Building a bid

The front page

The page you land on: a greeting, what is waiting on you, what is running, the pipeline in tiles and what closes soon.

Who can use it

Everyone in the space.

Where it is

Bids (the front page, when no bid is open)

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

The front page tells you where things stand before you open a bid. It greets you, says how many bids are in play and what is waiting on you, shows any work in progress, and lists what closes soon.

Step by step

1. Open Bids, or press your logo at the top of the rail on a wide screen.
2. Read the line under the greeting, then the chips beneath it.
3. Press a chip to go where the work is: to approve opens Approvals and to triage opens Review.
4. Press a line under the chips to open the bid that is running.
5. Press a row under Closing soon to open that bid.

What you see

• Your space's name, then Good morning, Good afternoon or Good evening with your first name, by the hour in your time zone.
• A line such as "3 bids in play. One closes this week, and 2 things are waiting on you." or "Nothing is waiting on you."
• Chips for what is waiting: to approve (in gold), new replies, to triage, finalised, not yet submitted, overdue, closing this week and failed runs (24 h), each with its number. With nothing waiting: Nothing to approve, triage or answer.
• A line for each run in progress, with the bid's code and when it started.
• Tiles: In play, Submitted, Won (with the share of decided bids won), Lost and No-bid. On a phone there are three: In play, Closing soon and Won.
• Closing soon: each open bid with a closing date, the days left (or OVERDUE, or today), its code, client, stage, date and price, and a bar that fills as the day comes.
• Recent activity on a wide screen: the latest runs, each with a dot for how it ended.

Good to know

• Money is shown per currency, never added up across currencies. A note says when some bids in play have no price yet, so the totals are lower than the pipeline.
• The page refreshes by itself every few seconds. In the web app, ↻ reloads it at once.
• On a phone your bids follow underneath, under Your bids. On a wide screen they are in the rail on the left.
• When your space is paused, a notice under the greeting says so.

Common questions

Which time zone does the greeting use?

Your own, set on Account, else the space's, else the device's. The closing counts use the space's time zone.

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Your bids, the rail and the palette

Find and open any bid: the list on a phone, the rail with Search bids on a wide screen, and Ctrl+K or Cmd+K on a computer.

Who can use it

Everyone in the space. New bid shows for owners and writers only.

Where it is

Bids (Your bids); the rail on a wide screen with Search bids; Ctrl+K or Cmd+K

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

Every bid in the space is listed by where it is in its life, with what is running and what is waiting. On a phone the list sits under the front page; on a laptop, the desktop app or a tablet held sideways it is a rail on the left, and the open bid fills the right.

Step by step

1. On a phone, open Bids and scroll past the front page to Your bids. Pull down to refresh.
2. On a wide screen, use the rail on the left. Type in Search bids to filter by code, title, client or client tag.
3. Press a group's heading in the rail to fold or unfold it. Closed starts folded.
4. Press a bid to open it.
5. On a computer, press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac), type a few letters of a bid or a page, move with the arrow keys and press Enter. Esc closes it.

What you see

• Groups in this order: Running now, In draft, Finalised — ready to submit, Vendor demo, Submitted and Closed, each with a count.
• On a bid's card in the list: the client's initials, the title, the client and code, the triage verdict and score, Provisional, the audit verdict, the price and margin, to approve and new replies where something waits, the four steps Triaged, Built, Audited, Finalised as a track, and the closing date.
• While a run is on, a moving bar and a line such as Building the proposal or Working on your message. A finalised bid shows Ready to submit.
• In the rail, each bid's title, code and client, with its closing date or what is waiting on it.
• The palette shows "Jump to a bid or a screen…", with each bid's stage, the pages marked SCREEN, and Help.

Good to know

• The groups follow each bid's stage, which you set on its Overview.
• Archived bids are left out of the palette but stay in Closed.
• New bid is at the top of the rail, and beside Your bids on a phone, for owners and writers.
• The palette needs a keyboard: the web app and the desktop app.

Common questions

A bid I am looking for is missing from the rail.

Clear Search bids, then check Closed, which starts folded.

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Start a bid without a triage

Create a bid straight away with its title, client and closing date, and add the tender pack, without reviewing it on Review first.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers do not see New bid.

Where it is

New bid (the rail, or beside Your bids on a phone): Create bid folder

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

New bid sets up a bid directly, for a tender you already know you will pursue. You give the basic facts and, if you have them, the tender documents, and the bid opens ready for its triage and its build.

Step by step

1. Press New bid: at the top of the rail on a wide screen, or beside Your bids on a phone.
2. Under The tender., fill in Title (the client's own) and Client. Both are required.
3. Add Client tag (for document codes), a short code such as CWA.
4. Add Currency, Ceiling / budget, Closing date (with timezone) and Portal / channel if you know them.
5. Under Tender pack., press Choose files and pick everything the buyer issued.
6. Press Create bid folder. The bid opens on its Overview.
7. On Overview, run 1 · Bid / no-bid triage, then 2 · Build the bid.

What you see

• Create bid folder stays greyed out until there is a title and a client.
• The button reads Creating the bid folder…, then Uploading 4 file(s)… while the files go up.
• Each picked file is listed with its size.

