Every kind of work has its own bid.

Kanopi is trained on commercial work, corporate interiors and capital projects included, and on residential, multifamily and government work. The quantities come off the drawings the same way for all four. The price comes back in the shape each reader expects.

F-1Corporate interiors, tenant improvement and capital projects

Commercial.

Read by the occupier's project manager and cost manager, and by the landlord when an allowance is in play.

Why it differs. An interiors or capital project is managed against a budget an occupier has already approved. The format has to show the allowance, the owner's own purchases and the contingency apart, because those are the decisions the project manager takes to the client.

Budget by CSI division: Every division priced from the takeoff, with general conditions, fee and contingency shown as their own lines.
Against the allowance: The tenant improvement allowance set against the total, so the gap the occupier funds is one line, not a surprise.
Owner-furnished, carved out: Furniture, cabling, security and other owner-furnished items listed apart, with who buys and who installs.
One baseline for every bidder: When the owner side collects bids, a baseline scope written from the takeoff goes to every bidder, so the bids that come back price the same job.

Floor plan of an office floor with open office, conference rooms, phone rooms and a pantry around a base building core. — Example: office floor, tenant improvement

The office floor plan with measured walls and counted doors drawn in green, next to a quantity ledger showing three passes per line. — Office floor takeoff, every quantity measured three times

Tenant improvement budget by CSI division compared with the landlord allowance, with owner-furnished items listed separately and a schedule of values below. — Tenant improvement budget against the allowance

F-2Custom homes, additions and remodels

Residential.

Read by a homeowner at the kitchen table, often next to two other bids.

Why it differs. A homeowner is not reading for divisions or unit costs. They are deciding what to pick and whether to trust the number, so the format leads with choices, allowances and exclusions in plain words.

Plain words first: Each line says what it is in the homeowner's words; the builder's working copy keeps the codes and the basis.
Allowances and selections: Cabinets, tile, fixtures and appliances carried as allowances until the family picks, with what each allowance covers.
What is not included: Exclusions written out, so the comparison with another bid is about the same house.
Draw schedule: When payments fall due, tied to the work that will be done by then.

Floor plan of a one-story home with three bedrooms, two baths, a great room, kitchen and two-car garage. — Example: single-family home, permit set

The home's floor plan with measured walls and counted doors in green, beside a quantity ledger with three passes per line. — Single-family takeoff, three passes

A homeowner's estimate in plain language with allowances for selections, payment milestones and possible change orders. — A homeowner's estimate, in plain words

F-3Garden, wrap and podium buildings

Multifamily.

Read by a developer and a lender, who think in cost per unit and per square foot.

Why it differs. A multifamily budget is underwritten per unit. The format has to let a developer move a unit mix or a finish level and see the per-unit cost move with it.

Unit types, then counts: Each unit type measured three times, then multiplied by its count, so a change to one type flows through the whole building.
Per unit and per square foot: Every roll-up shown three ways: total, per unit, per square foot of rentable area.
Common areas apart: Corridors, amenity, site and parking priced as their own groups, not spread across the units.
Building by building: Where a site has several buildings, each one priced and rolled up, so phasing decisions have a number behind them.

Typical floor plan of a garden walk-up with three unit types arranged around three open breezeway stairs, with a unit mix table. — Example: 36-unit garden walk-up, typical floor

The walk-up floor plan with one unit of each type measured in green and the rest counted by type, beside a three-pass ledger. — Unit-type takeoff, each type measured three times, then counted by unit

Multifamily estimate by unit type with per-unit and per-square-foot columns, common areas separated and one unit broken out by division. — Multifamily estimate, by unit type

F-4Public bids for agencies and institutions

Government.

Read by the agency's contracting officer at a public bid opening, against the form they issued. On the agency side, the same takeoff checks an engineer's estimate and the bids that come in against it.

Why it differs. A public bid is won on price but lost on form. On a sealed public bid the award usually goes to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder, so the format follows the solicitation to the letter and the unit prices have to extend without an error.

The agency's own bid form: Filled in exactly as issued: base bid, each alternate priced separately, in words and figures where the form asks for both.
Unit-price schedule: Estimated quantities times unit prices, extended line by line, for the work the agency pays by measure.
Addenda acknowledged: Every addendum listed by number and date, because a missed acknowledgement can make a bid nonresponsive.
What the form requires: Bid security, the subcontractor list, prevailing wage and participation statements, and the certifications the solicitation calls for, laid out in the order the form asks for them.

Floor plan of a one-story library branch with a reading room, children's area, community room, restrooms and staff rooms. — Example: library branch, public bid set

The library floor plan with measured walls, doors and floor areas in green, beside a three-pass quantity ledger. — Public building takeoff, three passes

A public bid form with base bid, alternates, unit prices, addenda acknowledgement and bid bond, beside the estimate by CSI division behind it. — Public bid form, base bid, alternates and unit prices

Send us the form you bid on.

Your template, the agency's bid form or the owner's budget sheet. We walk a project through with you and hand the price back in that shape.

Every engagement is scoped to the project. Call for pricing.