Glossary
Bid tabulation (bid tab)
A bid tabulation (Preisspiegel) is a table that sets the received bids side by side, usually item by item with unit prices and totals, so the client can compare them after the bids are opened.
In short
A bid tabulation (bid tab) sets the received bids side by side, usually item by item with unit prices and totals. In US federal procurement, the bid opening officer completes and certifies the “Abstract of Offers” (Standard Form 1409, or Optional Form 1419 for construction) after the bid opening (FAR 14.403).
The German term is Preisspiegel. The word is not in the text of VOB/A. VOB/A 2019 § 14 requires the bids to be opened without delay after the submission deadline, and the opening to be recorded in minutes (Niederschrift) in Textform.
The Preisspiegel is a working document of the client or the general contractor. The bidder does not submit it.
Example
Three installers bid for the plumbing of a school. For each position, the bid tab shows every bidder’s unit price and total. One bidder is cheapest overall but has a very high unit price on its Bedarfspositionen, and another left one position empty.
In US private construction, the same comparison is often called bid leveling. The bids are first adjusted to the same scope (inclusions, exclusions and alternates) and only then compared. The term has no official definition. Texas DOT manuals say that after the bid opening, bids are tabulated in increasing amounts and the low bidder is verified.
What to watch for
Your unit prices end up next to the competitors’ prices, item by item, so a single outlier position stands out.
Wahlpositionen and provisional items are compared too. Check which positions you quoted and which you left empty.
Under VOB/A 2019 § 16d, a bid with an unreasonably high or low price cannot be awarded. If a price looks unreasonably low, the client asks in Textform how it was calculated.
An unconditional discount only counts if it is stated at the place the client names in the tender documents. An unsolicited cash discount (Skonto) tied to the payment period is not taken into account (VOB/A 2019 § 16d Abs. 4).
Not to be confused with
Bid (Angebot): the bidder’s own offer. In GAEB terms it is exchange phase 84 (X84). The tabulation compares bids; it is not one. GAEB has no exchange phase for the Preisspiegel.
Werksanfrage: the installer’s or wholesaler’s request to the manufacturer. It is not a comparison of bids.
Related terms
Unit price (in a bill of quantities)
A unit price (Einheitspreis, EP) is the price for one unit of a bill of quantities position, such as one metre or one piece. Quantity times unit price gives the item total, and the item totals add up to the bid total.
Bid validity period (bid acceptance period)
A bid validity period (Bindefrist) is the period during which a bidder is bound to its bid and the client can accept it. After it ends, the bidder is no longer bound.
Nebenangebot (alternative bid in a German tender)
A Nebenangebot is the bidder's own alternative proposal to a tender, for example with another design, method or product. The tender documents state whether it is allowed, and whether only together with a main offer.
Positionsarten (item types in a German bill of quantities)
Positionsarten are the item types of a German bill of quantities, such as normal, base, alternative and provisional items. The type decides whether an item counts toward the bid total.
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