For most General Contractors starting out, Excel (or Google Sheets) is the default operating system. It’s flexible, it’s free, and you already know how to use it.
But there is a specific revenue milestone—usually around the $2.5M to $5M mark—where the “Master Bid Log.xlsx” stops being a helpful tool and starts becoming a liability.
You know the feeling: You have three custom home projects out for bid simultaneously. You’ve sent forty emails to different subs. Quotes are coming back as PDF attachments, text messages, and scribbled notes on napkins. You are manually entering numbers into cells, trying to remember if the plumber included fixtures or just rough-in.
If you are looking for a simple bid tracking spreadsheet alternative, you aren’t looking for complex enterprise software like Procore. You just want a system that works as simply as a spreadsheet but automates the busy work.
Here is why your spreadsheet is failing you, and what to use instead.
Excel is fantastic for static calculations, but it is terrible for workflow.
When you use a spreadsheet to track bids, you are forcing yourself to be the manual data processor for your entire company. Every time a sub replies, you have to open the file, find the row, update the status, type in the price, and save the PDF to a separate folder in Dropbox.
Here are the three signs you have hit the “Spreadsheet Ceiling”:
Bid_Log_v3_FINAL_REAL.xlsx. You aren’t sure if your project manager updated the lumber pricing in this version or the previous one.Most software companies try to solve this by selling you an “All-in-One Construction ERP.” They want you to change how you do accounting, scheduling, and daily logs just to get better bid tracking.
That is overkill.
A true alternative to an Excel bid log should feel familiar but smarter. It should allow you to:
We built Bid Bench specifically for the $1M–$15M General Contractor who is growing out of Excel but doesn’t want the bloat of BuilderTrend.
Here is how it upgrades your workflow without complicating it:
Instead of a static grid, your budget is a live dashboard. You create your line items (Framing, HVAC, Electrical). Under each item, you add the subcontractors you are inviting.
In Excel, you have to remember to email the electrician who hasn’t replied. In Bid Bench, you can see exactly who has viewed the invitation. You know who is engaged and who is ghosting you, allowing you to focus your phone calls on the subs that matter.
This is the biggest time-saver. When a sub emails you a PDF proposal, you don’t have to manually type the total into a cell.
You simply upload the PDF to the budget line item. Bid Bench’s AI reads the document, extracts the total cost, and places it into your comparison column. It links the file right there, so if you need to check the exclusions, the document is one click away.
No more “where did I save that quote?” panic. Every proposal, plan, and addendum is stored in the cloud, attached to the specific project and line item. You (and your team) can access it from the job site, the truck, or the office.
You don’t need a PhD to run your construction business, and you shouldn’t need one to use your software.
If you are spending more time managing your spreadsheet than managing your project, it’s time to switch. Keep the simplicity of the grid view, but add the power of automation.
Ready to ditch the spreadsheet? Try Bid Bench for free and set up your first budget in minutes.