Built for commercial contractors and specialty subs
The bid tracking CRM for commercial contractors, built for the firms chasing 400 bids a year.
Commercial contractors and specialty subs operate at bid volumes general-market CRMs cannot track cleanly. A mid-sized MEP sub chases 350 to 500 bids per year with a 12 to 18 percent award rate. The data model needs project-level bid tracking, GC relationships, and award-rate reporting that Salesforce opportunity never modeled.
Commercial contractors and specialty subcontractors live in a bid-driven sales reality that most CRM platforms were not designed for. The $8M concrete sub chasing commercial parking structures and tenant improvements across three metros runs an estimator team hunting bids from 40 different GCs per month. The $20M MEP sub serving regional commercial construction fields 450 bid invitations a year with a 14 percent award ratio. The $12M commercial glazing specialist sees bid volume peak quarterly around the GC fiscal calendar. None of this fits an Opportunity object designed for a SaaS AE closing one deal at a time. The patterns below describe what commercial contractors tell us about their current CRM reality.
Bid volume breaks the opportunity object
400 bids a year does not fit a Salesforce Opportunity.
A commercial sub chasing 400 bids a year with a 14 percent award rate has 344 "lost" opportunities on the books per year. Salesforce's Opportunity object was designed for SaaS AEs closing 15 to 40 deals a year. The commercial sub's dashboard renders as a wall of lost status, which obscures the metrics that actually matter: bid award rate by GC, bid award rate by project type, bid award rate by estimator. Strkr's bid tracking object was designed from scratch for the volume shape commercial contractors actually run.
GC relationships are untracked
Which GCs give us the most bids, which award the most?
A commercial sub's single most important sales lever is the GC relationship. The $20M MEP sub that gets 60 bids a year from one GC relationship with an 18 percent award rate is making more money off that relationship than 200 bids from GCs that award at 8 percent. The data model to track GC-level bid flow (bids received, bids submitted, bids awarded, win rate) does not exist in most CRMs. Strkr's GC relationship object sits above bid tracking and surfaces the award math per GC per quarter.
Estimator capacity is unmanaged
Which bids to pursue when the estimators are at capacity.
A commercial sub's estimator team has finite capacity. Three estimators at 20 bids per month each is 60 bids per month maximum. The firm receives 90 bid invitations per month. Which 30 to decline becomes a daily decision that most firms make by gut feel because the data to decide (expected value by project type, strength of GC relationship, geographic feasibility) is not reportable in the current CRM. Strkr's bid-pursuit scoring surfaces an expected-value number per invitation so the estimator lead can decline the 30 lowest-value bids with data.
Site visits are not logged
The pre-bid walkthrough happens on a jobsite without the CRM.
A commercial bid often requires a pre-bid walkthrough on the actual site. The estimator drives to the site, takes photos, meets with the GC, assesses the scope. Then the estimator drives back to the office and spends 90 minutes reconstructing the walkthrough notes in a Word document that may or may not get attached to the right bid record. Strkr's mobile app runs the walkthrough log on the phone (voice note, photos, GPS, bid-record attachment) at the end of the walk itself, so the bid record carries the actual context the estimator captured.
Bid documents are scattered
Plans, specs, addenda, RFI responses all in different folders.
A commercial bid runs on documents: construction plans, specifications, addenda, RFI responses, bid forms, qualifications. These usually live in a shared Dropbox or SharePoint folder structure that nobody maintains consistently. Finding the current version of the specifications becomes a 20-minute hunt on bid day. Strkr's document panel on the bid record holds every document version with the admin's folder discipline enforced by the UI rather than left to willpower.
Reporting on award rate is weak
The sales leader cannot answer "what is our award rate on hospital TIs."
Basic reporting questions for a commercial sub (award rate by project type, by GC, by estimator, by project size tier) are hard on general CRMs because the data model does not carry the project classification cleanly. The sales leader ends up building the report in a spreadsheet from exports, which takes a half-day per report. Strkr's bid tracking object carries the project classification natively and the award-rate report is a saved view, not a half-day project.
What Strkr ships for commercial contractors
The nine capabilities estimators actually use.
The capability set below is what Strkr ships on every paid tier for commercial contractor use. Each is drawn from working with commercial subs across MEP, concrete, steel, glazing, and roofing specialties. The data model was built from scratch for the bid-tracking shape rather than being a repurposed Opportunity object.
Bid tracking object
Purpose-built schema with the fields commercial subs need.
The bid tracking object carries project name, GC name, bid value, bid due date, bid status (invited, under estimation, submitted, awarded, lost), project type (new construction, TI, retrofit), project size tier, geographic region, estimator assigned, bond required flag, prevailing wage flag, and the actual bid amount submitted. The admin can add specialty-specific custom fields in the usual low-code pattern.
GC relationship record
Tracks the real sales lever for commercial subs.
Each GC has an account record with every bid invitation received, every bid submitted, award history, and relationship status. The record surfaces bid-flow trend per quarter so the sales lead can tell when a GC relationship is strengthening or decaying. For firms running the sales motion through GC relationships (which is the common pattern), this is the single most important view.