Good to know

• Creating a bid does not count against your plan. It counts the first time it is built in a calendar month.
• Currency starts as your space's pricing currency where it has one; leave it blank to follow the tender's.
• You can add more of the tender pack later on the bid's Documents page with Add files.
• Where your space bids through more than one entity, choose it under Bidding entity.

Common questions

Should I use New bid or Review?

Review if you have not decided yet: the triage is free and the pack only becomes a bid when you pursue it. New bid when you know you will bid.

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The bid's facts and its stage

Change a bid's title, closing date, ceiling, portal, delivery and stage on Overview, and record why a bid ended.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can read the facts but not save changes.

Where it is

A bid's Overview: Edit, Stage, Save

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

The top card on a bid's Overview holds its facts: when it closes, the ceiling, the portal, how and where it is delivered, and its stage. The stage decides where the bid sits on the Bids list and the front page.

Step by step

1. Open the bid. It opens on Overview.
2. Press Edit on the top card.
3. Change what you need: Title, Closing date, Ceiling (in the bid's currency), Portal, Delivery (Remote, On-site or Hybrid), Shore (where the people may be based) (Onshore, Nearshore, Offshore or Mixed) and Country of delivery.
4. Under Stage, press one: draft, triaged, built, audited, finalised, submitted, demo, won, lost, no-bid or archived.
5. For lost or no-bid, choose a reason under Why lost? (or Why no-bid?) and add a line under In a line or two.
6. Press Save. Cancel leaves everything as it was.

What you see

• Without editing: Closes, Ceiling, Portal, Delivery (once set), Stage, Reason for an ended bid, and Contents, a count of what is in the bid.
• Save is greyed out for lost or no-bid until a reason is chosen, with the note "Choose a reason to save: a bid that ends without one counts against the win rate in the books and explains nothing."
• An ended bid without a reason shows Reason as "not recorded — Edit to add it".

Good to know

• The reasons are a fixed list: Turnover gate, References, Certification, Partner or vendor status, Licence or regulatory, Insurance, Capacity, Price, Entity or jurisdiction, Scope fit, Resourcing, Timing, Lost on evaluation, Buyer cancelled and No response.
• Setting a bid to submitted or won proposes entries for your library from its final documents. They wait there for approval (see The library).
• Finalised puts the bid under Finalised — ready to submit with a green Ready to submit. on its card. Demo puts it under Vendor demo.
• Some stages move by themselves: a finished build moves a new or triaged bid to built, and a finished audit sets it to audited. You set the rest.
• Changing a fact here changes the bid's record. To change what the documents say, tell the agent on Build.

Common questions

I changed the closing date. Do the documents change too?

Not by themselves. Ask the agent on Build to bring the documents in line, or rebuild them.

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Commercials

The bid's price to the client, its cost and its margin against your margin floor, on Overview, and how to enter your own figures.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can read the figures but not save changes.

Where it is

A bid's Overview: Commercials, Edit

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

Commercials. on Overview shows what the bid is priced at, what it costs, the margin and whether it clears your margin floor. The figures come from the bid's costing and pricing sheets; you can enter your own instead.

Step by step

1. Open the bid on Overview and find Commercials.
2. Press Edit.
3. Fill in Currency, Price to client and Cost. Add Deal margin % (JV) only for a joint venture where the floor is judged on the whole deal.
4. Add a Note saying where the figures came from, for example "per the internal pricing sheet, 10 Sep".
5. Press Save. Cancel closes without saving.
6. To go back to the figures worked out from the costing, press Edit, then Use the engine's figures.

What you see

• Price to client, Cost and Gross margin (amount and percentage), and Deal margin (JV) where you set one.
• A badge saying whether the margin clears your space's own margin floor (Clears the … floor or Below the … floor). A margin below the floor is shown in red.
• "No cost figure yet — tap Edit to enter the price and the cost pool, or build the costing." when there is no cost.
• A line underneath with where the figures came from, your note, and the ceiling when the price differs from it.

Good to know

• Where no price is known, the ceiling is used as the price.
• The bid's card on the Bids list shows the price and the margin, and the front page's tiles add up prices per currency.
• The Costing tab's Read from the pricing sheets. shows totals found in the bid's workbooks; use Edit here to adopt one.
• Commercials are for your team. They are not written into the documents by saving here.

Common questions

Why is the margin red?

It is below your margin floor. Change the price or the cost, or record the decision in your notes for the agent.

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Build the bid

Have Biddable write the response the tender's stage asks for, in your templates and under your document codes.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can watch but not start a build.

Where it is

A bid's Overview: Run, 2 · Build the bid (or Build the bid first on an empty Build tab)

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

2 · Build the bid writes the bid's documents from the tender pack, your rules, your notes and your library: the buyer's own forms completed, the technical proposal in your Word template, and, unless your set-up says technical proposal only, the pricing. Where your tenders ask for named people, the CVs are built too.

