Find the controlling requirement
Start with the solicitation, instructions to bidders, bid form, and issued addenda. Record the exact section and revision that require bid security. Do not rely on a requirement copied from an earlier project or a note in an invitation email when the issued documents say something different.
Capture the stated form, amount or calculation method, named obligee, submission method, and deadline. If the language is unclear or conflicts across documents, log the question and route it to the contractor's authorized reviewer, surety contact, or counsel. The estimator should preserve the conflict rather than choose the most convenient interpretation.
Pair this check with the bid form compliance review. Bond information and bid-form pricing must use the same base, alternates, and addenda. A mismatch can remain hidden when administrative and estimating reviews happen in separate files.
Connect the requirement to the estimate
Identify the estimate line or commercial worksheet that carries any bond-related cost. Record its source and effective date. If the cost depends on the final bid amount, mark it for recalculation after alternates, allowances, taxes, and approved adjustments are settled.
Keep bid security separate from performance or payment bond assumptions unless the project documents and contractor's cost structure direct otherwise. Similar names do not make the obligations interchangeable. The check should show which requirement each estimate treatment addresses and which items remain subject to specialist confirmation.
Public bid instructions provide a useful example of why the issued requirement must control. New York DOT bidder information says each bid must include one of the listed forms of bid security in the amount shown on that proposal's title page. A private project or another public owner may use different terms, so read its own documents rather than importing this example.
Coordinate approval and submission evidence
Assign a named coordinator and record when the surety or broker received the current bid information. Late estimate changes need a defined return path. The coordinator should know who sends the revision, who confirms acceptance, and which evidence belongs in the final bid file.
Review the principal name, obligee, project identification, bid date, security amount, signatures, seals, powers of attorney, and delivery instructions against the issued documents. This is a document comparison, not a legal conclusion. Escalate any discrepancy to the person authorized to resolve it.
Use the bid day estimate review to confirm that the approved bid total and final submission package stayed aligned. Retain the completed check, controlling documents, approvals, and proof of delivery with the estimate record. Do not record a requirement as satisfied merely because a draft bond was requested.
| Check | Evidence | Owner decision |
|---|---|---|
| Requirement | Issued section and addendum | Controlling language confirmed |
| Bid basis | Base bid, alternates, adjustments | Calculation basis accepted |
| Estimate treatment | Cost source and affected line | Current value approved |
| Document | Names, amount, execution details | Discrepancies resolved |
| Submission | Method, deadline, delivery proof | Final package released |
Close the check before release
Recalculate any amount tied to the bid after the pricing review closes. Compare the result with the issued requirement and the executed document. If the bid changes after that comparison, reopen the check instead of assuming the earlier approval still applies.
List every unresolved exception in the release note. Examples include conflicting project names, a pending surety revision, unclear alternate treatment, or missing delivery confirmation. The bid approver needs the actual exception and responsible owner, not a green status that hides conditional work.
Close the record only when the estimator's cost treatment is current, the authorized reviewer has accepted the document, and the submission evidence is retained. The contractor remains responsible for deciding whether the bid package complies with the solicitation.