Pre-bid walkthrough mobile log
Site visit captured on the phone in the parking lot.
The mobile app runs the pre-bid walkthrough: voice note transcription, photo capture with GPS tagging, bid-record attachment. The estimator logs the walkthrough at the end of the walk rather than reconstructing it from memory at the office. The bid record carries the actual observed context, which the firm uses to produce better bids and to debrief lost bids with specifics.
Document panel per bid
Plans, specs, addenda, bid form in one place.
Every bid record carries a document panel with versioned storage. The admin configures the required document types per project category (new construction requires architectural plans, structural, MEP, etc.) and the system flags bids missing required documents at the submit-ready check. The pattern replaces the shared-folder discipline with a UI-enforced one.
Estimator capacity view
See the team's active-bid load at a glance.
The estimator capacity dashboard shows each estimator's active-bid load (number of bids under estimation, hours remaining to bid due date, project value in flight). The lead estimator uses the view to assign new invitations without overloading any single estimator. Teams reporting better consistency on bid quality after moving to this view.
Bid-pursuit scoring
Expected-value score per incoming invitation.
Each incoming bid invitation gets a pursuit score based on GC relationship strength, project type award history, project size, geographic feasibility, and estimator capacity. The score helps the estimator lead decide which invitations to decline when capacity is tight. The firm effectively runs a lightweight go/no-go process without a formal committee for every bid.
RFI tracking
RFIs captured on the bid record with response deadlines.
Requests for Information from GCs during the bid period get logged on the bid record with the question, the deadline, the response text, and the submitter. The RFI log surfaces common questions across similar project types, which the estimator team can address proactively on future bids. Teams report RFI response times improving when the tracking becomes systematic.
Award rate reporting
Multi-dimensional award rate across every slice.
The award rate report runs across any combination of project type, GC, estimator, project size tier, and time period. The sales leader can answer "what is our award rate on hospital TIs with GC X in the Phoenix metro over the last 18 months" as a saved view. The reporting that used to be a half-day spreadsheet project becomes a daily operational tool.
Bid-to-contract handoff
Awarded bid converts to project with scope intact.
When a bid is awarded, the bid record converts to a project record with the scope, pricing, timeline, and contact information intact. The project manager picks up the record with the full bid context (walkthrough notes, RFI history, submitted bid value, awarded value, variance). The handoff from estimator to PM that is usually the margin leak point on commercial jobs gets a clean paper trail.
Specialty-specific adaptations
How different commercial specialties configure Strkr.
Each commercial specialty has a slightly different data shape. The patterns below describe how MEP, concrete, steel, glazing, and roofing firms configure Strkr for their specialty.
MEP contractors
Separate tracking for mechanical, electrical, plumbing scopes.
MEP subs often bid combined MEP packages or specialty-trade subsets. The configuration splits the bid record by trade: mechanical scope value, electrical scope value, plumbing scope value, with coordination-required flag. Design-assist versus hard-bid flag drives different estimator workflows. The firm reports award rate by trade subset, which drives different proposal strategies per trade.
Concrete subs
Pour schedule, formwork complexity, placement crew availability.
Concrete subs carry pour-day constraints that affect bid feasibility. The configuration adds pour schedule constraints, formwork complexity rating, and placement crew availability per bid. The capacity view surfaces whether the crew can realistically pour the project in the schedule the GC requires, which prevents the common issue of winning a bid the firm cannot staff.
Steel contractors
Fabrication capacity, lead time, erection crew per bid.
Steel subs balance fabrication shop capacity with erection crew scheduling. The configuration carries fabrication tons per bid, lead time to shop drawing, and erection crew availability. Larger steel subs integrate with the shop floor scheduling system for live capacity feedback. The data model prevents the common failure of bidding beyond fab shop capacity.
Commercial glazing bids carry panel type (curtain wall, storefront, point-fixed), custom fabrication lead time, and installation crew allocation. The configuration adds panel type as a classification dimension so award rate reporting splits by panel type. Firms with mixed curtain-wall and storefront work report different award rates by product line, which drives sales targeting.
Roofing contractors
Roof type, system manufacturer, warranty requirement.
Commercial roofing bids carry roof type (TPO, EPDM, modified bitumen, built-up), system manufacturer, warranty requirement (10-year, 20-year, lifetime), and reroof-versus-new flag. Manufacturer-specific certifications gate which bids the firm can submit. The configuration tracks certification status per manufacturer and prevents bidding on jobs requiring certifications the firm does not hold.
Specialty crossovers
Firms that span multiple specialties get one record of truth.
Many commercial subs span two or three specialties (MEP firms that do controls, concrete firms that pour foundations and flatwork, steel firms with miscellaneous metals divisions). The configuration supports multiple trade-specific layouts on the same bid tracking object with role-based visibility, so each specialty team sees their own fields while the sales leader sees the full picture.
