How to Get Bid Tabs Fast (Without Living in PDFs): An Open Records Playbook

Bid tabs are public. Getting them is the hard part.

Every estimator has lived this:

• you know bid tabs exist
• you know they are public record
• but finding the right one (or a specific pay item) turns into a time sink

If you are bidding public work nationally, the process varies by state and agency, but the pain is the same:

• websites are inconsistent
• PDFs are not searchable
• responses to records requests are slow
• the format changes every time

This guide gives a practical system for SMB civil contractors to get bid tabs faster and keep them usable.

[Image: Hero – “PDF pile” illustration with a simple “search” icon.]

First: where bid tabs usually live (before you file a request)

Before you file an open records request, check:

1. The agency procurement page (many post tabs for a limited time)
2. Bid portals (some agencies use third-party portals)
3. DOT letting results (state DOTs often publish bid tabs)
4. Plan rooms / local contractor associations (sometimes repost tabs)
5. Meeting minutes (some municipalities attach tabs)

This is inconsistent, but it is faster than a formal request when it works.

When you need to file a request: keep it reusable

Different states have different names (FOIA, open records, sunshine laws, etc.).

The practical approach is the same: create one template and reuse it.

What to ask for (most useful)

Ask for:

• the bid tabulation sheet for [Project Name / Bid Number / Letting Date]
• the engineer’s estimate (if available)
• addenda (optional, but helpful context)

If you can, ask for:

• the native spreadsheet format (Excel) OR a searchable PDF (not scanned)

How to word it (simple and professional)

Keep it short. Keep it specific.

You want the records clerk to process it quickly.

Example:

“Requesting the bid tabulation and engineer’s estimate for [Project Name], bid opening [Date]. Please provide in the native electronic format if available (Excel or searchable PDF).”

How to make it easy for them

Include:

• exact project title (as published)
• letting/bid opening date
• bid number
• your contact info

The clearer you are, the fewer back-and-forth emails you get.

The real bottleneck: keeping bid tabs usable once you get them

Even if you get the tab fast, you still have a problem:

• it is a PDF in a folder
• it is not searchable by pay item
• it is hard to compare across jobs

If you want bid tabs to actually help you price, you need a system.

A simple folder + naming convention (minimum viable system)

Create:

• one folder per agency OR per state/county (pick one)
• subfolders by year
• file name format:

YYYY-MM-DD – Agency – Project Name – Bid Tab.pdf

Then keep a spreadsheet (one line per project) with:

• project name
• location
• letting date
• top 5 bidders
• low bid
• link to the file

This is the minimum.

Why this still doesn’t scale

Even with a good folder structure:

• you only collect a slice of the market
• searching line items is still painful
• analyzing trends is hard

That is why contractors either stop collecting, or stop using what they collected.

Where PinPoint fits

PinPoint solves the “usable bid tab” problem:

• bid tabs are digitized and searchable
• filter by project, location, competitor, and line item
• pull comps without living in PDFs

See:

• /estimating-support-software/historical-bid-search

And if you want the market range before bid day:

• /estimating-support-software/bid-intelligence