Course outline

Module 11 · Capstone: bid the Amazon Distribution job 3 minUpdated September 14, 2026

Capstone part 3: write the proposal and run the job in IntelBid

In part 3 you finish the bid. Turn the risks you found in part 1 into specific qualifications, assemble a proposal for each GC with your part 2 pricing, and check it against the proposal checklist. Then open IntelBid's sample project — the same job, already loaded — and let Auto Draft build the lines from the takeoff, price them with the calculator, and generate a proposal for each GC. Compare the two, and you've bid a commercial flooring job end to end.

By Michael Reddy, IntelBid

After this lesson you can

Write qualifications tied to this job's real specification requirements
Assemble a complete proposal for each of two GCs
Run the same bid in IntelBid and compare the results

Step 1: write the qualifications

Every requirement you flagged in part 1 should end up priced, qualified, or answered by a bidder question. Compare yours with these — written the way Module 7 teaches:

SC-01: Priced as a clear penetrating sealer, two coats, pending confirmation of the product — no specification section was included in the bid documents.
Gloss: PC-01 priced to achieve SOGV 40 / MLGV 25 at 60° per Section 03 3565. Re-polishing required because of slab defects or damage by others will be priced as a change.
Protection: Slab protection after completion of polishing, and damage by other trades, are excluded. Re-burnishing after turnover is excluded unless listed.
Mockup: Includes one 50 SF mockup, scheduled at least 30 days after the slab pour, and one additional mobilization for it.
Moisture: EPX-01 priced assuming moisture and alkalinity within the manufacturer's limits. Mitigation is excluded and available at a unit price per SF.
Conditions: Temporary heat to 50°F and the conditioned-space requirements of Section 09 6700 are by others.
Warranty: Two-year warranty against delamination on EPX-01 per Section 09 6700.

Qualifying isn't a substitute for qualifying yourself

Section 03 3565 requires a manufacturer's letter and five similar projects in the last year. If you don't meet that, no qualification fixes it — that's a bid-or-no-bid question from part 1.

Step 2: build the proposals

One proposal per GC
Summit Construction Group and Keystone Builders each get their own — same scope here, separate files and emails. See pricing for multiple GCs.
Basis of bid
The finish plans and Sections 03 3565 and 09 6700, issue dated April 2026, plus any addenda.
Base bid and lines
PC-01, SC-01 and EPX-01 with their areas and prices from part 2, plus mobilization.
Qualifications and terms
Your qualifications from step 1, payment terms, and a validity period.
Check it
Run through the proposal anatomy section by section before sending.

Step 3: run the same job in IntelBid

Open the sample project
Start a free trial — every account starts with SAMPLE — Amazon Distribution loaded, with these documents in Bid Docs and both GCs attached.
Run Auto Draft
It reads the takeoff and the two specification files and builds a line for each finish — PC-01, SC-01 and EPX-01 — with product details refined from the specs.
Price the lines
Open the calculator icon on each line and enter your crew days and material cost from part 2.
Add your qualifications
Add each of step 1's qualifications with Add note — notes print on the PDF just above your standard inclusions and exclusions.
Generate a proposal for each GC
IntelBid creates a proposal PDF and an email draft for Summit and Keystone. The sample GCs use reserved example addresses, so nothing reaches a real inbox.

Compare and reflect

How long did each approach take? Reading, retyping lines and formatting — versus reviewing and pricing.
Did Auto Draft catch the same scope? And did you catch requirements it can't price for you, like protection and the mockup?
Where did your number land against the worked answer, and which inputs made the difference?
What would you ask the GCs? Your bidder questions from part 1 are still the most valuable thing you produced.

You've bid a commercial flooring job end to end

Documents, scope and risk, takeoff and material, pricing and margin, qualifications, and a proposal for each GC. That's the whole course in one job — and the same process works on every bid that lands in your inbox.

Key points

Every flagged requirement becomes a price, a qualification or a question.
One proposal per GC, checked against the anatomy before it goes out.
Run it in IntelBid's sample project to see the same bid with the retyping taken out.

In IntelBid · Sample project

Your capstone, already loaded

Start a free trial and SAMPLE — Amazon Distribution is waiting with the same drawings, takeoff, specs and two GCs. Auto Draft builds the lines, the scope calculator prices them, and each GC gets a proposal PDF and email draft — the whole capstone in a few minutes.

Try it in IntelBid

A 5-minute guided tour on a sample project — nothing touches real data. New to IntelBid? You'll start a free trial first.

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New modules as they're published. Confirm your email and we'll send a $100 credit toward your IntelBid membership.

About the author. Michael Reddy builds IntelBid, bid management software for commercial flooring subcontractors. These lessons come from the bid desk: how the work is priced, won and paid for.