Free worksheet · for homeowners comparing renovation quotes
Free Contractor Bid Comparison Worksheet
This free contractor bid comparison worksheet levels two renovation bids onto the same 16 scope lines, so you can compare contractor quotes apples to apples instead of by the bottom line. One quote may leave out the permit and the dumpster; the other may carry a tile allowance that runs short of the tile you actually chose. Mark each line Included, Excluded, Allowance, Unclear or not-applicable for both bids and put your own figure against anything a bid does not cover. It adds the excluded work and every allowance shortfall back into a comparable total, and leaves the unclear lines standing as questions to ask. It opens on a fictional worked example where the cheaper-looking quote is not the cheaper job.
Take it with you — free, no signup
Direct download. No email, no account — just the files.
What it does
- Levels two contractor bids onto the same 16 scope lines — 14 flagged as classic exclusion or allowance traps — so the quote that left the most out stops looking cheapest.
- Adds back what each bid excludes at your own cost, plus the shortfall wherever an allowance falls under the finish you actually chose.
- Works in one order: type over the worked example, enter each bid's quoted price, mark every line's status for both bids, then add each allowance's quoted sum and your own cost for anything excluded, unclear, or covered by an allowance — and read the comparable total.
- Gives Unclear its own status instead of a blank — you still estimate your cost, but it adds nothing to the comparable total until you get an answer.
- Opens pre-filled with a fictional worked example: a bid quoted $52,400 compares at $71,550, while one quoted $63,900 compares at $67,900 and is the cheaper job.
- Leaves six blank rows in the spreadsheet for scope lines your job has that these 16 miss.
- Comes as a contractor bid comparison spreadsheet that computes the totals for you, plus a printable one-bid grid you print once per bid and mark up as you read each written quote.
Related reading
Own it, don't rent it
Comparing more than two bids?
Two bids and 16 scope lines here — five bids and all 46 there. The full Contractor-Choice Decision Helper then scores each bid on nine weighted criteria, with the Cost & Value row calculated from the comparable total rather than typed, so the cheapest-looking quote cannot win by default. It adds an exposure block for the allowance dollars and unclear lines still unpriced, a Gaps & Questions tab that turns every open line into the question to take back to that contractor, and a printable 46-line site-visit checklist — a 9-tab workbook you keep, in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice, with a one-click native Google Sheets copy.
A one-time purchase you keep and reuse on the next project — the structured workbook between a blank spreadsheet and guessing from the bottom line.
A decision aid, not legal, financial, or construction advice, and not a substitute for a licensed contractor or your own reading of the contract you sign. It does not verify anyone's license or insurance, and it does not estimate what work should cost. Licensing rules and limits on contractor deposits vary by state — check what applies where you live. The example bids and every figure in them are fictional. Once you have filled it in, the worksheet holds your own bid figures — clear them before you pass a copy on. The blank worksheet is free to keep and to share as-is; please don't resell it.