Build a packet index before checking content
List every document the instructions require, including the form itself, attachments, certifications, bonds, insurance evidence, and any electronic upload confirmation. Give each item an owner and a status. The index is the backbone of the check because it prevents the team from reviewing the estimate while a required form sits missing.
Use the bid instructions as the source of truth, not last month's checklist. Requirements change between solicitations, especially for electronic submissions, bonding, and supplier diversity forms. If the instructions are ambiguous, write the question down and route it to the contact named in the solicitation rather than guessing.
Confirm bonds, insurance, and certificates
Check the bid bond amount, the surety, the power of attorney, and the expiry date. Confirm that the performance and payment bond capacity is available for the project size, not just that a bond letter exists. For insurance, verify that the certificate names the required additional insured and that the limits meet the solicitation.
Record the date and time each certificate was verified. If a document expires on the bid date, treat it as missing. The review should also confirm that the entity on the bond matches the entity on the bid form, because a mismatch can create a compliance question during award.
| Check | Evidence | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Packet completeness | Index matching the instruction list | Bid coordinator |
| Signature authority | Signed form and current authorization | Authorized officer |
| Bid bond | Surety letter, power of attorney, expiry | Contracts lead |
| Insurance | Certificate with required endorsements | Risk manager |
| Arithmetic | Independent recalculation of totals | Second estimator |
| Submission | Portal receipt or courier record | Named submitter |
Reconcile alternates, unit prices, and totals
Compare the final bid form against the leveling sheet. Check every alternate, add, deduct, and unit price line by line. Confirm that the base bid excludes alternate scope and that the total is the arithmetic sum of the selected items.
A single transposed digit can change the ranking and, in some procurements, cannot be corrected after opening. Run a second person through the arithmetic without showing them the first result.
Independent recalculation catches copy errors that a self-review misses. If the form allows a spreadsheet upload, verify that the uploaded file matches the signed PDF and that the totals agree to the cent.
Check exclusions and clarifications against the estimate
Read each clarification and confirm that it describes the priced scope. A clarification that excludes a permit the estimate already included creates a contradiction that a reviewer will find. Remove stale notes from earlier drafts and keep only the qualifications the commercial lead has approved.
Confirm the position on allowances, escalation, and alternates. The alternate dependency check should already have resolved which combinations are priced. The quote validity check should confirm that supplier pricing has not expired before the bid is signed.
Set the deadline buffer and the submission path
Work backward from the deadline and set an internal cutoff that leaves time for upload, confirmation, and a fallback. Test the submission portal before the deadline, including file size limits and accepted formats. If the portal requires registration, confirm that the account is active and that the named submitter will be available.
Save a complete copy of the submitted packet and the confirmation receipt. Record the time, the portal reference, and the person who submitted.
If the instructions allow a physical delivery, confirm the address, the receiving hours, and the courier cutoff. The goal is to make the submission path as controlled as the estimate itself.
Close the record after submission
After the bid is submitted, update the packet index with the final status and store the receipt with the estimate. Note any clarifications that were submitted and any questions that remain open. This record is the starting point for post-bid negotiations and for the next bid that reuses the same forms.
Hold a short review of what the check caught. If the same item fails twice, change the template or the assignment rather than relying on memory. The estimate review evidence index is a good place to link the final packet so the next team can see what a complete submission looked like.
Run a five minute red team before the packet closes
Ask someone who did not build the bid to read the form as a reviewer would. Give them the instructions and the packet, not the estimate. They should be able to find the base bid, the alternates, the clarifications, and the signature without help.
If they hesitate, the packet has a navigation problem that a real evaluator will also find. The red team is not a technical review. It is a check that the submission tells a coherent story.
Ask them to name one item that seems inconsistent and one that seems missing. Fix only what is confirmed against the source. The AGC construction resources library can help frame questions about common bid documentation, but the solicitation remains the governing document.
Record the red team result in the packet index. If the same confusion appears on two bids, change the template or the instructions rather than relying on the reviewer to catch it again. The goal is a packet that a stranger can navigate, because the evaluator is a stranger too.
