidding
         2. The row will turn green
      2. Won't Bid
         1. The sub has indicated that it is not bidding.
         2. The row will turn red. 
         3. Identify any subs that usually bid to KAST and have declined to bid. Email or call the subcontractor to find out why they are not bidding. A call is always encouraged to try to convince the sub to bid (sell the job to the subcontractor). 
      3. Undecided
         1. Sub responded that they do not know if they are bidding or they might bid.
         2. The sub had a question about the project expressing interest. 
         3. The sub-row will turn orange. 
10. OPTIONAL: Creating a Subfolder and Email Rule for "Blast" Emails
    1. Create a main folder for the project in Outlook
    2. Create a subfolder for "Blast Email Responses" under the main folder

3. Click the "Rules" button under the "Home" tab on Outlook to set up and create your rule.

4. Under the "Rules" button, go to "Create Rule …" You will see two subsections called "When I get an email with all of the selected conditions" and "Do the following":

1. For the section called "When I get an email with all of the selected conditions," – Check the box for "Subject Contains" and include the following from the "Blast Email" – "Project Name" – Bid Confirmation."
2. For the section called "Do the following," – Check the box that says "Move the item to folder:" and select "Blast Email Responses."

5. All of the bidder email responses will automatically be directed to the "Blast Email Responses" folder. They will not appear in your main Outlook "Inbox" or on your mobile device.
   1. Keep in mind that you will not receive notifications of receiving responses in Outlook or on your mobile device.
6. You can respond, forward, move, etc., the blast email responses from the "Blast Email Responses" folder
7. Confirm with the Lead Estimator if the blast email responses need to be archived or whether they can be deleted after the Bid Tracker status is updated.