Bid Cost Estimator
Quickly estimate costs and profitability before pursuing a contract.
Project Info
Cost Breakdown
Enter estimated costs for each category.
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
Overhead & Contingency
Office, admin, vehicles, insurance overhead
Buffer for unknowns, change orders
Federal contracts over $2,000 require prevailing wages. Estimate labor costs here.
Profitability
$0
0.0% margin
Bid Amount$0
Direct Costs$0
Overhead (10%)$0
Contingency (5%)$0
Total Cost$0
Net Profit$0
Quick Metrics
Profit Margin0.0%
Markup0.0%
Cost per $1 Revenue—
Profitability Guide
15%+ margin = Strong bid
5-15% margin = Acceptable
Below 5% = Risky
Gov Contract Tips
Micro-Purchase (<$10K): No formal bid required. Walk in with your capability statement.
Simplified ($10K–$250K): Competitive quotes needed. Include all costs.
Davis-Bacon: Federal contracts over $2K require prevailing wages. Factor this into labor costs.
Bonding: Contracts over $35K may require bid/performance bonds (1-3% of bid).
Overhead: Government auditors expect 10-15% overhead for small businesses.