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BidLevel: compare contractor bids without guessing at the gaps
Put two or three renovation quotes in one column and see what is missing.
BidLevel is a web tool that helps homeowners compare contractor bids for the same renovation when the quotes list different work. You paste the line items from two or three bids and see them in one table with the missing scope flagged.
Waitlist Not built yet Updated 5 September 2026
What problem does BidLevel solve?
Three contractors walked through the same kitchen and sent back three different documents. One is a single line and a number. One is four pages with allowances for tile and cabinet hardware. One lists demolition and framing but says nothing about the permit or hauling the debris away. The totals are thousands apart and you cannot tell whether that is a discount or a hole. So you pick the lowest number, because that is the only comparison anyone gave you. Then the electrician finds the panel is full, and the permit fee arrives, and the debris sits in the driveway until you hire a skip yourself. The bid that looked cheapest was cheapest because it left work out. The other quote had that work priced from the start, in a line you skimmed past because the page was longer.
Bid comparison table
Paste line items from two or three contractor bids to see them side by side with missing scope flagged.
Free to use. No account. Nothing you type here is stored.
What would BidLevel do?
BidLevel would do the levelling that the trade does for commercial work and nobody does for a kitchen. You type or paste the line items from each bid, one item and one amount per line. BidLevel matches items across the bids, builds a single table with one row per item and one column per contractor, and marks every cell where a bid said nothing. For each gap it fills in the highest figure another bid gave for that item, so you see a like-for-like total instead of a listed total. It flags any item where the numbers are far apart, because a wide spread usually means the two contractors priced different work. Then it drafts a short list of questions to send back, one per gap, in language you can paste into an email.
How would it work?
- 1Paste the line items from each bid, one per line, as an item name and an amount.
- 2{'Read the table': 'one row per item, one column per contractor, gaps marked as not listed.'}
- 3Compare the like-for-like total, which fills each gap with the highest figure another bid gave.
- 4Send the drafted questions to every contractor before you choose, not after.
Who is it for?
- Homeowners holding two or three quotes for the same kitchen, bathroom, or roof.
- First-time renovators who have never read a contractor estimate before.
- Anyone about to sign because one number is lower and nobody explained why.
How do you compare renovation quotes by hand without a bid leveling spreadsheet?
Turn a sheet of paper sideways or open a blank spreadsheet. The left column is not a bid. It is the master list of work, and you build it by reading every quote and writing down each task any of them mentions, in the order the job happens: permits, protection and containment, demolition, disposal, framing, plumbing rough-in, electrical rough-in, insulation, drywall, tile, cabinets, countertop, paint, fixtures, appliances, final clean. Give each bid a column to the right. Now go through one bid at a time and put its number on the row it belongs to. Split a lump sum only if the contractor wrote the breakdown. Otherwise put the lump sum on the top row it covers and note which rows it swallowed. The cells you leave empty are the whole point. An empty cell is not a saving. It is a question. Write the questions down as you go, and keep them neutral. Is the permit fee in your price or do I pay it separately. Who removes and disposes of the old cabinets. What is the tile allowance and what happens if I choose tile above it. Are appliances and fixtures supplied by you or by me. Who patches and paints the ceiling after the soffit comes out. What is your price if the plumbing behind the wall has to be replaced. Then read across the rows rather than down to the totals. A wide gap on one row almost always means the two contractors are describing different work, not different profit. Send the same list of questions to everyone, ask for revised numbers in writing, and compare again. The bid that answers precisely is telling you something useful about how the job itself will run.
What do people use today?
| Option | Good at | The gap |
|---|---|---|
| A comparison spreadsheet you build yourself | Free, exact, and yours; typing the rows out teaches you the shape of the job. | An hour of work per revision, and it is easy to line up two rows that describe different work. |
| A contractor bid comparison template from a blog | Gives you a sensible starting list of trades and rows for a common project type. | Fixed rows rarely match your quotes, and nothing tells you which bid left something out. |
| Getting a third quote as a tie-breaker | A fresh opinion on scope, and it sometimes reveals work the first two never mentioned. | Another week, another walkthrough, and a third document in a third format to reconcile. |
| Home improvement marketplaces that gather quotes | Quick introductions to checked trades, and quotes arrive without you making calls. | Quotes still arrive in each contractor's own format, and the platform is paid to fill the job, not to level the bids. |
| Hiring a designer or an owner's representative | Reads estimates for a living and can spot a missing allowance from the phrasing alone. | Priced for large projects. A fee that makes sense on a whole-house remodel is hard to justify on one bathroom. |
What would it cost?
One project
$29 once
- Unlimited bids for one renovation
- Missing-scope flags and drafted questions
- Printable comparison table
Homeowner
$49/yr
- Everything in One project
- Unlimited projects for a year
- Saved question sets by trade
Prices are proposed. Founding members lock in the lowest price if we build BidLevel.
Questions people ask
What is the right way to compare contractor bids?
The right way to compare contractor bids is item by item rather than total by total. You build one master list of every task any bid mentions, put each contractor's number on the matching row, and treat every blank cell as work that is either priced somewhere else or not priced at all.
Why is the cheapest bid often the most expensive?
The cheapest bid is often the one with the least work in it. Permits, disposal, patching, and fixture supply are the usual omissions. Once those come back as change orders, they are priced without competition, which is the worst moment to buy anything.
What are the contractor estimate red flags?
A single-line total, no allowance figures for tile or fixtures, silence on permits and disposal, a deposit larger than the work so far justifies, and a start date that depends on you signing today. None of these prove bad faith. All of them deserve a question.
Should I show one contractor another contractor's price?
Share the scope, not the price. Ask each contractor to quote the same written list of work, permits and disposal included. Sharing numbers invites a matched price rather than an honest one, and a matched price usually arrives with quiet reductions in scope.
What is an allowance and why does it matter?
An allowance is a placeholder amount for a material you have not chosen yet, tile or a faucet for example. Two bids carrying different allowances are not comparable. Ask for the figure and the unit behind it before you treat either total as real.
Does BidLevel keep my bids?
The table on this page runs in your browser and stores nothing. The full product would save projects to your account so you can return when the revised quotes arrive. Contractor names and prices would never be sold or passed on.
Can I use this for a roof or a driveway?
Yes. The method does not care about the trade. Any job where two quotes list different work benefits from one master row list and a column per bidder. Roofing quotes tend to differ on tear-off layers, decking replacement, and flashing.
When will BidLevel launch?
There is no date. BidLevel gets built if enough homeowners join this waitlist and say the one-project price is worth paying. Joining costs nothing, and the comparison table on this page is free whatever happens.
Where does this stand?
BidLevel is a proposal, not a product. This page collects demand from search and answer engines. Askwright builds it only if enough people join the waitlist and say they would pay. Read how this works.