Bogart Bid Portal

"Why build a custom web portal?"

Because we can be more efficient and more accurate in our bidding process at a reduced cost of what we are paying now. We are able to create custom-tailored features to exactly what we need, and have automation run to reduce the menial tasks the estimating department does — spending more time actually bidding rather than on data entry.

"Where would this live?"

The bid portal would live on Bogart's current website under the same domain, but only be accessible to those who receive a link via email.

"What does this cost us?"

We already pay for Microsoft 365 which covers the database, file storage, email, and login. Hosting is free on Vercel. The primary cost is TJ's time building it out, along with any fees from Kumo and our website company for the setup phase.

AI Token Cost: The portal uses AI to review email responses and auto-update bidding status. Each request costs a fraction of a cent — estimated at ~$2.00 per project. Note that AI token prices may increase in the future.

Bottom line: Projected to save us around $3,300 in year one, then cost approximately $500/year to maintain after that.

"How does this compare to Building Connected?"

Building Connected runs $3,000–$8,000/year depending on tier. This portal does the same core things — bid invitations, sub management, plan distribution, bid tracking — plus custom features built specifically for how Bogart works. Year one savings alone pay for months of development time.

"Is our subcontractor data secure?"

Yes. Once connected to SharePoint, the data lives inside your Microsoft 365 tenant — the same environment as your emails and Teams messages, with the same security controls IT already manages.

"Do subcontractors have access to our internal data?"

No. Subs only see the subcontractor-facing portal: project info, drawings, and a bid submission form. They never see our internal notes, bid comparisons, estimator comments, or other subs' numbers.

"Does this require Kumo to maintain it?"

Minimal. Kumo's involvement should be for initial setup only: app registration, SharePoint provisioning, DNS, Outlook connection, etc. Day-to-day the system runs itself.

"Are there concerns with client proprietary data being fed to AI?"

We actually reduce that risk with this system. By uploading plans to Building Connected currently, there's always a chance BC is scanning our documents. With this portal, plans are saved directly to SharePoint — it simply tells the system where to save the file, without reading it. Similar to asking a team member to save plans to a Dropbox link and share it with a subcontractor.

"How is this better than what we're doing now?"

This reduces the number of menial tasks each estimator needs to do — updating subcontractor responses, pre-qualification, sorting bids, sending individual ITB emails. Everything is in one place: bid invitations, follow-ups, responses, addendums, jobwalk scheduling, and bid tracking. Right now that lives across email threads, spreadsheets, and Building Connected separately.

"What if a sub doesn't use it?"

They don't need to create an account. They get a link, click it, see the project, and submit their number — the same as responding to an email, just structured.

"Can multiple estimators use it at the same time?"

Yes, once connected to SharePoint. Each estimator logs in with their Bogart Microsoft account and their work is shared in real time.

"What if it breaks?"

The current demo is a prototype. The production version runs on Microsoft infrastructure with 99.9% uptime SLAs — more reliable than an email thread. If something breaks in the portal code, anyone can fix it using Claude.

"What about subcontractor compliance and certifications?"

The pre-qualification module tracks certifications (DIR, prevailing wage, Walmart-approved, etc.) per subcontractor. Client-specific required certs are flagged automatically when building bid lists.

"Is this ready to go live?"

The demo shows the full feature set. Going live requires connecting it to SharePoint and Outlook — roughly 6–8 weeks of part-time work. The core logic is done.

"What happens if TJ leaves?"

The code is standard HTML, JavaScript, and Microsoft APIs. Anyone with Claude access could pick it up. It also lives on GitHub so it's not trapped on anyone's computer.