Role Guide: Bid Writer
For Bid Writers on vendor-side campaigns and bid reviewers on company-side campaigns. After this page you will know what you own, how to plan your shift, how you are measured, and how to turn crew notes into bids that get approved.
Track: Property Preservation · Role: Bid Writer · Time to complete: 30 min
What you own
Bids are where vendors earn beyond the base order price, and where investors protect their money. You sit in the middle and make both sides trust the numbers. You own:
- Bid drafting: clear line items from crew notes, measurements and photos
- Pricing: using the client's current price list or approved estimating method
- Limit checks: flagging over-allowable items and items needing a second bid
- Bid tracker: every bid logged with status, total and next follow-up date
- Follow-up: chasing decisions until each bid is approved, denied or changed
- Approved bid handoff: making sure approvals become new orders for the crew
- On Side B: reviewing vendor bids for completeness, measurement accuracy and fair price before they go to the servicer
Your handoffs
| You receive from | What | You pass to | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Crew notes, measurements, order details | Processor | Finished bid to attach to the update, or submit yourself if your campaign allows |
| Photo QC Specialist | Damage photos, sorted and captioned | Field crew (through Processor or Dispatcher) | Requests for missing measurements |
| Client | Bid approvals, denials, counter-offers | Processor and Dispatcher | Approved scope to schedule |
| Team Lead | Current price lists and guidelines | Invoice and AR Assistant | Approval details for invoicing |
Daily rhythm
| Time in shift | Focus |
|---|---|
| First 15 min | Check in. Read handover notes. Check for price list or guideline updates. |
| 15 to 45 min | Check the client portals for bid decisions. Update the bid tracker. |
| Core hours | Write bids, oldest damage discovery first (clients often have a deadline from discovery). |
| Mid shift | Follow-up block: bids past their expected decision date. |
| Afternoon | Send approved scopes to Processor or Dispatcher. Request missing measurements. |
| Last 20 min | Bid tracker clean. Handover note with bids waiting on crew data. |
Coach's note: many investors give a limited number of days from the date damage is discovered to submit an over-allowable bid. Track the discovery date, not the date you received the notes. A bid written well but late can still be denied.
KPIs
Narqix starting targets. Adjust with your Team Lead after the first month.
| KPI | Narqix starting target |
|---|---|
| Line-item bids written per shift | 15 to 30 |
| Bids submitted within 1 business day of receiving complete crew data | 95 percent or more |
| Bid approval rate (approved in full or in part) | Track from week 1; set a client baseline, then improve it monthly |
| Bids denied for missing information | 3 percent or less |
| Math errors found in audit | Zero |
| Bids with no follow-up for more than the client's response window | Zero |
| Approved bids turned into scheduled work within 1 business day | 95 percent or more |
Working with crew notes
Crew notes are short and messy. That is normal. Your job is to turn them into clean lines without adding anything that is not true.
Example: from crew note to bid lines
Crew note:
"back door busted frame, kitchen window broke, lots of trash in garage maybe 2 trailers, roof leak in bedroom ceiling stain"
Your questions back to the crew (one message):
- Back door: frame damage size? Door still closes and locks?
- Kitchen window: width and height with tape photo?
- Garage trash: trailer size and how high loaded? Any items that look valuable?
- Bedroom: ceiling stain size? Did you see the roof from outside?
After answers, your lines:
- Door frame repair, rear door. Jamb split 30 in along strike side, door cannot latch. Cause: forced entry. Repair jamb, reinforce strike plate, rehang door so it latches and locks. (PRICE SOURCE). Needed to secure the property.
- Clear-board, kitchen window, rear. 36 x 48 in = 84 UI. Cause: broken pane, vandalism. (PRICE SOURCE). Needed to stop entry and weather.
- Debris removal, garage. Two loads, trailer 10 x 6 ft loaded 4 ft = 8.89 CYD each, total 17.78 CYD. Household trash and broken furniture. No personal property of apparent value seen; inventory photos attached. (PRICE SOURCE). Check against client limit.
- Roof inspection and patch bid, bedroom area. Ceiling stain 4 x 5 ft = 20 sq ft. Exterior photo shows missing shingles above. Cause: storm or age, active leak. Recommend tarp now and patch after approval. (PRICE SOURCE). Needed to stop water damage.
Quality checklist
- Every line follows the nine-part standard in Bids and Estimating
- Measurement math rechecked (cubic yards, united inches, square feet)
- Price from the client's current list, source named
- Over-allowable and second-bid items flagged
- Photos attached per line, measurement visible, inside age limit
- Nothing added that the crew did not observe
- Tracker updated with date, total, discovery date and follow-up date
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Copying the crew's words into the bid | Rewrite in the nine-part standard |
| Guessing a measurement the crew did not give | Ask the crew; never invent numbers |
| Pricing from an old list | Confirm the list version at shift start |
| Bundling five repairs into one line | One problem per line |
| Forgetting approved bids | Daily check: approved bids not yet scheduled |
| Writing "upgrade" language | Write safety, security, prevention or code reasons |
Escalation rules
| Situation | Escalate to | When |
|---|---|---|
| No current price list for a client | Team Lead | Before pricing |
| Bid over the client's total property limit | Team Lead | Before submitting |
| Crew asks you to inflate quantities | Team Lead | Same day, in writing |
| Bid denied and you believe the denial is wrong | Team Lead, who decides on an appeal | Inside the client's appeal window |
| Emergency damage (active leak, open structure) | Processor, Team Lead and client | Same hour |
Never do this: never add, enlarge or invent damage, quantities or causes. Never price from memory. Never resubmit a denied bid unchanged hoping a different reviewer approves it.
Check yourself
1. The crew says "about 3 yards of trash" with no tape photo. What do you do?
Ask the crew for length, width and height with tape photos before writing the line. Never bid an unproven quantity.
2. Why track the discovery date of damage?
Many investors set a deadline from discovery for over-allowable bids. A late bid can be denied even if it is correct.
3. A bid was approved yesterday. What is your next job with it?
Pass the approved scope to the Processor or Dispatcher so it is scheduled, and give the approval details to the Invoice and AR Assistant.
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