Step by step

1. Make sure the tender pack is on the bid's Documents page. Add anything missing with Add files.
2. On Overview, under Run., press 1 · Bid / no-bid triage if the pack has not been triaged.
3. Press 2 · Build the bid.
4. If the triage said No-bid, you are asked "Triage said NO-BID. Build it anyway?". Confirm to go on.
5. The bid switches to Build, where the work shows as Building the bid. You can leave; it carries on.
6. When it is done, read the documents on Documents.

What you see

• On an empty Build tab, Build the bid first does the same as 2 · Build the bid.
• While it runs: Building the bid with how long ago it started and Stop, and on the Bids list a card with Building the proposal and a moving bar.
• When it finishes, the agent's message says what was built, and the documents appear on Documents under Submission and Working files.
• If the pilot's bids for the month are used up, the build is refused with a sentence such as "Your pilot includes 4 bids a month and this month's are used. Triage and questions stay free; new bids open again on 1 November."
• On a paid plan whose bids for the month are used, a new bid's build waits for an extra bid: "Your plan's 3 bids for October are used. This will be an extra bid", with the price and Pay and build for an owner in the web app, or Ask an owner to pay for a writer (see Pay for an extra bid).

Good to know

• A bid counts against your plan the first time it is built in a calendar month, in your space's time zone. Every further build or rebuild of that bid in the same month is free.
• A build that fails before any work is done, or that you stop while it is still waiting to start, is not counted.
• The run buttons are greyed out while any run on the bid is going.
• Building again with 2 · Build the bid starts a fresh build. For changes to what is there, use the Build chat, the pages or Rebuild all outputs from sources.
• Named people, CVs and day rates are built only where your set-up says your tenders ask for them.
• Nothing is sent to anyone by a build.

Common questions

How long does a build take?

It depends on the size of the pack and what the stage asks for. Leave the page if you like; the bid's card on the Bids list shows when it is still running.

Does building again use another bid?

Not in the same month. The same bid built again next month counts once in that month.

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Watch a run, stop it, recent runs

See what is running on a bid, stop it if it is going the wrong way, and check how recent runs ended.

Who can use it

Everyone can watch. Owners and writers can stop a run.

Where it is

A bid's Overview: the run box and Stop, and Recent runs; the Build tab's working line and Stop

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

A triage, a build, an audit, the submission pack and every instruction to the agent run on the server. While one runs, the bid shows it, so you can follow it, leave it, or stop it.

Step by step

1. Start a run, or open a bid where one is going.
2. On Build, the working line sits at the end of the conversation, with Stop beside it.
3. On the other tabs, the run box sits at the top of the page, with Stop beside its heading.
4. Press Stop to stop the run.
5. On Overview, scroll to Recent runs. to see the last eight runs and when each ended.

What you see

• The run box's heading: QUEUED, WORKING, DONE, STOPPED, DID NOT FINISH or WAITING FOR YOU, with Working… until the first result.
• On Build: Building the bid, Auditing the bid, Working or Queued — waiting for the bid, with when it started, and the agent's reply as it writes it.
• A box for a run that was stopped or did not finish stays on the page, so you can see why.
• Under Recent runs., each run and how it ended, with when; Nothing run yet. on a new bid.
• On the Bids list and the front page, a bid with a run in progress sits under Running now with a moving bar.

Good to know

• You see "Working" and then the results, not the steps the agent takes.
• A stopped message on Build shows Resend so you can send it again as it was (see Reply to a message, and resend).
• Only one run works on a bid at a time. Messages sent meanwhile queue behind it.
• Reviewers can watch, but Stop is refused for them.

Common questions

Does a stopped build still count?

Yes, once it has started, even if you stop it. A build you stop while it is still waiting to start, or one that fails before any work is done, is not counted. Building the same bid again in the same month is free.

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Ask the documents a question

Ask the bid's agent anything about the tender or the bid in the Build chat and get the answer with the file it came from.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can read the conversation but not send.

Where it is

A bid's Build tab: the chat box, Send

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

The Build tab is a conversation with the bid's agent, which has read every file in the bid. A question is answered from those files, with the figure or the fact and the file it came from, and nothing is changed.

Step by step

1. Open the bid and press Build.
2. Type your question in the box, for example "What is the evaluation weighting for price?" or "Which annexes must be signed?".
3. Press Send, or press Enter on a computer.
4. Read the answer when it arrives in the conversation.

What you see

• The box says "Ask a question or give an instruction…".
• Your message appears on the right with Sent · working on it, and the working line shows Working with Stop.
• The answer appears under the name Biddable, with the file it drew on named.
• On a bid with no documents yet, the conversation opens with a short introduction and Build the bid first.

Good to know

• Questions never count against your plan.
• The agent remembers the conversation, so a follow-up such as "and for the technical part?" works.
• A question asked while a run is going waits its turn: the button reads Queue.
• Shift+Enter starts a new line on a computer.
• Whatever you have typed but not sent stays in the box if you switch tabs, until you close the app.

Common questions

Will a question change the documents?

No. A question is answered and nothing is changed. If you want a change, say so as an instruction (see Give the agent an instruction).

