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Document quality is the biggest driver of evaluation quality. TruBuild works with the documents your team already receives, but you get the best results when you upload clean files, place each file in the right workflow, and link every bid submission to the correct contractor. This page covers what you can upload, where, and how to organize files so bid leveling, technical scoring, and query responses run cleanly.

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Supported file types and limits

TruBuild reads content from the formats evaluation teams actually receive: priced Excel workbooks, native and scanned PDFs, Word proposals, and image-based drawings or stamped pages.
  • Maximum file size: 5 GB per file. Large files take longer to upload and process.
  • Archives: .zip and .7z files are extracted automatically and each inner file is processed on its own. This is the fastest way to upload a full bid submission folder in one drop.
  • Unsupported extensions: files outside this list are rejected at upload or fail ingestion with an unsupported type reason, so convert them before uploading (for example, export a .csv register to .xlsx).
Bidder submissions often arrive as a single ZIP per contractor. Upload the archive as received: you keep the bidder’s folder evidence intact and TruBuild still processes every file inside it.

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How to upload

Upload zones appear in package settings, project settings, and directly on the commercial and technical evaluation pages. Empty zones show “No documents uploaded yet. Drag and drop files or click to select.”
The Commercial, Technical, and Queries areas appear only if the module is enabled for your organization. If a section you expect is missing, your organization admin can confirm what is enabled; to change it, contact TruBuild support.
1

Open the package

From All Projects, open the project, then the tender package you are evaluating.
2

Go to the right workflow

Open the Commercial or Technical area for evaluation documents, or the package Settings for package-level files. Where you upload determines how the file is used, so keep commercial and technical documents in their own areas.
3

Add files

Drag and drop files into the upload zone, or click it to select files. You can add multiple files at once, or drop a single archive containing a full submission.
4

Link bid documents to the contractor

Upload each contractor’s submission against that contractor, not only at package level. Commercial comparison and technical scoring both rely on this link.
5

Watch the ingestion status

Each file shows a status badge as it is processed. Wait for Ingested before running an evaluation that depends on the file.

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Ingestion statuses

Every uploaded file shows one of three status badges. Common failure causes:
  • Unsupported type: the extension is not in the supported list. Convert the file (for example, export a .csv register to .xlsx).
  • Unreadable content: the file is corrupt, password protected, or a scanned image with no extractable text. OCR scanned PDFs before uploading.
  • Name-only record: the file was recorded as a filename without content, so there is nothing to parse. Upload the actual file.

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What to upload by workflow

Organization-level template documents, such as PTC style documents, are uploaded in Settings rather than inside a package. Use them to standardize formats across all projects.

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Commercial document standards

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Reference BOQ or PTE

The reference BOQ or PTE is the commercial baseline that every priced submission is leveled against. Upload it once and treat it as controlled evidence: if the baseline changes mid-tender, bid leveling and variance analysis lose their anchor.
  • Keep the BOQ in Excel whenever possible.
  • Use clear headers such as item number, description, unit, quantity, rate, and amount.
  • Avoid merged header cells, hidden rows, and decorative title blocks above the real table.
  • Keep units consistent across the file.
  • Keep subtotal, provisional sum, and prime cost rows distinct from priced line items so they are not double counted.
  • Use a package for the tender package being awarded.
  • Use assets when commercial scope needs separate comparisons, such as towers, plots, zones, or workstreams.
  • Keep asset naming consistent with the tender strategy and award pack.

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Contractor priced submissions

Upload each contractor’s commercial submission against that contractor. TruBuild uses a contractor-specific file layout when running commercial comparisons, so a priced BOQ sitting only at package level will not appear in the leveling.
Require bidders to return the issued Excel template. This is the single highest-impact instruction for extraction quality: identical line structures level cleanly, while restructured BOQs force manual alignment review of unit rates and scope gaps.
  • Every expected contractor has at least one priced submission file showing Ingested.
  • Currency matches the package currency, or the commercial team has noted the mismatch.
  • Revised submissions are uploaded to the right round or response stage.
  • Scanned-only PDFs have been OCR processed before upload.

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Technical document standards

Technical evaluation depends on clear criteria and contractor proposal structure. Evaluators typically check methodology, program, resources, HSE, and quality systems, and the AI draft is only as specific as the criteria and proposals allow. For post-tender clarification rounds, keep issued questions and contractor responses separate from the original proposal. That separation makes it easier to decide which criteria should be rerun and which scores should carry forward.

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Tender query document standards

Tender queries support register imports and controlled response generation. Two upload habits matter most:
  • Match tenderer organization names to package contractor names. Consistent naming is what links each query to the right bidder and keeps duplicate detection accurate.
  • Preserve external query numbers and references (RFP section, drawing, circular) when importing a register, so responses trace back to the source documents.
For query fields, statuses, and the full import walkthrough, see Tender queries.

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File quality checks

Open the PDF and try to select a sentence. If you cannot select text, OCR the file before upload.
Open the workbook and confirm the actual table starts near the top, headers are visible, and prices are not hidden behind formulas or merged blocks.
Use the same contractor name across package setup, file names, tender query imports, and PTC response documents.
Do not overwrite Round 1 evidence with Round 2 evidence. Upload revisions as round responses or create a new round. Auditors and award committees expect to see how pricing and scores moved between rounds.

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Naming conventions

Pick a convention before the first large tender. A simple pattern works well:
Examples:

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Access and data handling

Uploaded files are filed against the package, asset, contractor, and round they belong to. Who can see a file follows your project and package roles: commercial documents are visible to commercial and full-access roles, technical documents to technical and full-access roles, and viewers get read-only access to both. Organization Owners and Admins always have full access. See Roles and permissions for the full mapping.

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Troubleshooting

Large files and archives take longer to process. If a file does not move to Ingested after an extended wait, re-upload it or contact TruBuild support.
Check the reason shown on the file. Convert unsupported formats to a supported extension, remove password protection, and OCR scanned PDFs, then re-upload.
Check whether the price columns were hidden, merged, split across multiple sheets, or supplied as a scanned PDF. Re-upload a clean Excel file where possible.
Confirm the contractor exists on the package and the file is uploaded against that contractor, not only at package level.
Check proposal structure and criteria quality. Vague criteria and poorly sectioned proposals produce weaker justifications.
Normalize tenderer organization names and preserve prior response history. Duplicate detection improves when historical responses are consistently categorized.

Commercial evaluation

Run a commercial comparison after files are ready.

Technical evaluation

Score contractor proposals against your criteria.

Tender queries

Manage query imports, approvals, and circulars.

Create your first project

Set up the project, package, and bidder list files attach to.