Smart Movers Club
Case study · Nov 2025 – Aug 2026

See How We Manage Contractor Bid Pipelines

A human-run bid desk managing sourcing, qualification, estimating support, proposals and submissions. Client identities withheld.

332
Opportunities processed
142
Bids submitted
$29.0M
Submitted pipeline
12.1%
Win rate (decided)
$3.9M
Contract value awarded

Win rate is measured against decided bids (won + lost). Losses where the prime contract itself was never awarded are excluded, because that outcome is outside any bidder's control.

What we bid on

332 opportunities processed

332opportunities
Commercial / private287 (86%)
Government45 (14%)
Distinct issuing bodies211

Loss quality

80 recorded losses — only 3 were true competitive defeats

80losses
Prime contract not awarded51
No feedback received12
Unrecorded (legacy)13
Prime awarded, we lost3
Lost with feedback1

Top trades by bid volume

Scope-specific pricing per trade, not one generic template

Painting
182
Drywall
144
Demolition
91
Roofing
42
Flooring
34
Overhead doors
28
Plumbing
23
Acoustic ceiling
23
12.1%
Win rate on decided bids
$977K
Average win size
15.6%
Avg bid margin (285 estimates)
13.6%
Realized margin on wins

Program volume

Observed averages across the current program

MetricResultWhat it means
Opportunities processed332Live program data over ~9 months across 8 client companies
Bid analyses completed307Full requirement, compliance and pricing extraction
Documents parsed10,068RFPs, specs, drawings, addenda, wage decisions
Bids submitted142Across 8 client companies in the current program
Average bids per client~18142 bids submitted divided by 8 client companies over the period
Average submitted pipeline per client~$3.6M$29.0M submitted pipeline divided by 8 client companies

The follow-up clock

171 follow-up contacts on record; 1.5 GCs tracked per bid

Day 7

Confirm receipt with the estimator or buyer and verify nothing is missing.

Day 14

Check award timing and whether scope or budget has moved.

Day 24

Position for value engineering or alternates while decisions are open.

Day 31

Request an award decision or a debrief on record.

60+ days

Flagged stale and escalated for a final disposition call.

How the engine works

Every completed job feeds pricing variance back into the client's model

1. Intake

Opportunity uploaded or sourced; every document parsed, including drawings and addenda

2. Classification

Opportunity type and industry identified; trade scope pulled directly from the plans

3. Requirements

Registrations, insurance, bonding, licensing, forms and submittals extracted into a checklist

4. GO / NO-GO

Scored on win probability, competition, risk, complexity, profit and strategic value

5. Pricing

Bottom-up labor, material, equipment and overhead build with regional rate adjustment

6. Proposal

Branded proposal generated, reviewed by the bid desk, sent for client approval

7. Submission

Package delivered to every relevant GC or agency, each tracked separately

8. Follow-up

Fixed 7 / 14 / 24 / 31-day cadence through to award or debrief

9. Compare & Learn

Awarded contract price is diffed against our estimate; the variance trains future pricing

What our program data currently shows

Bid volume
142 bids submitted across 8 client companies over ~9 months — about 18 bids per client
Turnaround
Analyzed within hours; submitted in under 6 days on average
Pipeline created
$29.0M in submitted bid value across the current program — about $3.6M per client
Observed win rate
12.1% of decided bids across the current program dataset
Margin protection
Bids priced to a 15%+ target margin, never bought down to win
Coverage
No hiring required — the desk absorbs intake, pricing, submission and follow-up
“We do not replace your estimator. We give one estimator the output of a full procurement department.”

Get the full case study

Four pages of program data: volume, trade mix, win rate methodology, loss tracking, follow-up cadence and the full nine-stage operating model.

All metrics reflect actual platform records from 22 Nov 2025 through 13 Aug 2026 across 332 opportunities. Client names, project identities and pricing detail are withheld.

Managed Bid Department

Ready to stop letting bidding limit your growth?

Book a 20-minute strategy call to see what's possible.