Market Analysis

Market Analysis provides a strategic framework for tracking potential project leads through Bid Schedules and evaluating historical performance against competitors through Bid Results.

The Market Analysis area provides two different views:

  • Bid Schedules — Use to capture information for bids that you may choose to estimate.
  • Bid Results — Use to compare your bids to those of your competitors.

Bid Schedule Workflow

  • Create a new bid schedule.

    Create bid schedules to keep track of potential jobs that you want to estimate. Initially, this contains only the basic details of the job.

  • Add detail.

    When you create a bid schedule, you are taken to the Bid Schedule Detail tab where you can add more information about the work. The Bid schedule information area displays various fields for capturing this information. You can use the Tools > Options > Market Analysis > Bid Schedule Properties page to control which fields appear.

  • Schedule when to estimate the bid.

    Use the Bid Schedule Calendar tab to monitor due dates for bids and to plan which will fit into your schedule.

  • Convert the Bid Schedule to an Estimate.

    When you decide to estimate a job, you can convert the bid schedule to an estimate which will automatically contain the information you have already gathered.

Bid Results Workflow

  • Enable Competitors in Estimate Administration.

    To see the competitors resource, the Market Analysis permission must be enabled. This is found in B2W Estimate Administration, in the User & Group Manger, under Other Security.

  • Define Competitors in the Resources area.

    Use the Competitors resource to store information about your competitors. This gives you a consistent list that will be shared by all B2W Estimate users who have access to the Market Analysis area.

  • Import competitors' bid results.

    You can create a spreadsheet with bid information from your competitors and import that information for use on the Bid Results Details tab. This can streamline your bid comparisons. For example, if bids change, you can update this spreadsheet and then import it again.

  • Select an estimate and create bid results.

    The Bid Listing tab gives you access to all estimates in your database. This tab includes search tools to help you find specific estimates. It also provides the Create Bid Results Wizard and the Import Bid Results Wizard to help you convert your estimate to bid results.

  • Analyze the bids.

    The Bid Results Details tab provides two tables, Total bid prices and Pay item bid results that enable you to compare different aspects of your competitors' bid prices. For a high level analysis, you can review total bid prices. If you need more detail to fine tune your future estimates, you can even compare unit prices for individual pay items.