---
title: How To Level A Bid Quote With AI
description: Upload the bidder's quote and Zebel reads it, matches each price it finds to a line of the bid package, and proposes the figures. Nothing goes into the bid until you approve it, so you stay in control of every number.
---
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2. [Bid Management](https://lp.zebel.io/help/bid-management?hsLang=en)
# How To Level A Bid Quote With AI
Levelling a bid by hand means reading the bidder's PDF line by line and typing each price into the right row of the bid package. Zebel can do the reading for you. Upload the bidder's quote and Zebel reads it, matches each price it finds to a line of the bid package, and proposes the figures. Nothing goes into the bid until you approve it, so you stay in control of every number.
Each review also tells you what the quote priced that your bid package has no line for, and which of your lines the quote never mentioned. Those are usually the scope gaps worth chasing before you level.
To level a bid quote with AI follow these steps.
Navigate to the desired estimate and select the "Bid Packages" tab, then select the desired bid package from the dropdown near the upper left corner.
Find the "Bidder Quote" row in the "Summary" section, just below "Bidder Files". Each bidder has its own cell in this row. A bidder with no quote yet shows "Upload Quote". A quote Zebel is still reading shows its file name with a spinning icon. A quote that is ready shows a tick and a "Review" button.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/ba78bf29a811364c37c138880940c205c303107dedca649fe6ca7f204d0b8cc0/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d30312d71756f74652d726f772d6566356433393734626333362e706e67)
Press "Upload Quote" under the bidder whose quote you have. Drag the quote PDF into the box, or click the box to choose it. Only PDF files are accepted.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/6a50ea428a1fc92681fa2d39b3b032f6405365b277acfdd14dc39c8ce30be197/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d30322d75706c6f61642d6469616c6f672d6431646163616232343131662e706e67)
Press the "Upload Quote" button. The message "Quote uploaded — analysis started" appears, and the row shows the file name while Zebel reads it. Most quotes take under a minute to read, then about another minute to match against your bid package.
NOTE, you can also add the quote when you create the bid. Press "Add" in the upper right corner, select "Add Bid", choose the bidder, and drop the PDF into "Quote (optional)" before you press "Create Bid".
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/32314fdf0c531a69bb398bc03f02b61e7fbfdcd383c5db78835065edbab923fe/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d30332d6164642d6269642d3033623864653439663234622e706e67)
NOTE, when you import bids from BuildingConnected, the "Import Bid" dialog lists the bid's files under "Attachments". Every checked file is added to the bid as a quote and reviewed, so untick any file that is not a quote, such as a drawing.
Once the quote is ready, press "Review" beside its file name. The review opens in a panel over the bid package, with the quote itself on the right.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/cac192b70a45af080395c1ad5f77c808dd0a8bb7331cea5b4ebf33784ef6149f/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d30342d7265766965772d627574746f6e2d6466376335306630333035392e706e67)
The review opens on the "Summary" tab. It shows how many of your cost items the quote priced, the quote's total, and a short summary of what the document says. Below that are three counts: findings matched to items in this bid package, findings not found in this bid package, and items in this bid package not found in the document. "Worth Knowing Before You Start" lists exclusions and conditions in the quote that are worth checking.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/2db68f248d1f157ebe411910d190401eea5762f1c0304cdd4571da5dfa5038bb/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d30352d73756d6d6172792d3332303131353863313134352e706e67)
Press "Start Reviewing" at the bottom of the panel. The "Bid Form" tab opens, with every line of the bid package and three columns: "Estimate" is your own number, "Current" is what this bidder's column holds now, and "New" is what Zebel proposes.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/efbc71d87daf1fde68596a16b6dd535444bc709706ee53d93ff140d3fff02b1f/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d30362d6269642d666f726d2d3363343835666464343930322e706e67)
Press a line to open it. Each price Zebel read for that line is listed with its amount, and the "New" column adds them up into "Base Bid". Press "Show" beside a price to turn the quote to the place it was read from.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/eb0689db14d77f3ffc26860ba1d5bd827c466c111b098042a383d035e1eeb58f/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d30372d6c696e652d3439386466343234653839342e706e67)
If the proposal is not quite right, change it before you approve. Switch off a price to leave it out, and the "Base Bid" updates to match. Press the "pencil" icon beside "Base Bid" or "Adjustments/Plug" in the "New" column to type your own figure. To send a price to a different line, press the "three dot" menu beside it and select "Move This Finding".