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Give the agent an instruction

Tell the bid's agent what to change, add or decide in the Build chat; it edits the bid's sources, rebuilds the documents and reports back.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can read the conversation but not send.

Where it is

A bid's Build tab: the chat box, Send, Queue, Answer

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

For anything bigger than a few words, tell the agent on Build: shorten a section, add a case study, change a rate, write to the clarification address. It makes the change in the bid's sources, rebuilds the documents it touched and says what it did.

Step by step

1. Open the bid and press Build.
2. Type the instruction, as you would to a colleague, for example "Cut section 4 to one page and move the staffing table into the annex."
3. Press Send (or Enter on a computer).
4. If a run is already going, the button reads Queue: press it and your instruction runs next.
5. If the agent asks you something, its message turns amber with Waiting for your answer. Type your reply and press Answer.

What you see

• While a run is going, the box says "Type the next instruction — it queues behind what is running".
• Your message's label shows where it is: Sent · queued, runs next, Sent · working on it, Sent · the run failed or Sent · stopped. More than one waiting shows as "2 more queued".
• When the agent asks a question, the box says "Answer the agent…" and the button reads Answer.
• The agent's reply says what it changed, in which document, and what is still open.

Good to know

• If an instruction could be read two ways, or would move the price, the scope, or a named person, product or subcontractor, the agent asks before acting.
• The agent never sends a message itself. A question for the buyer, or a note to someone outside, waits on Approvals for a person to send.
• Notes for the agent on Overview hold your standing decisions for the bid; every run reads them.
• Instructions in the chat never count against your plan.
• In a paused space the box cannot send.

Common questions

Can I send several instructions in a row?

Yes. Each one queues behind the one before and runs in turn.

The change only needs a few words. Is there a quicker way?

Yes. Pick the words on the document's pages and use Delete or Replace… (see Pick words to delete and Pick words to replace).

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Drop files into the Build chat

Give the agent an addendum, a CV, a quote or a returned form by attaching it to a message; it reads it and files it in the right place.

Who can use it

Owners and writers.

Where it is

A bid's Build tab: the clip, or drop the files onto the box (web app)

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

Files you attach to a message are saved with the bid and named in your message. The agent reads each one and acts on it: a tender addendum goes into the tender pack with a note of what it changes, a supplier's quote is checked against the costing, anything else is filed and explained.

Step by step

1. Open the bid and press Build.
2. Press the clip beside the box and pick the files. In the web app you can instead drag the files onto the box.
3. Each file shows above the box. Press one to take it off before sending.
4. Type what you want done with them, or leave the box empty.
5. Press Send.

What you see

• While you drag files over the box in the web app, it is highlighted and says "Drop the files here".
• Your sent message shows each file as a chip with its name.
• The agent's reply says what each file is, where it put it and what it changes or proposes.

Good to know

• With no words, the agent reads the files and acts on what they are.
• A tender pack, addendum, clarification or Q&A goes into the tender pack, and the agent says in two lines what it changes: dates, scope, evaluation, mandatory items. A moved closing date or ceiling is updated on the bid.
• A quote, price list, data sheet or certificate is checked against the costing. It is never put into the submission unless the tender asks for that document.
• For anything else, the agent says what it proposes to do and waits unless you already told it.
• Dropping files onto the box works in the web app. The phone, tablet and desktop app use the clip.

Common questions

Is a file I attach sent to the buyer?

No. Files you attach are kept with the bid for your team. Nothing is ever sent from your space without someone approving it.

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Reply to a message, and resend

Answer one particular earlier message in the Build chat, and send a stopped or failed message again exactly as it was.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers do not see Resend.

Where it is

A bid's Build tab: ↩ Reply on a message, Resend, Run again

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

↩ Reply ties your next message to an earlier one, so the agent knows exactly what you are answering. Resend sends one of your messages again when its run was stopped or failed; Run again starts a failed build again.

Step by step

1. On Build, find the message you want to answer and press ↩ Reply (Reply in the phone, tablet and desktop app).
2. The message is quoted above the box. Type your answer and press Send.
3. To cancel the reply, press ✕ beside the quote, or press Replying ✓ on the message again.
4. To send a stopped or failed message again, press Resend under it.
5. Under a failed build's message, press Run again.

What you see

• Above the box: "Replying to" the agent or "your own message", with when, and the start of the message.
• The message you are answering is outlined in blue and reads Replying ✓.
• Under a stopped message: Resend with "It was stopped. Send it again as it is."; under a failed one, "It failed. Send it again as it is."
• Under a failed build: Run again with "It failed. Start it again."
• Once sent again, the label ends with · resent and Resend goes.

Good to know

• The agent applies a reply to the message you quoted, not to its latest turn, and says so in one line.
• A long message is quoted from its opening.
• Resend and Run again appear only once per message.

Common questions

Does Run again count as another bid?

Not in the same month. Further builds of a bid that has already counted this month are free.

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The Documents tab

Everything in the bid in one place: the submission set, the working files, the tender pack, and adding more of the pack.

Who can use it

Everyone in the space. Add files is for owners and writers.

