Video 2 of 26: Multi-Trade Tender | Deep Space Help Guide

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Watch the Multi-Trade Tender video on YouTube

Watch the video walkthroughhttps://youtu.be/V8AWHZS9RUM

In this walkthrough, you'll set up one tender package that covers several trades, publish it, and see exactly what your subbies see. Then you'll compare the bids, adjust them, send a recommendation for approval, and pull the preferred bid into your estimate.

The full series: 26 videos in Builder's Wheel order (Win, Set Up, Build, Move the Money, Govern)

Build an Estimate and Proposal Win
Multi-Trade Tender Win
Set Up Your Workspace Set Up
Add Users and Give Them Access Set Up
Company Settings: Get Your Documents Ready Set Up
Connect Xero and Map Your Cost Codes Set Up
Folder Templates and Project Documents Set Up
Document Templates vs Contract Templates Set Up
Email Templates and Sending Documents Set Up
Head Contract Setup Set Up
Build Your Programme Set Up
Subcontracts: Award to Executed Set Up
DS Site: Invites, Inductions and Site Sign-on Build
Drawings to Site and Subbies Build
Run Your Programme on Site Build
RFIs, Notices and the Project Inbox Build
Inbox to Xero: How the Money Flows Move the Money
Purchase Orders Move the Money
Process Supplier Invoices Move the Money
Subbie Claims: Inbox to Payment Schedule Move the Money
Retentions and Security Move the Money
Variations, End to End Move the Money
Provisional Sums: Allowances, Drawdowns and Over-runs Move the Money
Progress Claims to Your Client Move the Money
Budget and Forecasting Govern
Delegation of Authority Govern

Create the package

Go to Preconstruction, Subcontractor Tendering, Bid Package Management, and click Create New Tender.

Choose Multi-trade. That's one package covering several trades. Each trade you tick becomes a section, and bids are split by trade when they come in. Single-trade is different. It creates a separate package for every trade you tick.

Give the package a name, pick the project, and set the due date and closing time. The closing time follows your workspace time zone.

Search for each trade and tick it. Here we've ticked ceilings and partitions, electrical, and painting. Check the summary before you move on. It should say one multi-trade package with three trade sections.

Invite subbies

Next, choose who to invite. Filter your directory by trade, region or tender rank, and click Select on each subbie.

Subbie not in your directory? Use Invite by Email. Type their email and company name, click Add, then Invite. You can invite now or later. Nothing is sent until you publish.

Get it ready to publish

Open the package. The checklist across the top shows what's left before you can publish.

Trades and Schedule shows one section per trade. Leave a section without line items and subbies price it as a single lump sum, or add line items to have it priced line by line.

Under Tender Set, click Create Tender Set, and pick the drawings straight from the Document Register so subbies get the current revisions.

A scope of works is required. Import one from your library, or have KAI draft it from the tender set. Nothing is saved until you accept it.

Conditions and Tags are your tender criteria. Import a set from your library, like GST excluded or price validity, and every subbie has to respond to each one.

To adjust the criteria for this project, click Edit project tags. Change the wording, add a tag, or hide one from subbies. Your library template stays untouched.

Under Invitation, start from the default letter. Merge fields fill in each subbie's details, and the live preview shows exactly what they'll see.

When every step has a green tick, Review and Publish lights up.

Publish and pick the sender

The publish screen checks everything once more, then asks who the invites should come from. System notifications email is the default. Primary connected email sends from your own address, which can lift response rates. Replies route back to the package either way.

To send from your own address, your email has to be connected first. Click your avatar, then Connected accounts, and connect Microsoft 365 or Google. Once it shows Connected with Send email ticked, the personal sender option works.

Click Publish. The tender set goes out as Revision 1 and every invited subbie gets their email.

What the subbie sees

This is the email your subbie gets, titled Tender Invitation. They can say Will tender or Will not tender straight from the email, or click View Tender. No login needed.

The portal has tabs for the overview, scope, conditions and documents. Under Documents they download the drawings one by one or click Download all.

Under Conditions and Tags, they accept, exclude, or price each of your conditions, and can add a comment.

On the Submit tab they accept the invitation, then drag in their quote, or click browse to upload it.

They price only the trades they do. Here, our sparky prices Electrical and leaves the rest blank. They list any exclusions, tick that they've responded to the conditions, and click Submit Bid.

They get a confirmation with their price by trade, exclusions and attached files.

Track, remind and resend

Back in the Deep Space web app, the status snapshot updates straight away. You can see who has viewed it, and who has quoted and for how much.

To send a reminder, tick the subbies, choose a nudge, and click Send nudge. Use Show to filter to anyone who hasn't opened or downloaded yet.

If a subbie has lost the invite, click Notify. It sends the tender invitation email again, with a fresh link to the portal.

If something changes after publishing, issue an addendum. Subbies are notified and acknowledge it, and you can see who has.

Quotes sent to your email

Some subbies will email their quote straight to you. Drag the PDF into the Quotes tab, or forward the email to the package's quote address. KAI reads each one. Set which trade it's for, then promote it to a bid so it shows in Compare Bids.

Compare and adjust

Submissions lists every bid, whether the subbie submitted it in the portal or you recorded it for them.

Compare Bids builds up each price. It adds tag deviations and exclusion allowances, then trade contingency, to get a comparative value.

To adjust a subbie's price, click Details. Add internal notes, then add adjustment lines like fixed price, retentions, or errors and omissions, and save. Subbies never see these.

Scroll down to Bid Comparison by Trade. Each trade is compared on its own and awarded separately, so different subbies can win different trades. If a subbie priced several trades in one lump sum, use Suggest split to break it down before you award.

Under Recommendation, pick the recommended bidder, enter the award value and your reasons, and click Generate recommendation. Then click Submit for approval.

It's now pending approval and locked while it's decided. If it's rejected, it comes back as a draft to revise. Every step is in the audit trail.

Add it to your estimate

To price the preferred bid into your estimate, go to Estimation, BOQ Builder, click Add Item, and open Tender Responses. You'll see each package with the lowest and average bid for every trade.

Pick the bid and most fields fill in for you. Choose a cost code, check the details, and click Add Item. The line stays linked to the tender.

Common questions

I ticked several trades and got several packages.

Check that Tender Mode is set to Multi-trade, and that the summary says one package before you click Next.

A subbie lost the invitation email.

Ask them to search their inbox and junk folder for Tender Invitation and the package name. If it's not there, click Notify on the package Overview to send it again.

A subbie emailed their quote instead of using the portal.

Drop the PDF into Quotes, or forward the email to the quote address. Set the trade, then promote it to a bid.

A subbie's download came back incomplete.

Large sets can drop out partway. Ask them to click Download all again and check the file count, or download the drawings one by one.

Quick reference

Multi-trade: one package, one section per trade
Conditions & Tags are your criteria; edit per project
Own-email sender needs Connected accounts set up
Subbies quote in the portal; Notify resends, nudge reminds
Adjust in Details, then recommend for approval
BOQ Builder, Add Item, Tender Responses

Need a hand? Email help@deepspacegroup.ai