A bid coordination meeting brings together everyone involved in preparing a bid to ensure alignment, identify gaps, and produce the best possible submission. Done well, these meetings catch errors, surface concerns, and improve bid quality. Done poorly, they waste time and miss issues. Here's how to run effective bid coordination meetings.
Purpose of Bid Coordination Meetings
What These Meetings Accomplish
Scope Alignment
- Everyone understands the project
- Division of work is clear
- No gaps in coverage
- No duplicate pricing
Information Sharing
- Share what each person has learned
- Discuss bidder questions and answers
- Review addenda and changes
- Communicate owner expectations
Issue Identification
- Surface concerns and risks
- Identify unclear scope
- Discuss pricing challenges
- Raise schedule issues
Decision Making
- Set bid strategy
- Approve pricing approaches
- Determine contingency levels
- Finalize go/no-go
Types of Bid Meetings
Kickoff Meeting
- At start of bid process
- Assign responsibilities
- Set timeline
- Initial project review
Progress Check-In
- Mid-process review
- Status of takeoffs
- Sub quote status
- Issue resolution
Final Review/Wrap-Up
- Before bid completion
- Final numbers review
- Bid assembly check
- Last-minute decisions
Kickoff Meeting Best Practices
When to Hold
Schedule after:
- Go/no-go decision made
- Documents available
- Initial document review
- Key personnel identified
Typically 1-3 days after receiving bid documents.
Who Attends
Essential Participants
- Lead estimator
- Project executive/principal
- Operations/field representative
- Project manager (if assigned)
As Needed
- Specialty estimators
- Procurement staff
- Scheduling staff
- Quality/safety staff
Kickoff Agenda
1. Project Overview (10-15 min)
- Project description
- Owner and architect
- Contract type
- Key dates
2. Document Review (15-20 min)
- Plans and specifications
- Special conditions
- Bid requirements
- Known issues
3. Scope Assignment (15-20 min)
- Who handles what
- Self-perform vs. sub
- Key subcontractor needs
- Material responsibilities
4. Timeline and Milestones (10 min)
- Key dates to bid day
- Internal deadlines
- Review points
- Dependencies
5. Initial Concerns (10 min)
- Early identified issues
- Questions to ask owner
- Red flags observed
- Strategy considerations
Kickoff Outcomes
Document and distribute:
- Scope responsibility matrix
- Timeline with milestones
- Action items with owners
- Questions to submit
- Next meeting date
Progress Meeting Best Practices
When to Hold
Schedule based on:
- Bid complexity and duration
- Number of issues arising
- Team coordination needs
- External dependencies
Typically one or more times between kickoff and final review.
Progress Meeting Agenda
1. Status Updates (20-30 min)
- Each responsibility area reports
- Takeoff completion percentage
- Sub coverage status
- Material pricing status
2. Issue Resolution (20-30 min)
- Open questions status
- Addenda impacts
- Discovered issues
- Decisions needed
3. Coordination Items (15-20 min)
- Interface between trades
- Shared resources
- Schedule coordination
- Logistics planning
4. Risk Discussion (10-15 min)
- New risks identified
- Risk mitigation approaches
- Contingency considerations
- Go/no-go reconfirmation
Progress Meeting Outputs
Update and distribute:
- Status summary
- Issues log updates
- Decision record
- Updated action items
- Revised timeline if needed
Final Review Meeting Best Practices
When to Hold
Schedule to allow:
- Time to make changes after meeting
- Complete pricing available
- Sub quotes in hand
- Adequate review time
Typically 1-2 days before bid submission for major bids.
