A construction bid template organized by division, with the bid form and the bid schedule on one sheet.
Base bid, alternates, unit prices, and a bid proposal cover page, laid out the way general contractors and owners expect to read one.
Get the construction bid template
A working spreadsheet, not a picture of one. The totals, overhead, and margin are live formulas. We email it over, so no download to lose track of.
One email with the template attached. We will not pass your address on.
On a construction bid the format is half the job. A general contractor or owner reading six bids wants the same information in the same order from each, and a bid that makes them hunt for the base bid total or guess whether permits are included gets set aside before the number is even compared. This template follows the shape they expect: a short bid proposal cover, a bid form by division, alternates, unit prices, and the conditions.
The bid proposal cover
One page. Who you are, what you are bidding on, the base bid figure in words and numbers, how long the bid is valid, and a sentence confirming you have reviewed the documents and visited the site. If the owner issued a bid form of their own, use theirs and attach this as the schedule; never make a reviewer reconcile two formats.
The bid form
| Division | Scope summary | Unit basis |
|---|---|---|
| 01 General requirements | Supervision, temporary facilities, permits if included, cleanup, closeout | Lump sum or weeks |
| 02 Existing conditions | Demolition, abatement if included, haul-off | Square feet, loads |
| 03 Concrete | Footings, slabs, flatwork, finishes | Cubic yards, square feet |
| 06 Wood and plastics | Rough carpentry, sheathing, finish carpentry | Square feet, linear feet |
| 07 Thermal and moisture | Roofing, insulation, waterproofing, flashing | Squares, square feet |
| 08 Openings | Doors, windows, hardware | Each |
| 09 Finishes | Drywall, flooring, tile, paint | Square feet |
| 22, 23, 26 Plumbing, HVAC, electrical | Rough-in, equipment, trim, by trade | Each, fixtures, tons, circuits |
| Allowances | Owner selections carried at stated amounts | Lump |
| Base bid | Sum of the above | Total |
| Alternates | Add or deduct, each priced separately and numbered | Each |
| Unit prices | Rock excavation, unsuitable soil, decking, added outlets | Per unit |
Construction bid example
Base bid for a detached two-car garage, 24 by 24, slab on grade, stick framed, asphalt roof, one overhead door, one entry door, four receptacles and two lights on a new 20A circuit from the existing house panel: $48,750. Alternate 1, add: insulate and finish interior walls with drywall, add $6,400. Alternate 2, deduct: owner to supply and install overhead door, deduct $1,850. Unit price 1: rock excavation beyond 12 inches, $185 per cubic yard. Bid valid 30 days. Permits by owner. Electrical service upgrade excluded.
Illustrative figures only. The template carries the structure; your cost book carries the numbers.
The internal columns
The spreadsheet adds the columns the owner does not see: labor at a burdened rate, an overhead recovery percentage at your own annual rate, and profit entered as a margin on price. A fifteen percent margin is not a fifteen percent markup, and the sheet does the conversion so the base bid you write on the cover is the one you meant. The overhead rate calculator and the markup vs margin calculator give you both inputs.
Filling it in
Work the divisions in order and write an explicit zero for the ones not in your scope. Price alternates as complete scopes, including their share of general conditions, not as the material delta. Put a unit price on every unknown the documents leave open. The construction takeoff guide covers producing the quantities this form prices.
When a template stops being enough
The template formats a bid. It does not keep the unit prices consistent between the three estimators who touch your bids, and it does not tell you the owner opened the proposal twice and signed nothing. FlyQuote's construction bidding software prices from one price book with your markups and minimums, presents alternates as tiers, and sends the bid as a branded, e-signable proposal with open tracking.