Sitework Bid Proposal Template
Download a sitework bid proposal template to present earthwork, grading, utilities, aggregate, trucking, alternates, exclusions, schedule, and project pricing.
Present Sitework Scope, Quantities, and Pricing Clearly
A sitework bid proposal gives excavation, grading, and underground utility contractors a structured way to present the work being offered, quantity assumptions, materials, equipment, trucking, disposal, alternates, exclusions, schedule requirements, and project price. A detailed proposal helps the customer understand what is included before crews mobilize and major material or hauling commitments are made.
This Sitework Bid Proposal Template is designed for sitework contractors, excavation contractors, grading contractors, underground utility subcontractors, civil contractors, estimators, project managers, operations managers, and construction business owners.
What Is a Sitework Bid Proposal?
A sitework bid proposal is a customer-facing document that combines a defined civil construction scope with proposed pricing, quantity assumptions, logistics, exclusions, schedule requirements, and commercial terms. Depending on the project, it may cover clearing, topsoil stripping, excavation, cut and fill, rough grading, fine grading, undercut, imported fill, aggregate base, storm drainage, sanitary sewer, water service, structures, trenching, erosion control, dewatering, trucking, disposal, restoration, and closeout.
The proposal should identify the civil drawings, grading plans, utility plans and profiles, specifications, geotechnical information, addenda, RFIs, site observations, material sources, disposal assumptions, haul distances, access restrictions, phasing, and work-hour limitations used to develop the bid. Base-scope work should remain separate from allowances, alternates, unit prices, and work by others.
When to Use This Template
- Submitting commercial site-development bids
- Proposing excavation, cut, fill, and grading work
- Pricing topsoil stripping, stockpiling, and respreading
- Proposing imported fill, aggregate base, or undercut work
- Pricing storm, sanitary, water, and underground utility work
- Defining trucking, export, import, borrow, and disposal assumptions
- Pricing dewatering, erosion control, testing, and temporary site measures
- Providing unit prices for excavation, fill, aggregate, pipe, structures, trucking, or equipment
- Submitting alternates for unsuitable soil, rock, groundwater, or changed utility work
- Revising pricing after grading, utility, quantity, access, or phasing changes
Who Should Use This Template?
This template is suitable for sitework subcontractors, excavation contractors, grading contractors, underground utility contractors, earthwork contractors, civil subcontractors, estimators, project managers, operations managers, and business owners.
It can be adapted for commercial developments, subdivisions, industrial sites, institutional projects, municipal work, roadway improvements, parking lots, utility installations, and other civil construction projects.
What a Sitework Bid Proposal Should Include
| Proposal Section | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Contractor and Customer Information | Identifies the sitework contractor, proposal recipient, owner, general contractor, project, and primary contacts. |
| Bid Identification | Records the proposal number, revision, proposal date, expiration date, bid package, estimate reference, drawings, specifications, addenda, and RFIs. |
| Earthwork Scope | Defines clearing, stripping, excavation, cut, fill, undercut, onsite reuse, export, import, stockpiling, rehandling, rough grading, and fine grading. |
| Material Balance | Clarifies the assumed cut-and-fill balance, suitable onsite reuse, import requirements, export requirements, shrink or swell basis, and material destinations. |
| Aggregate and Materials | Defines structural fill, aggregate base, bedding stone, drainage stone, topsoil, geotextile, geogrid, pipe, structures, and other included materials. |
| Underground Utilities | Defines storm, sanitary, water, fire service, trenching, bedding, backfill, structures, fittings, testing, tie-ins, and restoration. |
| Equipment and Trucking | Clarifies excavators, dozers, loaders, graders, rollers, compactors, pumps, truck types, capacities, haul distances, disposal locations, and cycle-time assumptions. |
| Erosion Control and Temporary Work | Defines silt fence, inlet protection, stabilized entrances, sediment control, dewatering, pumping, temporary drainage, and maintenance responsibilities where included. |
| Base-Bid Pricing | Presents the offered amount for the defined base scope without exposing internal labor rates, equipment rates, material costs, overhead, or margin. |
| Alternates and Allowances | Separates uncertain or optional items such as unsuitable soil, rock, groundwater, added undercut, imported material, night work, or additional utility work from the base bid. |
| Unit Prices | Provides pricing for measurable additional excavation, export, import, aggregate, pipe, structures, trucking, equipment, or other work. |
| Schedule and Logistics | Documents mobilization, phasing, haul routes, material sources, disposal sites, work areas, utility sequencing, access, and weather assumptions. |
| Assumptions and Exclusions | Clarifies soil suitability, rock, groundwater, contamination, buried obstructions, utility conflicts, surveying, testing, traffic control, permits, and work by others. |
| Commercial Terms and Acceptance | Records payment terms, retainage, taxes, bonding, proposal validity, change procedures, and acceptance requirements. |
How to Use the Template
- Enter the contractor, customer, project, proposal number, bid package, proposal recipient, and estimate reference.
- List the civil drawings, grading plans, utility plans, profiles, details, specifications, addenda, RFIs, geotechnical information, and site observations used for pricing.
