In Plain English
Quick Answer
A chart showing all contractor bids lined up next to each other for easy comparison.
Definition
Definition
A bid tabulation is a summary document listing all bids received for a project, organized to show each bidder's base bid, alternates, and unit prices side by side. It is prepared after bid opening to facilitate award decisions. Public agencies typically post bid tabulations as public records.
Context
Why It Matters in Bidding
The bid tabulation is the decision document that turns a pile of sealed proposals into a defensible award, letting the owner instantly see the low responsive bidder, compare alternates, and benchmark prices against the engineer's estimate. Because it captures unit prices and alternate selections side by side, it lets owners legitimately reshape scope, accepting or dropping alternates, to fit the budget without re-bidding. On public projects the published tabulation becomes the public record that supports the award and answers any bid protest.
Example
Example
The bid tabulation showed the two lowest bidders within $40,000 of each other, so the owner accepted Alternate 2 from the second bidder to bring the total under budget while staying defensible.
See Also
Related Terms
FAQ
Questions Contractors Ask
When is a bid tabulation prepared?
It is assembled immediately after the bid opening, once all sealed bids have been read aloud and recorded. Staff transcribe each bidder's base bid, alternates, and unit prices into a single comparison sheet. On public projects a preliminary tabulation may be posted the same day, with a final version following verification of math and bid responsiveness.
Does the lowest bid on a tabulation always win?
Not necessarily. The award generally goes to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, so a low number can be passed over if the bid was non-responsive, omitted required items, or the firm lacks the qualifications or bonding capacity. The tabulation ranks prices, but responsiveness and responsibility reviews determine the actual award.
How does bid tabulation relate to bid leveling?
Tabulation lines up the submitted dollar amounts exactly as bid, while bid leveling adjusts for scope differences, inclusions, and exclusions to ensure the prices being compared cover identical work. Tabulation is the raw side-by-side snapshot; leveling is the analytical step that makes it truly apples-to-apples before an award is justified.
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