Where it is

A bid's Documents tab: Submission, Working files, Tender pack, Add files

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

Documents shows what the bid has produced and what it was built from. The submission set (what goes to the client) comes first, then the working files your team keeps, then the tender pack as the buyer issued it.

Step by step

1. Open the bid and press Documents.
2. Under Submission, each document has its own card. Press PDF, Word, HTML or Source to open it (see Open a document).
3. Press Working files to show or hide them when there is a submission set.
4. Under Tender pack., press Open beside a file to read it.
5. Press Add files to add more of the tender pack: an addendum, a clarification, a late annex.
6. Press Show every file in the bid folder for the full list; Hide file list folds it again.

What you see

• Submission · and a count, with "What goes to the client."
• Working files · and a count, with "For the bid team only — the brief, the seat briefs and notes. Never sent."
• On each document's card: its type, whether it is submission or a working file, its code, and the buttons for the forms it exists in. Where it has sections, a list headed "Sections — tap ✕ to have the agent remove one".
• Tender pack. with the number of files and the first twelve, then "… and 8 more under "Show every file"." when there are more.
• Before a build: "No documents yet — run Build from the Overview tab."
• Above the documents, where they apply, the submission pack card and From your library.

Good to know

• Every document carries your document code prefix.
• Add files only saves the files into the tender pack. Nothing runs. To have the agent read them and say what they change, drop them into the Build chat instead.
• A zip added with Add files is kept as one file. To have a whole zipped pack unpacked, add it on Review before you create the bid.
• Working files are never part of the submission.

Common questions

Where do I download the submission?

On the submission pack card at the top of Documents (see The submission pack).

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Open a document

Read any document in the bid inside Biddable: PDFs, Word and PowerPoint as pages, spreadsheets as sheets, and the file itself with ↗.

Who can use it

Everyone in the space.

Where it is

Documents: PDF, Word, HTML, Source or Open; the viewer's Pages or Text, and ↗

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

Documents open in a viewer inside Biddable, so you read them as they will print without downloading anything. A PDF, a Word file or a PowerPoint file opens as pages; a spreadsheet opens as a sheet you can edit.

Step by step

1. On Documents, press PDF or Word on a document's card, or Open beside a file in the tender pack.
2. Scroll through the pages.
3. For a Word or PowerPoint file, press Text to see the reading view, which keeps speaker notes; press Pages to go back.
4. Press ↗ to open the file itself in a new tab or download it.
5. Press back to return to the bid.

What you see

• The file's name at the top, the number of pages, and each page numbered at its foot, such as 3 / 12.
• In the web app, the header holds Pages or Text (Word and PowerPoint), Sign (Word), ◂ Agent or Agent ▸, and ↗. The phone, tablet and desktop app show the same as icons: Show as text, Sign this form, Ask the agent, and Download.
• In the reading view, the note "Word file — a preview of its pages. Use ↗ above to download it and open it in Word."
• A page that would not load says "This page did not load." with Try again.
• Notes and other text files open as text. In the phone, tablet and desktop app, a file it cannot show says "This file does not open in the app." with Download it.

Good to know

• Pages near where you are load first, so a long document opens quickly.
• On a wide screen the bid's agent sits beside the document (see The agent beside a document).
• On the pages you can pick words to delete, replace or send to the agent (see Pick words to delete).
• Sign is for signing a buyer's Word form (see The submission pack).

Common questions

Is what I see exactly what will be submitted?

The pages are rendered from the file itself, the way it prints. To check in Word or Acrobat, use ↗.

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Pick words to delete

Pick any run of words on a document's pages and delete them at once, with one step of undo.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can pick words, but the change is refused for them.

Where it is

A document's pages (Documents, then PDF or Word): pick words, Delete, Undo

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

On a document's pages you can pick exactly the words you want gone, from one word to a paragraph, and press Delete. The words are taken out of the document's source and the pages are built again, without asking the agent.

Step by step

1. Open a document from Documents with PDF or Word.
2. Pick the words. With a mouse, drag across them. On a touch screen, tap the first word, then the last. In the phone and tablet app you can also press and hold, then drag.
3. In the bar under the words, press Delete.
4. Wait for the pages to refresh.
5. If it was a mistake, press Undo at the foot of the page.

What you see

• The picked words are tinted blue, with a dark bar under them: Delete, Replace…, Ask agent, Add to list and ✕ to clear.
• While it works the bar says Deleting….
• At the foot of the page: Deleted. with Undo; after undoing, Undone.
• If the words could not be changed directly: "Sent to the agent: it could not be changed directly." The agent is given the exact words and makes the change in a run of its own.
• If the change would break the document: "The change was not made", with the reason, and the document stays as it was.
• On a file with no editable source, such as a tender document: "This file has no editable source here: Delete and Replace go to the agent."

Good to know

• A pick is on one page.
• The full stop or comma after the last picked word stays with the document, so deleting "during the first month" keeps the end of the sentence. Pick the whole sentence to delete its full stop too.
• A pick that runs across a table, a list, a heading or bold text goes to the agent instead, with the exact words.
• One step of undo is kept for each document: the last change. Undo stays at the foot until your next change or until you leave the page. If the pages cannot be built again after undoing, it says so instead of Undone.
• The buyer's own tender documents are never changed: on them the bar offers Ask agent and Add to list only.
• Deleting this way never counts against your plan.

