Budget and bid comparison
Compares line items, quantities, exclusions and differences between bids. Flags what is not comparable; declares no automatic winner.
Compare bids
| Line item | Supplier A | Supplier B | Supplier C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earthworks | €12,400 | €11,800 | €13,100 |
| Foundations | €28,500 | €27,900 | €29,200 |
| Structure | €54,000 | €52,500 | €55,800 |
| Partition walls | €18,200 | €9,500Excludes material supply | €17,600 |
| Total | €113,100 | €101,700 | €115,700 |
Supplier B has the lowest total, but its partition walls exclude material supply: not comparable to A and C. The system flags it and does NOT pick a winner — a person decides.
What it is
Budget and bid comparison places several proposals side by side by line item: it aligns equivalent concepts, shows quantities and prices, and flags exclusions and what is not comparable. It declares no automatic winner: it orders the information so procurement and management decide.
Who it's for
Procurement, technical office and management who receive three or four bids in different formats and have to really compare them, not just look at the bottom line.
The problem
Each supplier structures its bid its own way: some include a line others exclude, quantities do not match and the lowest price hides exclusions. Comparing them by hand is slow and differences that cost money later slip through.
How it works
The process, step by step.
- 01
Load the bids
The suppliers' proposals are loaded, in whatever formats they arrive.
- 02
Align by line item
The system matches equivalent concepts and sets apart what appears in only one bid.
- 03
Differences and exclusions
It highlights price and quantity deviations, and flags exclusions and what is not comparable. The totals reconcile with the bids.
- 04
Human decision
Procurement and management decide with the table in front of them. The system does not choose for you.
What you get
The delivered result.
A comparison table by line item, not just by each bid's total.
Exclusions and line items present in only one bid, flagged.
Price and quantity deviations against your reference, if you provide one.
A warning of what is not comparable, instead of forcing a misleading comparison.
What it needs
- The bids to compare (PDF, Excel) and, if it exists, your reference budget or bill of quantities.
- How you name your line items, to align equivalent concepts.
- What you want highlighted: price deviation, exclusions, mismatched quantities.
A concrete example
Three masonry bids. The cheapest overall turns out to be the second most expensive on partition walls, because it excludes material supply and leaves it “to the client.” The table flags it; without it, the wrong one would have been signed.
What a person reviews
Always procurement and management. The system neither awards nor recommends a winner: it orders line items, highlights differences and leaves the decision —and the responsibility— with the person.
Possible integrations
Possibilities subject to assessment until verified.
- · Your budget template or price base, if you want to compare against it (subject to assessment).
- · Export of the table to Excel or PDF for the procurement file.
Limits and conditions
- · If a bid is poorly structured or ambiguous, the system flags it; it does not force an interpretation.
- · It does not assess technical quality or supplier solvency: it compares what the bids say.
- · Today it is a development service; the exact scope is set with your real line-item types.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does it pick the winning bid?
No, and that is deliberate. Awarding implies contractual responsibility and criteria beyond price. The system orders line items, highlights differences and exclusions and reconciles totals; procurement and management make the decision.
What if each supplier names line items differently?
That is exactly where it helps: it matches equivalent concepts even when named differently, and what it cannot match with confidence it sets apart and flags, rather than blindly mixing it in.
Can the numbers be trusted?
The table's totals reconcile with those of the original bids; that check is part of the service itself. If something does not reconcile, it is flagged for a person to review.
How do we start?
With a real procurement and one line-item type. We set up a pilot with three or four of your bids and check that the table catches the exclusions and differences that matter before scaling it.
Let's start with one process and one site.
The first engagement is small and demonstrable: one process, concrete data and a measured result. Tell us yours.
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