bid-summary

name: bid-summary description: Summarize construction bid details with historical win/loss comparison and risk analysis user-invocable: true metadata: { "openclaw": { "emoji": "📑", "category": "construction", "requires": { "bins": ["python3"], "pip": [] } } }

When to use

Use this skill when the user needs to analyze or summarize a construction bid. Common scenarios:

• Bid/no-bid decisions: evaluate whether to pursue an opportunity based on fit, capacity, and win probability
• Pre-submission review: summarize the bid package before sending to verify completeness and competitiveness
• Historical comparison: compare a new bid against past wins and losses to calibrate pricing
• Competitive analysis: assess positioning against known competitors
• Post-award analysis: review won or lost bids to refine future estimating

Steps

1. Gather bid details from the user: project info, estimate breakdown, deadline, known competitors, and any historical bid data.

2. Build a JSON config object with this structure:

{
  "output_path": "/absolute/path/to/bid_summary.md",
  "bid": {
    "project_name": "Municipal Water Treatment Plant Expansion",
    "bid_number": "BID-2026-0089",
    "owner": "City of Dearborn",
    "architect_engineer": "Smith & Associates",
    "bid_date": "2026-03-15",
    "project_type": "municipal",
    "delivery_method": "design-bid-build",
    "estimated_duration_months": 18,
    "location": "Dearborn, MI",
    "description": "Expansion of existing water treatment facility from 10MGD to 15MGD capacity"
  },
  "estimate": {
    "total_bid": 4250000.00,
    "categories": [
      { "name": "General Conditions", "amount": 340000.00, "percent": 8.0 },
      { "name": "Sitework", "amount": 425000.00, "percent": 10.0 },
      { "name": "Concrete", "amount": 680000.00, "percent": 16.0 },
      { "name": "Structural Steel", "amount": 510000.00, "percent": 12.0 },
      { "name": "Mechanical/Plumbing", "amount": 935000.00, "percent": 22.0 },
      { "name": "Electrical", "amount": 595000.00, "percent": 14.0 },
      { "name": "Finishes", "amount": 340000.00, "percent": 8.0 },
      { "name": "Contingency", "amount": 212500.00, "percent": 5.0 },
      { "name": "Profit/Overhead", "amount": 212500.00, "percent": 5.0 }
    ],
    "unit_cost_sqft": 125.00,
    "bond_required": true,
    "bond_cost": 42500.00,
    "insurance_requirements": "2M general liability, 1M per occurrence"
  },
  "competitors": [
    { "name": "Barton Malow", "estimated_bid": 4100000.00, "notes": "Strong municipal track record" },
    { "name": "Walbridge", "estimated_bid": 4400000.00, "notes": "Less water/wastewater experience" }
  ],
  "historical": [
    { "project_type": "municipal", "bid_amount": 3200000.00, "result": "won", "margin": 0.08, "year": 2025 },
    { "project_type": "municipal", "bid_amount": 5100000.00, "result": "lost", "margin": 0.12, "year": 2025 },
    { "project_type": "municipal", "bid_amount": 2800000.00, "result": "won", "margin": 0.06, "year": 2024 },
    { "project_type": "commercial", "bid_amount": 1500000.00, "result": "won", "margin": 0.10, "year": 2025 },
    { "project_type": "industrial", "bid_amount": 6000000.00, "result": "lost", "margin": 0.15, "year": 2024 }
  ],
  "risk_factors": [
    { "factor": "Unfamiliar owner — no prior relationship", "severity": "medium" },
    { "factor": "Hazardous materials abatement scope unclear", "severity": "high" },
    { "factor": "Tight schedule with liquidated damages clause", "severity": "high" }
  ]
}

3. Write the JSON config to a temporary file:

cat > /tmp/bid_summary_config.json << 'JSONEOF'
{ ... your config ... }
JSONEOF

4. Run the generator script:

python3 {baseDir}/bid_summary.py /tmp/bid_summary_config.json

5. Report the output path printed by the script to the user.

6. Clean up the temporary JSON file.

JSON Config Reference

Bid Object

Estimate Object

Estimate Category Object

Competitor Object

Historical Bid Object

Risk Factor Object

Examples

Simple Bid Summary

{
  "bid": {
    "project_name": "TCG Warehouse Addition",
    "owner": "TCG",
    "bid_date": "2026-02-28",
    "project_type": "commercial"
  },
  "estimate": {
    "total_bid": 850000.00,
    "categories": [
      { "name": "General Conditions", "amount": 85000.00 },
      { "name": "Concrete/Foundation", "amount": 170000.00 },
      { "name": "Structural Steel", "amount": 255000.00 },
      { "name": "Mechanical/Electrical", "amount": 212500.00 },
      { "name": "Profit/OH", "amount": 127500.00 }
    ]
  }
}

Bid with Full Historical Comparison

{
  "output_path": "/home/holden/outputs/bid_water_plant.md",
  "bid": {
    "project_name": "Water Treatment Expansion",
    "owner": "City of Dearborn",
    "bid_date": "2026-03-15",
    "project_type": "municipal",
    "delivery_method": "design-bid-build"
  },
  "estimate": {
    "total_bid": 4250000.00,
    "categories": [
      { "name": "General Conditions", "amount": 340000.00, "percent": 8.0 },
      { "name": "Concrete", "amount": 680000.00, "percent": 16.0 },
      { "name": "Mechanical", "amount": 935000.00, "percent": 22.0 }
    ]
  },
  "historical": [
    { "project_type": "municipal", "bid_amount": 3200000.00, "result": "won", "margin": 0.08 },
    { "project_type": "municipal", "bid_amount": 5100000.00, "result": "lost", "margin": 0.12 }
  ],
  "competitors": [
    { "name": "Barton Malow", "estimated_bid": 4100000.00 }
  ],
  "risk_factors": [
    { "factor": "Hazmat scope unclear", "severity": "high" }
  ]
}

Constraints

• Output format is markdown only
• Dates must be in YYYY-MM-DD format
• Historical data is optional but strongly recommended for meaningful analysis
• Competitor bid estimates are inherently speculative — the report labels them as estimates
• The script requires only Python 3 standard library (no additional pip packages)
• Currency is formatted as USD ($); no multi-currency support
• The output directory must already exist if specifying an output_path
• Percentage breakdowns should be pre-calculated and consistent with total