- Break the sitework scope into clearing, stripping, earthwork, grading, aggregate, utilities, erosion control, trucking, disposal, and restoration.
- State the cut-and-fill assumptions and distinguish onsite reuse, export, imported fill, stockpile, and rehandling quantities.
- Describe underground utilities by system, pipe material, size, depth range, structures, bedding, backfill, testing, and restoration.
- Document material sources, disposal sites, truck capacities, haul distances, cycle-time assumptions, and access restrictions.
- Define responsibility for surveying, testing, dewatering, erosion control, utility locating, traffic control, permits, and temporary measures.
- State the base-bid amount and separate alternates, allowances, unit prices, and value-engineering options.
- Document schedule, phasing, remobilization, work-hour restrictions, payment terms, retainage, taxes, and proposal expiration.
- Confirm that the customer-facing proposal amount matches the approved internal estimate before submission.
A sitework contractor submits a proposal for a 10-acre commercial development. The base bid includes clearing, 15,800 cubic yards of excavation, 9,900 cubic yards of onsite fill, 5,900 cubic yards of export, 3,600 cubic yards of imported structural fill, 7,800 tons of aggregate base, 1,850 linear feet of storm pipe, 1,100 linear feet of sanitary sewer, 760 linear feet of water main, erosion control, equipment, trucking, and final grading. Separate allowances cover unsuitable soil and dewatering, while rock excavation and contaminated material are excluded pending verified conditions.
Best Practices for Sitework Bid Proposals
- Reference current civil drawings, grading plans, utility profiles, details, specifications, addenda, and geotechnical information.
- Make the cut-and-fill basis visible instead of providing one unexplained earthwork quantity.
- Distinguish bank, loose, and compacted quantities when conversion assumptions affect pricing.
- Separate onsite reuse from export, imported fill, stockpiling, and rehandling.
- Describe utilities by system, pipe size, depth, structures, bedding, backfill, and restoration.
- Document disposal and borrow sources when those assumptions materially affect cost.
- State truck capacity, haul distance, cycle-time, and access assumptions for major hauling operations.
- Clarify responsibility for dewatering, trench safety, surveying, testing, erosion control, traffic control, and permits.
- Separate base-bid work from alternates, allowances, unit prices, and work by others.
- Preserve every proposal revision and identify changes to quantities, material balance, utilities, schedule, or price.
Common Sitework Bid Proposal Mistakes
- Providing one lump-sum sitework description without defining major scope categories
- Pricing cut and fill without documenting the assumed material balance
- Mixing bank, loose, and compacted quantities without explanation
- Failing to state assumptions for unsuitable soils, rock, groundwater, or buried obstructions
- Pricing utilities by linear foot without defining depth, structures, bedding, backfill, or restoration
- Leaving export destinations, borrow sources, truck capacities, or haul distances undefined
- Failing to assign dewatering, surveying, testing, erosion-control, or traffic-control responsibilities
- Combining allowances and alternates with the base bid
- Ignoring remobilization, restricted access, phasing, or work-hour limitations
- Issuing revised pricing without documenting what changed
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a sitework estimate and a sitework bid proposal?
An estimate develops expected labor, material, equipment, trucking, subcontractor, overhead, and selling price. A bid proposal presents the offered sitework scope, price, assumptions, exclusions, schedule, and commercial terms to the customer.
Should sitework quantities appear in the proposal?
They can when quantities help explain the pricing basis. The proposal should identify whether quantities are estimating references, allowances, unit-price quantities, or contract quantities.
How should cut and fill be described?
Identify the assumed excavation, usable onsite material, required fill, export, import, stockpile, rehandling, shrink or swell basis, and any limits on soil suitability.
How should underground utility work be described?
Identify the utility system, pipe material, size, approximate depth range, structures, fittings, bedding, backfill, testing, tie-ins, and surface restoration included in the proposal.
What sitework unit prices are useful?
Useful unit prices may include excavation, export, imported fill, undercut, and backfill by cubic yard; aggregate by ton; pipe by linear foot; structures by each; trucking by load or hour; and equipment by hour or day.
How should unsuitable soil be addressed?
If the quantity is uncertain, define the assumed base condition and handle additional undercut, disposal, replacement fill, stabilization, or geosynthetics through an allowance, alternate, unit price, or approved change process as appropriate.
Should dewatering be included?
Include dewatering when it is part of the offered scope. If groundwater conditions or pumping requirements are uncertain, state the assumption and identify any allowance, exclusion, or unit-price approach clearly.
When should a sitework proposal be revised?
Revise it when grading quantities, soil assumptions, utility sizes or depths, material sources, haul distances, disposal requirements, phasing, access, temporary work, or commercial terms change.
Create a Clear Record of the Sitework Offered
A structured sitework bid proposal helps contractors define earthwork, material movement, utilities, aggregate, equipment, trucking, temporary measures, assumptions, exclusions, schedule, and pricing before the work is awarded.
A spreadsheet proposal is a practical starting point for repeatable bidding. As bid volume grows, SimplySub can help subcontractors keep estimates, customer information, jobs, documents, change orders, and job-cost information organized.