Reading a bid package like an examiner

What is in a bid package

On a competitively bid job, the owner's package usually holds:

• Invitation or advertisement to bid: the project, where to get documents, when and where bids are due.
• Instructions to bidders: how to fill in and deliver the bid, bid security, how bids are opened and compared.
• Bid form: the prices you fill in, base bid, alternates, unit prices and addenda acknowledgments.
• Agreement form: the contract you will sign if you win.
• General and supplementary conditions: the rules of the contract, such as payment, changes, retainage, insurance, bonds and time.
• Specifications: the requirements for each part of the work, often starting with general requirements.
• Drawings.
• Addenda: changes issued before bids are due.

Read the front end first

The examiner's order is front to back, because the front end changes how you read the drawings:

1. Invitation: deadline, location, prequalification, bid security amount.
2. Instructions to bidders: what makes a bid nonresponsive. Missing bid security, a missing addendum acknowledgment and a late bid are the usual ones.
3. Bid form: what you are actually asked to price. Base bid only, or alternates and unit prices too?
4. Conditions: retainage, liquidated damages, insurance and bond requirements, payment terms.
5. Addenda: read every one and mark the drawings and specs it changes before you take off a single quantity.
6. Then the specifications and drawings.

A responsive bid follows the instructions and form. A responsible bidder is one able to do the work, with capacity, experience, finances and bonding. Questions often hinge on which of the two a problem is.

The numbers an examiner can ask about

All invented, all checked twice.

Bid security. The instructions require a bid bond of 5% of the bid. The base bid is $1,840,000. Bond amount: 1,840,000 x 0.05 = $92,000. Check: 1,840,000 / 20 = 92,000.

Alternates. Add alternate 2 is $46,500. If the owner accepts it, the contract sum is 1,840,000 + 46,500 = $1,886,500. Check: 1,886,500 - 1,840,000 = 46,500.

Liquidated damages. The conditions set $750 per calendar day of delay. The project finishes 9 days late and no time extension was granted. Damages: 9 x 750 = $6,750. Check: 6,750 / 750 = 9.

Unit prices. A unit price of $42 per linear foot for extra trench and a measured 160 extra feet: 160 x 42 = $6,720. Check: 6,720 / 160 = 42.

When a question gives you a package detail like these, the arithmetic is usually easy. The hard part is spotting which clause applies, such as whether the delay was excused or whether an alternate was accepted.

Reading a drawing sheet fast

The bulletin says only that a physical diagram and blueprint packet is handed out on site. It does not say what is in it, so practice general drawing reading:

1. Sheet index first. Know which discipline and sheet a question points you to.
2. Title block: project, sheet number, date, revision.
3. Scale on each view. Details often use a different scale from the plan.
4. Legend and symbols, then general notes, which often hold requirements that apply to every sheet.
5. Dimensions over scaling. Use written dimensions when they are given. Scale only when you must.

Scaling, worked (invented). A plan at 1/4 in = 1 ft 0 in shows a wall measuring 6 1/2 in. Length: 6.5 x 4 = 26 ft. Check: 26 ft at 1/4 in per foot is 26 / 4 = 6.5 in.

Where it shows up in the books

Our pairing from the titles, not NASCLA's: the bid process, bid documents and contracts sit in Construction Project Management and the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management. Drawing reading sits across several references, including Principles and Practices of Commercial Construction. Tab the bid and contract chapters with the procurement color in your tabbing plan. The outline guide shows how the areas line up with the books.

Read one under time

Take the free 10-question check. It needs no signup and explains every answer, so you can see whether contract reading or arithmetic costs you more. For the Procurement and Contracting lesson and timed 115-question practice exams on the 330-minute clock, see the plans. The estimating mistakes post covers the pricing side. For drawing practice, the free plan-reading drill has three sheets drawn for study. After the bid, from award to the first pay application picks up the paperwork, buying out subcontracts without bid shopping covers sub pricing, and your first federal construction job covers bonds and wages on federal work. Owners often ask about safety records before award; see safety records and winning bids. Civil sheets can show erosion and sediment controls, and stormwater on a commercial site covers keeping them working.

Sources

• PSI Candidate Information Bulletin 1458, content outline and the on-site diagram and blueprint packet, updated 7 Jul 2026. Retrieved 5 Nov 2026.
• All examples use invented numbers. Book content is described by topic only.

FAQ

What makes a bid nonresponsive?

A bid that does not follow the instructions or form, such as one missing bid security, an addendum acknowledgment or the deadline. The instructions to bidders set the rules for each job.

What does a bid bond protect?

It protects the owner if the low bidder will not sign the contract or provide the required performance and payment bonds, up to the bond amount.

Is there a blueprint packet on the NASCLA exam?

Yes. The bulletin says a physical diagram and blueprint packet is handed out at the test center. It does not describe the contents.