Bid paperwork for small contractors
Price the job, write it down, get it signed.
Fill-in estimate worksheet, proposal, scope and exclusions checklist, change order and progress payment schedule, plus follow-up email scripts, a short pricing guide and an Excel bid calculator. Made for remodelers, specialty trades and small contractors bidding residential and light-commercial work.
- 8 PDFs (6 fillable forms), 2 editable Word files and an Excel calculator (443 KB .zip)
- Instant download after Stripe checkout
- Full refund if the files won’t download or open within 7 days (refund terms)
Actual pages from the download.
What’s inside
Everything between “can you give me a price?” and the final payment
Each piece covers one step of a bid. Use them together or pick the ones you are missing.
Estimate & takeoff worksheet
Labor, materials, equipment, subs and other costs line by line, then contingency, overhead and profit, with the bid price as cost ÷ (1 − margin).
Proposal template
Scope, exclusions, allowances, price, payment schedule, timeline, terms and signatures. Fillable PDF and editable Word.
Scope & exclusions checklist
Checkboxes for what is in and what is out (permits, concealed conditions, hazardous materials, finish work, cleanup) so nothing is assumed.
Change order form
What changed, what it costs, the new contract price and schedule effect, signed before the extra work starts.
Progress payment schedule
Schedule of values tied to milestones, with % complete, retainage and amount due per draw.
Bid follow-up email scripts
Eight short emails and three texts: bid sent, check-in, questions, price pushback, decision date, won, lost.
How to price a bid (short guide)
Burdened labor rate, overhead recovery, contingency, markup vs margin, a worked bathroom example and a bid-day checklist.
Excel bid calculator
Five sheets: labor burden, estimate and bid price, markup vs margin table, payment schedule, and a bid log with win rate.
Start Here + README
What each file is for, a 7-step workflow, how to fill PDFs in Acrobat Reader, Preview or a browser, and the license.
All 13 files in the .zip
00_Start_Here.pdf | Read first: what each file is for and a 7-step bid workflow |
01_How_to_Price_a_Bid_Guide.pdf | Short pricing guide (3 pages): takeoff, burdened labor, overhead, contingency, profit, markup vs margin, worked example, bid-day checklist |
02_Estimate_Takeoff_Worksheet.pdf | Fillable (2 pages): labor, materials, equipment, subs, permits and other costs, then the bid summary math |
03_Proposal_Template.docx | The same proposal as an editable Word file (add your logo, change any wording) |
03_Proposal_Template.pdf | Fillable proposal (2 pages): scope, exclusions, allowances, price, payment schedule, timeline, terms, signatures |
04_Scope_and_Exclusions_Checklist.pdf | Fillable checklist (2 pages): what is in, what is out, and questions to ask the customer |
05_Change_Order_Form.docx | The same change order as an editable Word file |
05_Change_Order_Form.pdf | Fillable change order: description, cost, contract summary, schedule effect, signatures |
06_Progress_Payment_Schedule.pdf | Fillable schedule of values with % complete, retainage and amount due per draw |
07_Bid_Follow-Up_Email_Scripts.pdf | 8 follow-up email scripts and 3 short texts, from “bid sent” to “we lost, thanks” |
07_Bid_Follow-Up_Email_Scripts.txt | Plain-text copy of the scripts for copy and paste |
Contractor_Bid_Calculator.xlsx | Excel / Google Sheets: burdened labor rate, estimate and bid price, markup vs margin, payment schedule, bid log |
README.txt | Contents, how to fill the files, license and disclaimers |
Real pages
See exactly what you get
These images are rendered straight from the PDFs in the download. Click any page to see it larger.
How it works
Checkout to first estimate in a few minutes
Pay on Stripe
Secure checkout hosted by Stripe. Your card statement will show ONTRKT.
Download the .zip
After payment you go straight to your download page. Keep a copy.
Open Start Here
Fill the estimate, check the scope list, then send the proposal and follow up with the scripts.
Fit
Who it’s for, and who should skip it
For
- Remodelers, handymen with a license, specialty trades and small GCs who price jobs by hand or in a spreadsheet.
- Anyone who has eaten the cost of “I assumed that was included.”
- Owners who want a consistent proposal and change order without buying estimating software.
Skip it if you need
- Estimating software with a cost database, takeoff from drawings, or unit prices.
- A contract drafted for your state by a lawyer, or AIA documents.
- Certified payroll, prevailing-wage or public-bid forms.
Templates and worksheets, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Contract, licensing, deposit, retainage, lien and notice rules vary by state: check your state licensing board and local lien rules, and have an attorney in your state review your contracts before you use them. No guaranteed results.
Free, no signup
Try the pricing math first
The free calculator uses the same bid-price formula as the estimate worksheet and the Excel file.
Questions
Frequently asked
What format are the files?
One .zip (443 KB) with 13 files: 8 PDFs (the six forms have typeable fields), the proposal and change order as Word (.docx) files, the follow-up scripts as plain text, and an Excel (.xlsx) calculator that also opens in Google Sheets. Everything prints on US Letter paper.
Is the proposal a legal contract I can use as is?
No. It is a template. Contract, home-improvement, licensing, deposit, retainage, lien and notice rules vary by state and city. Check your state contractor licensing board and your local lien rules, and have an attorney in your state review your proposal and change order before you use them.
Does it include material prices or labor rates?
No. There is no cost database. You enter your own labor rates, quotes and material prices. The guide and calculator show how to turn those into a price that covers overhead and profit. Example numbers in the files are illustrations, not benchmarks.
Can I put my logo and company name on it?
Yes. The Word files are fully editable. The proposal PDF has fields for your company name, license number and contact details.
Do I need Excel?
No. The calculator works in Google Sheets (File → Import) and LibreOffice Calc. The PDFs work in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, macOS Preview or a web browser.
Will this win me more bids?
No one can promise that. The kit helps you price consistently, spell out scope and exclusions, and follow up. There are no income claims or guaranteed results.
How do I get the files after paying?
After payment on Stripe you are sent straight to your download page. There is no physical product or shipping.
What’s the refund policy?
If you cannot download or open the files within 7 days of purchase, contact support with your receipt number. After we confirm a technical failure on our side, you get a full refund. Because this is an instant digital download, we do not refund for change of mind, dislike of content, unused files, format preference, or business, legal or safety outcomes. Details.
Who sells this
A small, independent digital download
The Contractor Bid Kit is sold by a small independent digital-download business: printable files, sold once, delivered instantly. No mailing list, no ads or tracking pixels on this site.
- Payments
- Processed by Stripe. We never see your full card number. Your statement will show ONTRKT.
- Support
- Download and file-access issues. Target reply within 1 business day (Mon–Fri, 10 AM–5 PM America/New_York).
- Contact
- Use the support details on your Stripe receipt and include your receipt number. See Terms, refunds & support.
- Policies
- Terms of sale & refunds · Privacy notice
Stop pricing jobs on the back of an envelope
Estimate, proposal, scope checklist, change order, payment schedule, follow-up scripts, pricing guide and Excel calculator. 13 files.
Templates and worksheets, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Contract, licensing, deposit, retainage, lien and notice rules vary by state: check your state licensing board and local lien rules, and have an attorney in your state review your contracts before you use them. No guaranteed results.
After payment you are sent straight to your download page. Refunds are available for confirmed download failures within 7 days — see terms, refunds & support.