What is a bid comparison table and why use one?
The mukayese tablosu shows bids from different firms for one work package on the same rows and records why one was chosen. Public tenders in Türkiye are evaluated under Public Procurement Law no. 4734; private firms set their own procedure. Either way the aim is to find the bid that will deliver the work on time and to quality, not just the lowest total, and to be able to explain the choice later. Without a table, bids priced against different scopes cannot be compared, a firm that leaves items blank looks cheap, and six months on there is no written answer to "why did we pick them".
How do you collect bids against the same estimate?
- Prepare the item list with description, unit and quantity, for example "PPR-C pipe Ø25", m, 120. Quantities come from the quantity take-off.
- Write your own estimate rate for each item, and do not send it to bidders.
- Fix the conditions: who supplies material, whether transport and scaffolding are included, VAT, currency, billing period and payment term.
- List what each bid must state: unit prices, total, duration in days, payment term, advance, retention, validity, material brand and exclusions.
- Set a deadline and get at least three bids.
- Agree the weights before bids arrive.
What should the request for bids contain?
Keep it short, but cover the scope and location; the item list with quantities and an empty price column, the drawings and their versions, and the specification; who supplies which materials; what is included, such as transport, hoisting, consumables and pressure tests; the price basis (VAT excluded, currency, no price adjustment); payment terms, for example 30-day billing, payment 15 days after approval and 5 % retention; start date and requested duration; validity of at least 30 days; and the deadline with a single address for bids. Answer questions through one channel and send every answer to all bidders at once.
How do you check unit prices and totals?
Do not copy the total from the bid letter. Recalculate it from your quantities and the firm's unit prices. Treat an item with no price as missing and ask for it; question large deviations from your estimate in writing (public tenders have a formal procedure for abnormally low bids); convert USD and EUR bids at one date's exchange rate; and show every exclusion, such as "scaffolding excluded", on its own row.
How is the weighted score calculated?
| Criterion | Default weight | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 60 % | Lowest total ÷ this total × 100 |
| Duration | 10 % | Shortest duration ÷ this duration × 100 |
| Payment terms | 10 % | This term ÷ longest term × 100 |
| Material quality | 15 % | Your score, 0–100 |
| References | 5 % | Your score, 0–100 |
The best value on price, duration and payment terms scores 100 and the others scale down. Quality and reference scores are judgements, so record who gave them and on what basis. The weights need not add up to 100; Santix normalises them.
A worked example with three bids
Illustrative figures for three items of a mechanical package. Estimate: PPR-C pipe Ø25 120 m × ₺85, manifold set 8 × ₺4,250, ball valve 40 × ₺310; total ₺56,600.
| Item | Estimate | Firm A | Firm B (first) | Firm B (revised) | Firm C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pipe, 120 m | ₺10,200 | ₺9,600 | ₺9,360 | ₺9,360 | ₺10,800 |
| Manifold set, 8 | ₺34,000 | ₺35,200 | ₺31,200 | ₺31,200 | ₺32,800 |
| Ball valve, 40 | ₺12,400 | ₺12,000 | No price | ₺13,600 | ₺11,600 |
| Total | ₺56,600 | ₺56,800 | ₺40,560 | ₺54,160 | ₺55,200 |
Firm B's first bid looks 28 % cheap only because it left the valves unpriced. Its revised bid, ₺54,160, is the one that counts. With durations of 30, 45 and 35 days, payment terms of 30, 60 and 45 days, quality scores of 80, 70 and 90 and reference scores of 90, 60 and 80, the weighted totals are A 88.7, B 90.2 and C 92.4. Firm C's line: price score 54,160 ÷ 55,200 × 100 = 98.1; total (98.1 × 60 + 85.7 × 10 + 75 × 10 + 90 × 15 + 80 × 5) ÷ 100 = 92.4. C is ₺1,040 (1.9 %) dearer than B but wins on duration and quality. On price alone the order would be B, C, A, which is why weights are agreed before the bids are opened.
What happens after the decision?
- Negotiate with the leading firms and record each new price as a new revision.
- Write down the decision and the reason in two lines.
- Tell the unsuccessful firms.
- Post the amount to the budget so the gap between estimate and commitment is visible.
- Move to the contract, carrying duration, payment term, advance and retention across unchanged; see the subcontract checklist.
Common mistakes and a checklist
- Sending firms different item lists or quantities.
- Copying totals without recalculating.
- Treating an unpriced item as zero.
- Ignoring exclusions in the total.
- Setting weights after seeing prices.
- Overwriting the first price during negotiation.
- Letting a bid's validity lapse.
How Santix handles it
In Santix you open a request under Satın alma (procurement), enter items with unit and quantity, and optionally estimate rates or an estimate total. The request moves through draft, collecting bids, comparing, negotiating and decided. Your team enters the bids: unit prices or just a total, currency, duration, payment term, advance, retention, validity, brand, quality and reference scores, inclusions and exclusions.
The comparison screen builds the table above: it marks the best unit price per item, shows unpriced items as "Fiyat yok" (no price) and counts them, recalculates totals, converts USD and EUR at the central bank (TCMB) rate, and computes deviation from the estimate and the weighted score. Only a firm's latest revision is compared; earlier ones stay on record. Weights can be changed per request, and you can ask for a written summary of the comparison; the decision stays with you. After the decision the app asks whether to post the amount to the budget, then opens a contract draft with firm, trade and amount filled in. Subcontractors never see other firms' bids. See bid comparison.
What Santix does not do: it does not send bid requests to firms, web price research is not available at the moment, and it does not produce public tender files or commission decisions.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
How is the price score calculated?
Lowest total divided by the bid's total, times 100. The cheapest bid scores 100; a ₺55,200 bid against a lowest of ₺54,160 scores 98.1.
Should the cheapest bid always win?
No. Duration, payment terms, quality and references affect cost too. In our example a bid 1.9 % dearer but 10 days shorter came first with 92.4.
Does Santix research market prices online?
No, web price research is not available at the moment. Your team enters bids; Santix calculates totals, deviation and the weighted score.