How bidding works: the three-step funnel

Bidding on QuoteHive is deliberately staged into three gates, each enforced server-side. You must be a verified contractor to pass any of them, and bidding is open to every verified contractor until the deadline — there is no cap on how many can bid.

Step 1 — Unlock the documents (1 credit)

If a job carries attached documents, opening them costs 1 credit. It records your participation and is required before declaring intent on document-bearing jobs. The fee is small by design — it filters idle browsing, nothing more.

Step 2 — Bid of Intent (free)

A Bid of Intent (BOI) declares that you plan to bid. It’s free, it notifies the client that you’re coming, and it is required before any final bid. On formal tenders the BOI window closes 2 days before the final deadline — miss it and you can’t bid.

Step 3 — Final bid (1–12 credits)

Submit your dollar amount, a cover message, and your info package. The credit cost scales with the job’s budget band — see What a bid costs — and the exact cost is always shown on the job page before you commit. The credit deduction and the bid are recorded together in one transaction, so you can never be charged for a bid that didn’t land.

After the close

When the client hires — or the deadline passes — the full bid table is revealed to the participants. Even when you lose, you see exactly where you ranked, so you can calibrate your next quote. If you declared intent but haven’t bid, we send one reminder when the job is within 24 hours of closing.