Common questions

The same words appear twice in the document. Which one goes?

The one you picked. The words just before and after your pick decide between repeats; where that is not enough, the change goes to the agent with your exact words.

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Pick words to replace

Pick any run of words on a document's pages, type what they should say instead, and the document is rebuilt with your words.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can pick words, but the change is refused for them.

Where it is

A document's pages (Documents, then PDF or Word): pick words, Replace…, Replace

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

Replace… puts your own words in place of the ones you picked, in the document's source, and builds the pages again. It is the quickest way to correct a name, a figure or a phrase.

Step by step

1. Open a document from Documents with PDF or Word.
2. Pick the words: drag across them with a mouse, or tap the first word and then the last on a touch screen.
3. In the bar under the words, press Replace….
4. Type the new words in the field marked "New words".
5. Press Replace, or Enter. Cancel goes back to the bar.
6. If it was a mistake, press Undo at the foot of the page.

What you see

• Replace stays greyed out until you have typed something.
• While it works the bar says Replacing….
• At the foot of the page: Replaced. with Undo.
• If the words could not be changed directly: "Sent to the agent: it could not be changed directly." The agent is given the exact words and your replacement, and makes that change and nothing else.
• If the document would not build with the change: "The change was not made", with the reason.

Good to know

• Your new words go in exactly as typed. Formatting such as bold is not added.
• The full stop or comma after the last picked word stays, unless you picked a whole sentence.
• A pick that runs across a table, a list, a heading or bold text goes to the agent.
• One step of undo per document; Undo stays at the foot until your next change or until you leave the page.
• The buyer's own tender documents are never changed: on them the bar offers Ask agent and Add to list only.
• Replacing this way never counts against your plan.

Common questions

I want the same change everywhere in the document. Can Replace do that?

No, it changes the words you picked. For a change throughout, tell the agent on Build, for example "Use 'the Authority' instead of 'the Client' throughout."

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Pick words for the agent, or a list of picks

Send picked words to the agent with your instruction, or collect several passages first and ask for all the changes in one message.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can pick words but not send.

Where it is

A document's pages: pick words, Ask agent, Add to list, then Edit these ▸

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

Ask agent puts the exact words you picked, and where they are, into the agent's box beside the document, for you to say what should change. Add to list collects several passages, from any page, so you can ask for every change in one message.

Step by step

1. Open a document from Documents with PDF or Word.
2. Pick the words: drag across them with a mouse, or tap the first word and then the last on a touch screen.
3. For one passage, press Ask agent. The agent's box fills with the document's name, the page and your words. Type what you want, for example "make this two sentences", and press Send.
4. For several, press Add to list instead, then pick the next passage and press Add to list again.
5. When you have them all, press Edit these ▸ at the foot of the page. The box fills with every passage in page order, followed by "Change:". Finish the instruction and press Send.
6. Clear empties the list.

What you see

• Passages added to the list stay highlighted in gold.
• The foot of the page counts them: "2 passages on pages 3, 5", with Edit these ▸ and Clear.
• Once sent, the agent works on the bid's sources, and the pages refresh when it finishes.

Good to know

• Nothing is sent until you press Send. You can change the words in the box first.
• The words either side of each pick go with it, so the agent changes that spot and nothing else.
• If the agent is hidden, Ask agent and Edit these ▸ open it. On a narrow screen the agent takes the place of the pages; press the agent button again to see the pages.
• The list is kept while the document is open.
• Instructions to the agent never count against your plan.

Common questions

When should I use Ask agent rather than Replace?

When the change needs judgement: rewording, shortening, adding evidence, or anything across a table or a heading.

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The agent beside a document

Talk to the bid's agent while you read a document, ask about a page, and see the pages refresh when it has made the change.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can read the conversation but not send.

Where it is

The document viewer: Agent ▸ or ◂ Agent, and Ask about page n

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

On a wide screen, the bid's agent sits in a column beside the document you are reading. It is the same conversation as the Build tab, so you can ask for a change while looking at the page, and the pages refresh when the change is made.

Step by step

1. Open a document from Documents.
2. On a wide screen the agent's column is already open, headed Build agent. If it is hidden, press ◂ Agent (in the phone, tablet and desktop app, the Ask the agent icon).
3. Press Ask about page 4 at the foot of a page. The box fills with the document's name and the page number.
4. Finish the instruction or question and press Send.
5. Press Agent ▸ (or Hide the agent) to give the document the whole width.

What you see

• Under Build agent: "Changes you ask for here are made in the source and rebuilt; the pages refresh when the run finishes."
• At the top of the conversation: "Tell the agent what to change in the document beside you."
• The working line and Stop while it works, then the pages reload.

Good to know

• The column shows beside the pages on a screen at least about 1,000 pixels wide: a laptop, the desktop app, or a tablet held sideways. On a narrower screen the agent takes the place of the document; press the button again to go back to the pages.
• Ask about page n shows only when the agent is beside the pages.
• Everything said here is also on the bid's Build tab, and the other way round.
• Questions and instructions never count against your plan.