Press "Approve" to write the "New" figures into this bidder's column, or "Skip" to leave the column as it is. The line now reads "Saved — written to this bidder's column" or "Skipped". Press "Reset" to undo the decision. Please note that "Reset" does not take an approved figure back off the bid; change it on the bid package if you need to.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/f0aa93fc316c79a5d66d0a29906640944eafb6fe0651586258f0f2d8f99b346f/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d30382d617070726f7665642d3466323239313437663731392e706e67)
Select the "Unmatched Findings" tab. It lists everything the quote priced that has no line in your bid package, with the page it was read from and its amount.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/23d781c571f8c827933263a96277a6920fdc4e7e0198f86a96ca0c2c430ed5f6/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d30392d756e6d6174636865642d3037343938346637653961362e706e67)
Press "Place Item" beside a finding and choose the line it belongs on from "Cost Items", "Bid Specific Items" or "Project Specific Items". Press "Add New" if the bid package needs a new line for it. The finding then becomes a proposal on that line, to approve like any other.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/bc7af185ecd277510484f5cc6915757e64cce5202a39ea9dbc63b5fc5551faf2/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d31302d706c6163652d6974656d2d3331653661333466316662332e706e67)
Close the panel with the "X" in its upper right corner. The figures you approved are now in the bidder's column on the bid package, and the bid's "Levelled Bid" updates to match.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/8a694211d53ec4b8bb9fcd21222dcee15c3379acf3ce682930e9355838a5f7ab/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d31312d6269642d636f6c756d6e2d6534323864623935666330612e706e67)
If you add cost codes or bid form items to the bid package after a review, run the review again so it can match the quote against them. Press the "refresh" icon beside the quote's file name at the top of the review panel. Tick "I want to refresh the findings for this quote" and press "Refresh Review". This throws away the review you have done on that quote. Figures you approved stay on the bid, but every finding comes back as a proposal to review again.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/006b949d5519229575490fe22630d0ac66b37375dc32f20c77efb6f537715d32/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d31322d726566726573682d3261643661323834633232342e706e67)
If the bidder sends a revised quote, press the arrow at the right hand end of the bidder's "Bidder Quote" cell and select "Upload Another Quote". The same menu lists every quote uploaded for that bid, and "Review & Fill" opens any of them.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/fa2d4ba6f968d9451ea177412c0c1f93a4fdd639801416ca004ef55a1b9c38ee/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d31332d71756f74652d6d656e752d6530313935616338333931362e706e67)
Please note that each company can review 100 quotes a month by default. Every quote uploaded to a bid counts as one review, whether it comes from "Upload Quote", "Create New Bid" or a BuildingConnected import. Opening a quote that has already been reviewed, or refreshing its review, does not count. The count resets on the 1st of each month, at midnight UTC.
When your company reaches its limit, the "Upload Quote" dialog shows "Monthly bid quote review limit reached". The file is still added to the bid under "Bidder Files", but Zebel does not read it. Upload it again with "Upload Quote" once the count resets. Contact Zebel support if your team needs a higher limit.
[](https://camo.githubusercontent.com/2850d794405d7346da5f3b186aa40b140da5fa664afdf7f271ca2407f4c3ce66/68747470733a2f2f34353937313731372e6673312e68756273706f7475736572636f6e74656e742d6e61312e6e65742f68756266732f34353937313731372f68656c702d63656e7472652f686f772d746f2d6c6576656c2d612d6269642d71756f74652d776974682d61692d2d6169626c2d31342d6c696d69742d3431623234323861353433642e706e67)
NOTE, at the limit, a quote added from "Create New Bid" shows "Bid created, but the quote could not be attached" instead. The bid is still created and the file is still in "Bidder Files". A file imported from BuildingConnected is added to the bid without a message, and is not read.
NOTE, if Zebel could not read a quote, the review panel says so in place of the review. Upload the quote again, and contact support if the problem continues.
We recommend reading the "Summary" tab before you start approving. A quote whose total lands nowhere near your estimate, or a long list of findings not found in the bid package, usually means a scope difference to settle with the bidder first.
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