Bid calculator
The bid calculator is the heart of any bid response — labour, materials, overhead, risk contingency and margin in one live model.
What it calculates
From the line items you enter, Sageon Business computes:
- Labour total — Σ (days × day rate) per role
- Materials total — Σ (qty × unit cost)
- Direct costs — labour + materials
- Overhead — % uplift on direct costs (default 25%)
- Cost total — direct + overhead
- Risk contingency — derived from the bid's Risks tab (Σ risk values)
- Margin — % uplift on cost (default 60%) — adjustable
- Bid price — total quoted to the customer
You can override any line in real-time. The bid price updates live.
Labour lines
Add per role (e.g. Project Manager, Senior Dev, BA):
- Role title
- Activity description
- Day rate (£)
- Days
Materials lines
Add per item:
- Description
- Quantity
- Unit cost
Risk-driven contingency
Each entry on the bid's Risks tab has a £ value. The bid calculator sums these into your contingency — making bid pricing risk-aware, not just hopeful.
Adjusting margin
Slider at the top of the cost summary panel. Watch the bid price update as you pull margin up or down. Useful for last-minute strategic pricing decisions.
Exporting
Export the calculator to PDF for inclusion in your bid response. Sageon Business produces a customer-ready cost breakdown.
Tips
- Be honest about overhead. 25% is a starting point; check your finance team's actual figure.
- Don't margin-stack. A 60% margin on a 25% overhead is 100% of direct cost. Customers can do the maths too.
- Use risk-driven contingency. Padding cost with vague "buffer" gets noticed. Showing identified risks with £ values is defensible.