Who Must Attend
Non-Negotiable
- Senior estimator
- Principal/decision maker
- All major scope estimators
Highly Recommended
- Operations representative
- Project manager
- Finance (if applicable)
Final Review Agenda
1. Scope Completeness Check (20-30 min)
- Walk through entire scope
- Verify all items covered
- Check for gaps
- Identify any overlaps
2. Number Review (30-45 min)
- Review major cost categories
- Compare to benchmarks
- Discuss outliers
- Sanity check totals
3. Subcontractor Review (15-20 min)
- Coverage by trade
- Quote evaluation
- Backup subs identified
- Final sub selections
4. Risk and Contingency (15-20 min)
- Major risks identified
- Contingency levels appropriate
- Exclusions and qualifications
- Assumptions documented
5. Bid Assembly Check (10-15 min)
- All requirements identified
- Forms and documents ready
- Submission method clear
- Responsibility assigned
6. Final Pricing Decision (15-20 min)
- Present final number
- Strategy discussion
- Final adjustments
- Authorization to submit
Final Review Outputs
Confirm before leaving:
- Final bid number
- Authorized to submit
- Bid form completion assignment
- Submission responsibility
- Backup plan if issues
Running Effective Meetings
Meeting Discipline
Start on Time
- Respect participants' time
- Don't wait for latecomers
- Begin with essential attendees
Stay on Agenda
- Use a written agenda
- Time-box discussions
- Park off-topic items
- Keep moving forward
End on Time
- Respect scheduled duration
- Schedule follow-up if needed
- Don't rush critical items
Facilitation Techniques
Active Participation
- Call on quieter members
- Ask for specific input
- Draw out concerns
- Create safe environment for questions
Decision Making
- Identify when decisions are needed
- Get clear agreement
- Document decisions
- Assign follow-up
Issue Management
- Capture issues as they arise
- Assign owners
- Set deadlines
- Track to resolution
Documentation
During Meeting
- Take notes or assign note-taker
- Capture decisions
- Record action items
- Note concerns raised
After Meeting
- Distribute summary promptly
- Include action items
- Note decisions made
- Set next meeting if applicable
Common Problems and Solutions
Problem: Meetings Run Too Long
Solutions
- Use written agenda with time limits
- Strong facilitation
- Park tangential discussions
- Assign offline resolution
Problem: Key Issues Missed
Solutions
- Structured scope review
- Checklist-based discussion
- Require written status updates
- Ask explicit "what's missing?" questions
Problem: Decisions Not Made
Solutions
- Identify decision points in agenda
- Get decision-makers in room
- Force decisions or assign deadline
- Document "decide by" dates
Problem: Poor Attendance
Solutions
- Make attendance mandatory for key people
- Schedule at accessible times
- Keep meetings focused and valuable
- Address non-attendance issues
Problem: Last-Minute Surprises
Solutions
- Earlier meetings and more frequent check-ins
- Required advance preparation
- Written status reports before meeting
- Clear escalation paths
Virtual Bid Meetings
Technology Essentials
For remote participants:
- Reliable video conferencing
- Screen sharing capability
- Shared document access
- Chat for side communications
Virtual Meeting Adjustments
Engagement
- More frequent check-ins
- Direct questions to individuals
- Use video when possible
- Interactive exercises
Documentation
- Share screen with notes
- Record decisions visually
- Use collaborative tools
- Real-time document editing
Participation
- Clear speaking protocols
- Mute management
- Visual cues for attention
- Explicit hand-offs
Building a Bid Meeting Culture
Consistency
Standard Practices
- Same meeting structure each bid
- Consistent agenda templates
- Regular timing and rhythm
- Known expectations
Continuous Improvement
- Debrief after major bids
- Update practices based on lessons
- Gather team feedback
- Refine over time
Value Demonstration
Track Outcomes
- Issues caught in meetings
- Errors prevented
- Decisions documented
- Time invested vs. value added
Reinforce Benefits
- Share success stories
- Note prevented problems
- Recognize thorough preparation
- Build appreciation for process
Conclusion
Bid coordination meetings are essential for producing competitive, error-free bids. They bring together the people and information needed to submit your best proposal and catch problems before they become costly mistakes.
Invest in developing a consistent meeting discipline with clear agendas, active facilitation, and thorough documentation. Make meetings valuable and efficient so participants see them as essential rather than burdensome.
The best bids come from coordinated teams who've thoroughly reviewed every aspect together. Good meetings make that coordination happen.
ConstructionBids.ai helps you find opportunities worth pursuing, so you can focus your bid coordination efforts on projects you're well-positioned to win.
