/bid-evaluator

name: bid-evaluator
description: >
  Evaluate tabulated subcontractor bids against specs and drawings — scope
  gap analysis, exclusion risk scoring, award recommendation. Triggers:
  'evaluate bids', 'bid evaluation', 'lowest responsible bidder'.
argument-hint: "<tabulated_bids_dir> [scope_description]"
disable-model-invocation: true

Bid Evaluator

Evaluate tabulated subcontractor bids against construction documents. This skill does NOT make the award decision — it builds the analytical foundation so the PE/PM can decide quickly and confidently.

Pipeline & Disambiguation

/bid-tabulator → THIS SKILL → user confirms → /subcontract-writer

**This skill requires tabulated bids as input.** If the user has raw bid PDFs that haven't been tabulated yet, stop and ask them to run `/construction:bid-tabulator` first; it is user-invoked only, so you cannot start it from here. It produces the per-bidder JSON files and comparison Excel that this skill consumes.

• User has **bid PDFs** → ask them to run `/construction:bid-tabulator` (data capture), then `/construction:bid-evaluator`
• User has **tabulated bids** and wants analysis → this skill directly
• User says "compare bids" or "buyout" → check if bids are already tabulated; if not, ask them to run `/construction:bid-tabulator` first

Tier System

• **RIGID**: Output schema, scoring tables, file naming
• **GUIDED**: Dialogue sequencing, scope assembly, scoring thresholds
• **FLEXIBLE**: Bid interpretation, scope coverage, risk assessment

Required Inputs

1. Tabulated bids (from /bid-tabulator or equivalent) 2. Relevant specification sections 3. Relevant drawing sheets (Claude reviews via vision) 4. Scope context (from user dialogue)

Optional: bid form/ITB, schedule, owner requirements, budget estimate, past experience with bidders.

---

Step 1: Scope Assembly

**Complete before analyzing any bids.**

Mode Detection

Read `.construction/project.yaml` at the project root: present and readable means AgentCM mode (note its `contract_version`), absent means flat-file mode. A listing that shows the file does not decide it: read it.

• **AgentCM mode**: Read each spec section from `.construction/specs/<section>.txt` (`09 65 13` is `09-65-13.txt`; each line starts with its page), listed in `.construction/INDEX.md`: it is the section's text, and a section's pages are never extracted again from the PDF. Never run `pdf_text.py` or `rasterize_page.py` on a section's pages: not to check them, and not inside a page range (`--pages 1,2` where page 2 is a section is one). A read manual's pages in no section (INDEX.md lists them) are read in the PDF, those pages only (`--pages`). Only for a manual INDEX.md lists under "Spec manuals not read", read spec-splitter's `.construction/skills/spec_text/` instead. Use sheet index from `.construction/index/sheet_index.yaml` for drawing identification. Follow `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/agentcm-mode.md`: which source wins, what a missing file or an empty search means, which file answers what, drawings through `crop.sh`, sheet ids, and how to record a correction of AgentCM's data.
• **Flat File mode**: Discover spec PDFs via `CLAUDE.md` paths or directory search (`Specifications/`, `Specification Sections/`). Read drawing sheets directly from PDF.

1a. Spec Review

Extract from each spec section: work included (Parts 1-3), work by others (GC/NIC/Owner), related section cross-references, performance requirements, coordination and temporary requirements.

This step is never skipped. The spec sections are the baseline that SILENT is measured against; a scope sheet lists sections, not their requirements, and "no drawing review" does not mean "no spec review". In flat-file mode dump each section's text (TEXT pages in the dump are read as text; rasterize VISION pages):

"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/construction-python" "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/pdf/pdf_text.py" "{section.pdf}"

Take the output directly, or, to search a dump more than once, save it with `--output ".construction/skills/bid-evaluator/text/<section>.txt"`, never in `/tmp` or any other folder outside the project.

1b. Drawing Review

Load `references/drawing-review.md` for guidance on what to look for per drawing type. Vision-read key sheets to identify scope items, conditions, and quantities not apparent from specs. Track drawing- derived items separately — they differentiate thorough bidders. Offload reference after completing drawing review.

1c. User Dialogue

Ask targeted questions to fill gaps documents can't answer. Do not dump a questionnaire — ask conversationally, skip what you already know.

**Always ask:** package definition (which specs/drawings), GC-provided items, bid count and format, drawing confirmation if provided.

**Ask when relevant:** multi-trade splits, alternates/allowances, qualification requirements, budget reference, schedule constraints.

Confirm assembled scope with user before proceeding.

1d. Build Scope Baseline

Produce internal baseline document: items in sub scope (with source), drawing-identified scope, GC/owner exclusions, allowances, alternates, qualifications, schedule constraints.

---

Step 2: Bid Analysis

Load `references/buyout-domain.md` for domain knowledge on bid language interpretation, common scope splits, red flags, trade- specific evaluation notes, and non-price factors. Keep loaded through Steps 2a-2d, then offload.

2a. Normalize Pricing

Adjusted Base = Submitted Base
              + Excluded spec-required items
              - Included GC-provided items
              + Accepted alternates ± Allowance adjustments

Valuation order: other bidder's line item → budget estimate → professional judgment (flagged) → qualitative risk if unknown. Document every adjustment. No silent price changes. Flag unit price outliers (>2x median). Calculate exposure ranges.

2b. Scope Coverage Mapping

Map each bidder against every scope baseline item us