Overview
A bid request lets you ask subcontractors and vendors for pricing on a project, pull the scope straight from your estimate so you're not re-typing it, and send it out for subs to respond to — no account required on their end.
Where to find it: Projects → Bids for every bid request across your projects, or a project's Bids tab for just that job.
Step 1: Start a bid request
Open a project and click Bids in the left navigation.
Click Create Bid Request.
Tip: you don't need an estimate to create a bid request. An empty bid request lets you build categories and scope items from scratch — useful when you're bidding out work before you've priced it yourself.
Step 2: Set the timeline and pull in scope items
Set Due Date, Site Walk Date, and Estimated Start Date. Bid Number is filled in for you but editable.
Under Categories, add a category matching the trade you're bidding out.
If the project has an estimate, KonstructIQ labels a category Not in scope when nothing in the estimate matches it. Pick a category without that label and KonstructIQ opens Add Items with every matching estimate item checked off — uncheck anything you don't want to send, then click Add. Items you add this way carry their estimate quantities and descriptions, so subs are pricing exactly what you already scoped.
Step 3: Generate the title and scope, then add subs
Click Generate next to Title to have the assistant write a title and a Scope of Work summary from the categories and items you've added. You can edit either afterward.
Under To Subcontractor/Vendor, search and check off every sub or vendor you want this request to go to — you can select more than one.
If a sub isn't in your account yet, click + New next to the field and add them without leaving the bid request.
Step 4: Review scope items and set bidder options
The Options menu next to a category controls what the subcontractor can do with it: Set Cost Type for All Items applies one cost type to every line at once, Sub fills in Quantity & Unit (on by default) lets the subcontractor do their own takeoff instead of pricing your numbers, and Sub can edit Scope Items (on by default) lets them adjust the items you sent rather than only pricing what's listed.
Tip: turn off Sub can edit Scope Items when you need bids that are directly comparable line for line.
Step 5: Add attachments and notes
Drag files onto Attachments, or use Choose from Files / Add from Device. Files you uploaded to generate the project's estimate carry over here automatically — you don't need to re-attach the same plans.
Limits: PDF or images, up to 10 files, 25 MB each.
Use Notes for anything a bidder needs that doesn't belong in the scope itself — access instructions, exclusions, or alternates.
Click Save to come back to this later without sending it, or continue to send it now. While a bid request is still a draft, Delete at the top of the page removes it entirely.
Step 6: Preview and send
Click Preview & Send. In the preview, toggle Show Client Information and Show Cost Type to control what appears on the PDF each sub receives — turn off Show Client Information to keep your client anonymous to bidders. Download saves the PDF without sending anything.
Click Send to open Send Bid Request. The To field is filled in from the subs and vendors you selected — each one gets their own individual email, and recipients never see each other's addresses or bids.
Edit the Subject and Message if you want, then click Send.
Sending moves the bid request to Collecting and locks the details — the page shows "This bid request has been sent and is read-only." You can still edit or close it afterward; see Compare, Award, and Close Bids.
What subcontractors see
A sub doesn't need a KonstructIQ account to respond. Their email has a Submit Bid button that opens a portal showing the due date, title, scope of work, and every scope item you sent — they can download it or decline.
To respond, they choose Lump Sum for one flat price or Itemized to price each line separately, and can add their own categories, edit the scope of work if it differs from yours, note exclusions, and attach their own quote or documents before clicking Submit. They can create a free KonstructIQ account afterward if they want to, but it's never required.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
A category I want shows "Not in scope." Nothing in the project's current estimate matches that category. Add it anyway with Add Category and build the scope items manually, or add the work to the estimate first if it belongs there.
Can I create a bid request without an estimate? Yes — start from an empty bid request and build categories and scope items from scratch.
Does one subcontractor see who else was invited, or what they bid? No. Each sub gets an individual email and only ever sees their own response.
Can I stop a subcontractor from changing what I sent? Yes — turn off Sub can edit Scope Items in the category's Options menu so they can only price what's listed.
Do the plans I uploaded for the estimate carry over automatically? Yes — files used to generate the project's estimate appear under Attachments without re-uploading.
I need to delete a bid request I haven't sent yet. Open it while it's still in Draft and click Delete at the top of the page.
Quick Reference
Path: project → Bids → Create Bid Request → set Due Date + Categories → add scope items (or Add Category) → Generate title & scope → add subs → set Options for cost type and edit permissions → add Attachments/Notes → Preview & Send → Send.
Limits: attachments up to 10 files, 25 MB each, PDF or images.
Don't skip: the Show Client Information toggle in Preview if the bid shouldn't reveal your client's identity to bidders.