Common questions

Do I need to rebuild after the agent changes something?

No. The agent rebuilds the documents it changed, and the pages refresh when it finishes.

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Remove a section

Take a whole section out of a document from its card on Documents; the agent removes it, fixes the cross-references and rebuilds.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can see the sections but not remove them.

Where it is

Documents: ✕ beside a section on a document's card, then confirm Remove section

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

Each built document lists its sections on its card. The ✕ beside a section asks the agent to remove that section and everything under it, correct anything that pointed to it, and build the document again.

Step by step

1. Open the bid and press Documents.
2. On the document's card, find the list headed "Sections — tap ✕ to have the agent remove one".
3. Press ✕ beside the section.
4. Confirm: "Remove section" asks whether to remove that section from the document and rebuild. Press OK in the web app, or Yes in the phone, tablet and desktop app.
5. The bid switches to Build, where the agent works on it.

What you see

• Your request appears on Build as a message naming the section and the document, with Sent · working on it.
• When the agent is done, its reply says what it removed and which cross-references it fixed; the document is rebuilt.

Good to know

• The agent fixes references to the section elsewhere: the compliance matrix, summary tables and the glossary.
• The ✕ buttons are greyed out while a run is going on the bid.
• To bring a section back, ask the agent on Build.
• Removing a section never counts against your plan.

Common questions

Can I remove part of a section instead?

Yes. Pick the words on the document's pages and press Delete, or tell the agent on Build what to cut.

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Edit a spreadsheet

Open a workbook as a sheet, change values and formulas cell by cell, and save; every formula is recalculated.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers can open and read the sheet, but saving is refused for them.

Where it is

A workbook in the viewer (Documents, then Open): the cell bar, Enter, Save, Discard

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

An Excel workbook (.xlsx or .xlsm) opens as a sheet you can edit, such as a pricing schedule or a buyer's response sheet. Your changes are written into the workbook itself, every formula is recalculated, and its charts, pictures and formatting are kept.

Step by step

1. On Documents, press Open beside the workbook.
2. Press a cell. Its reference shows on the left of the bar, and what it holds shows in the bar.
3. Type in the bar: a value, or a formula starting with =.
4. Press Enter (the button or the key) to keep it and move down. On a computer, Tab moves right and Esc puts the cell back as it was.
5. Change more cells, on any sheet. Use the sheet names along the foot to switch sheets.
6. Press Save 3 changes to write them into the workbook, or Discard to drop them.

What you see

• The bar's hint: "Type a value, or a formula starting with =".
• Changed cells wait in yellow, and a sheet with unsaved changes shows • beside its name.
• While saving: Saving and recalculating…, then "Saved. Every formula is recalculated."
• Leaving with unsaved changes asks "Leave without saving?", with how many changes are not saved.
• On a large sheet, Show 200 more rows, and a note when the sheet is bigger than what is shown, with ↗ to open it in Excel.

Good to know

• If the workbook changed since you opened it (the agent or another device saved it), the save is refused with "This workbook changed since you opened it … Reload it, then make your changes again."
• Where the formulas cannot be recalculated, the save still goes through and says their results will show when the workbook is opened in Excel.
• Up to 1,000 rows and 60 columns of a sheet are shown here. Use ↗ for the rest.
• Older .xls files open as text, not as a sheet.
• Hidden sheets are listed with "(hidden)".
• Editing a sheet never counts against your plan.

Common questions

Will the agent overwrite my figures?

While you have unsaved changes, the sheet does not reload under you. Once saved, the figures are in the workbook like any other change. If you want the agent to keep them, say so in Notes for the agent on Overview.

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Rebuild all outputs from sources

Render every document of the bid again from its current sources, without a new build and without counting against your plan.

Who can use it

Owners and writers. Reviewers cannot start a rebuild.

Where it is

A bid's Overview: Run, Rebuild all outputs from sources

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

Rebuild all outputs from sources produces the bid's PDFs and Word files again from what the bid's sources say now. It writes nothing new: it is for when the documents should catch up with changes already made.

Step by step

1. Open the bid on Overview.
2. Under Run., press Rebuild all outputs from sources.
3. Wait for the message, then read the documents on Documents.

What you see

• Rebuilt. when it has finished.
• Build failed. with the end of the error when a document would not build.
• The button is greyed out while any run is going on the bid.

Good to know

• A rebuild is not a build. It never counts against your plan.
• For a fresh build of the whole response, use 2 · Build the bid instead; for a change in what a document says, use the Build chat or pick words on the pages.
• Changes made by picking words, and changes the agent makes, already rebuild the documents they touch. A full rebuild is seldom needed.

Common questions

The rebuild failed. What now?

Tell the agent on Build what you were trying to do and that the rebuild failed. It can read the error and fix the source.

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The Costing tab

The bid's internal costing: what it charges, what it costs, the margin, the rate card you can edit, and the pay schedule.

Who can use it

Everyone can read it. Owners and writers can change rates and days; saving is refused for reviewers.

