How to request bids from subcontractors
Send bid requests to your subs and collect pricing through a simple portal link.
When you need subcontractor pricing for a project, Kaliun lets you send bid requests and collect responses in one place. No more chasing down emails and spreadsheets.
Open the project
Go to Projects and click the project you need bids for.
Go to the Bidding tab
Click the Bidding tab. You'll see any existing bid requests here, or an empty state if this is your first one on this project.
Click "New Bid Request"
Give the bid request a name and describe the scope of work. Be specific — the clearer you are, the better bids you'll get back.
Add line items
Break the work into line items so subs can price each piece individually. For example, a framing bid might have separate items for walls, headers, and trusses.
Invite subcontractors
Select the companies you want to bid. These come from your Companies list in Kaliun. Set a due date so subs know the deadline, then click Send.
Make sure your subcontractors are added as Companies in Kaliun before you create the bid request. You can add a company in seconds.
What happens next
- Each sub receives a unique portal link where they can view the scope and enter their pricing
- As bids come in, you'll see them on the Bidding tab — all submissions are shown side-by-side so you can compare easily
- You don't need to follow up manually — Kaliun shows you who has responded and who hasn't
- When you're ready, you can award the winning bid with one click