Sending the proposal: format, timing and confirmation

Send your proposal the way each GC asked: through its bid platform, on its bid form, or by email to the estimator — as a PDF with a clear file name, plus a short message naming the project, your base bid and alternates, and the addenda included. Send several hours before the GC's subcontractor deadline, confirm it arrived, and record exactly what went to whom.

By Michael Reddy, IntelBid

After this lesson you can

Submit in the format each GC asks for
Write a bid email a busy estimator can act on
Confirm receipt and keep a record of every submission

How does each GC want it?

Method	What to send	Watch for
Bid platform (BuildingConnected, PlanHub, Procore)	Upload the PDF and fill the platform's bid fields	Amounts in the fields must match the PDF exactly
GC bid form or scope sheet	Their form, completed in their format, with your proposal attached	Every alternate and unit price line filled in
Email to the estimator	PDF attached plus a short summary email	One GC per email; the attachment, not an expiring link
Sealed bid (public work)	Exactly what the instructions require	Deadlines and formats are strict — follow them to the letter

What makes a bid email get read?

A subject an estimator can search: trade, project, location, your company.
The number in the first lines: base bid, alternates, addenda included.
Validity and a pointer to qualifications, so nobody assumes more than you priced.
A phone number for bid-day questions.
One GC per email — never a shared thread between competitors.

Subject: Flooring bid — Riverside Medical Office, Columbus OH — Summit Floors. “Hi Dana, attached is our flooring proposal for Riverside Medical Office, including Addenda 1–3. Base bid: $97,145. Alternate 1 (LVT in corridors): add $4,200. Price valid 60 days; qualifications are on page 2. Call me at 555-0142 with any questions before 2 PM.”
— Example with fictional names

The numbers must match everywhere

The platform's bid field, the GC's bid form, your PDF and your email should show identical totals. When they don't, the GC either uses the number that suits them or calls you at the worst possible moment.

How early should you send?

Several hours before the GC's subcontractor deadline — not the owner's deadline, which is later.
Earliest deadline first when you're sending to several GCs the same day.
Leave room for failures: platform uploads time out, emails bounce, files turn out to be the wrong version.
Late numbers may only be used as a check against someone else's carried number, not carried themselves.

Confirm and record

Confirm receipt
A reply, a platform status, or a quick call. Don't assume.
Record what went where
Version, total, time and recipient for each GC.
Mark it sent
So your records show exactly what was offered — and that version never gets edited.
Plan the follow-up
See following up with every GC and the bid follow-up guide.

How do subcontractors submit bids to general contractors?

However each GC requests: through a bid platform upload, on the GC's bid form, or by email to the estimator with a PDF proposal. Match the GC's format and deadline exactly.

What should a bid submission email say?

The project, your base bid and alternates, the addenda included, how long the price is valid, a pointer to your qualifications, and a phone number for questions — with the PDF attached.

When should I send my bid to the GC?

Several hours before the GC's subcontractor deadline, which is usually earlier than its own bid deadline to the owner, then confirm the GC received it.

Key points

Send it the GC's way — platform, bid form or email.
Lead the email with the number, alternates and addenda.
Send hours early, confirm receipt, and record every submission.

In IntelBid · Proposal builder

A PDF and email draft for each GC

IntelBid generates each GC's proposal PDF and an email draft in your connected mailbox, ready for you to review and send. Submitting through a bid platform instead? Generate the PDFs only, upload them, then use Mark sent so the bid records when it went out.

Try it in IntelBid

A 2-minute guided tour on a sample project — nothing touches real data. New to IntelBid? You'll start a free trial first.

IntelBid Learn by email

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

End of Module 8Take the Module 8 quiz · 5 questions

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.