Where it is

A bid's Costing tab: Rate card, Edit rates / days, Save & rebuild workbook

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

Costing is the bid's pricing for your team only. Where the build has priced the bid, it shows the totals, a rate card for each position and the pay schedule, and you can change days and rates and rebuild the costing workbook. Where the pricing lives in the bid's own workbooks, it shows the totals read from them.

Step by step

1. Open the bid and press Costing.
2. Read Internal costing.: what is charged, the cost pool, the margin, the headroom to your floor and the days.
3. Under Rate card., press Edit rates / days.
4. For each position, change Days, Cost/day or Charge/day.
5. Press Save & rebuild workbook, or Cancel.
6. Press Open the xlsx to see the costing workbook itself.

What you see

• Internal costing. with Charged, Cost pool, Margin (red when below your floor), Headroom to floor and Days, and a line with the ceiling, the floor and the tax treatment, ending "Never sent to the client, a partner or a consultant."
• Under Rate card., each position with the person named or "to be named", and its days, cost per day, charge per day, price and the status of the rate.
• While saving, the button reads Rebuilding….
• Pay schedule.: the basis, when contractors are paid, each month's days and invoiced amount or each milestone's share, and Other costs.
• Without a priced costing: Read from the pricing sheets., with the labelled totals found in the workbooks, and the bid's pricing workbooks with Open, or "No costing yet. The build step prices the bid from the seat briefs."

Good to know

• The costing is never part of the submission.
• With "technical proposal only" in your set-up, no pricing is written and the buyer's pricing forms are left to you. You can still ask the agent to price a bid in the Build chat.
• To use a total from Read from the pricing sheets. as the bid's price or cost, enter it with Edit under Commercials. on Overview.
• Changing rates and days rebuilds the costing workbook, not the proposal. Ask the agent on Build to carry new figures into the documents.
• Saving here never counts against your plan.

Common questions

Why is there no rate card?

The bid's pricing is in its own workbooks rather than a priced costing. Open them from the list, or ask the agent on Build to cost the bid.

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From your library, on a bid

See which of your library's approved entries each document drew on, and which certificates expire before the tender closes.

Who can use it

Everyone in the space.

Where it is

A bid's Documents tab: From your library

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

When a build uses an approved entry from your library, such as a case study, a CV or a policy, the bid's Documents page says where. It also warns you about library certificates that have expired or will expire before the tender closes.

Step by step

1. Open the bid and press Documents.
2. Find the card From your library, above the submission set.
3. Read each document's name and, under it, the entries it drew on.
4. Act on any warning before you submit.

What you see

• For each document, lines such as "Section 3: From your library: Water network upgrade, 2025".
• A warning in red for a certificate: "expired on" a date, or "expires on" a date "before this tender closes", each ending "Renew it before you submit if the tender asks for it."
• No card at all when the bid used nothing from the library and nothing is expiring.

Good to know

• Only approved library entries are used in a build.
• The submitted documents never mention the library. The card is for your team.
• Marking a bid submitted or won proposes new library entries from its final documents, for approval in the library.

Common questions

How do I stop an entry being used?

Retire it in the library. Builds from then on leave it out (see The library).

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Replies: messages about a bid

Paste a message someone sent you about a bid into its Build chat; it is kept on the bid's Replies page and, in a team, flagged for the person it is for.

Who can use it

Everyone can read Replies. Owners and writers paste messages in.

Where it is

A bid's Build tab: paste the message; then the bid's Replies tab

In

The web app, and the phone, tablet and desktop app

What it does

When a supplier, a partner, a candidate or the client writes to you about a bid, paste their message into the bid's Build chat. The agent acts on it and files it on the bid's Replies page, so the whole team can see what was said. With more than one person in the space, the message is marked for the person it is meant for, and they are emailed.

Step by step

1. Open the bid and press Build.
2. Paste the message and say who it is from and what it is, for example "From Anna at the supplier, by email:" followed by the text. Say who it is for if it is meant for a colleague.
3. Press Send.
4. If the agent asks who the message is for, answer with the person's name and press Answer.
5. Open the Replies tab to read every message filed on the bid.

What you see

• The Replies tab appears on the bid once the first message is filed.
• Each message shows who it is from, how it came (Email, LinkedIn, Phone, WhatsApp, Meeting or Message), when, the subject and the text, and in a team "For" one person and "filed by" another.
• A message filed for you by a teammate shows New until you open the tab, and you get an email saying it is waiting.
• The bid's card on the Bids list shows new replies, and so does the front page.
• With nothing filed: "Nothing filed yet. Paste a message someone sent you into the bid's chat and it is kept here."

Good to know

• A message you paste yourself is filed as read for you.
• Pasting the same message twice files it once.
• Nothing is sent back to the person who wrote. A reply the agent drafts waits on Approvals for someone to send.
• Reviewers can read the Replies tab, and opening it marks their own new messages as read.

Common questions

Does the agent do anything with the message besides filing it?

Yes. It reads it as news for the bid, such as a quote, an answer or a change, and acts on it as it would on any instruction, asking you first where it would move the price, the scope or a named person.

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