Where Strkr does not go
The boundaries for commercial contractors.
Strkr is a bid-tracking CRM, not a construction management platform or an estimating tool. The boundaries below are what Strkr does not try to be, and what firms should integrate for the full stack.
Not an estimating platform
Takeoff, pricing calculators, and quantity estimates belong in estimating software.
Strkr does not replicate the deep estimating functionality of Sage Estimating, PlanSwift, Trimble WinEst, STACK, or similar. These tools do the quantity takeoff and the pricing calculation. Strkr tracks the bid lifecycle around the estimate: receipt, assignment, pursuit decision, submission, outcome. The pattern that works: estimating software for the number crunching, Strkr for the lifecycle tracking, with webhook integration between the two.
Not a construction management platform
Project execution lives in Procore, Buildertrend, or similar.
Once a bid is awarded, project execution (daily reports, RFIs during construction, submittals, change orders, pay apps) runs on construction management platforms (Procore, Autodesk Build, Buildertrend). Strkr's role ends at the bid-to-project handoff. The project data flows back to Strkr for the win-rate reporting and for the next-bid context from the same GC.
Not an accounting platform
Job costing, AIA billing, and WIP accounting stay in Sage or Viewpoint.
Commercial contractor accounting runs on Sage 300 Construction, Viewpoint Spectrum, Foundation Software, or similar. Strkr integrates with these systems via API or webhook but does not try to replace the job costing and billing surface. Firms moving to Strkr do not need to touch their accounting stack.
Not a bid-solicitation marketplace
ConstructConnect, BuildingConnected, iSqFt stay as the lead source.
Bid invitations typically arrive from GC-facing solicitation platforms (ConstructConnect, Autodesk BuildingConnected, iSqFt, Procore Bid Board). Strkr receives these invitations via integration or manual entry but does not try to be a solicitation marketplace itself. The pattern: solicitation platforms source the invitations, Strkr tracks the lifecycle.
Not a labor union tracker
Union-specific labor and prevailing wage reporting stays in the union-aware payroll.
Commercial contractors in union markets or on prevailing wage projects run specialized payroll (Foundation, Procontractor, union-specific tools) for labor hour reporting and certified payroll. Strkr tracks the prevailing wage flag per bid and the union-labor requirement per project, but the detailed labor reporting lives in the payroll system.
Head-to-head
Strkr vs the typical commercial contractor stack.
Most commercial contractors run Salesforce or a construction-specific CRM alongside their estimating software, construction management platform, and accounting system. The table compares Strkr's bid-tracking surface against the current status quo.
Feature
Strkr
Salesforce (or legacy commercial contractor CRM)
Bid-tracking object vs opportunity
Purpose-built for bid lifecycle.
Repurposed opportunity object.
GC relationship tracking
Native account record with bid-flow trends.
Standard account with custom reporting required.
Pre-bid walkthrough mobile log
Native mobile app with voice, photo, GPS.
Via mobile wrapper, varies in offline quality.
Document panel per bid
Native versioned storage with required-document check.
Via Dropbox or SharePoint integration.
Award rate reporting
Multi-dimensional native.
Custom reports or spreadsheet exports.
Estimator capacity view
Native dashboard with active-bid load.
Via custom report or spreadsheet.
Pricing per seat
Flat per seat on every tier.
Salesforce Enterprise or industry-vertical pricing.
Low-code admin for custom fields
Non-engineer configures.
Certified admin often required.
Mobile offline mode
Included on every paid tier.
Add-on priced per seat.
Integration with estimating software
Published webhook patterns for Sage, PlanSwift, STACK.
Varies by vertical CRM.
How teams use Strkr
How commercial contractors run bid tracking on Strkr.
The patterns below are drawn from commercial contractor customer accounts in MEP, concrete, steel, glazing, and roofing. Each describes the firm profile, the configuration, and the measurable outcome.
MEP contractor, 85 employees, $45M revenue
Award rate reporting drove $4M of targeted sales focus.
An 85-employee MEP contractor serving regional commercial construction configured Strkr with trade-specific bid tracking. The award rate report surfaced an 18 percent award rate on tenant improvement work versus 9 percent on new construction, with similar pursuit effort. The sales lead redirected 60 percent of outbound effort to TI work. Within two quarters the firm had $4M more revenue from TI projects and declined roughly 40 ground-up bids that would have returned low-award-rate time investment.
Concrete sub, 42 employees, $18M revenue
Pour-schedule capacity view ended overbooking.
A 42-employee concrete sub had a chronic problem of winning bids they could not pour because the schedule overlapped with existing commitments. Strkr's pour schedule capacity view surfaced the conflict during estimating rather than at project award. The firm declined 8 bids in the first quarter because the pour window conflicted with existing work. The projects they did win were pour-scheduled correctly, which eliminated the previous pattern of overtime and crew reshuffling.
Commercial glazing, 60 employees, $28M revenue
GC relationship tracking identified three dormant accounts worth reactivating.
A 60-employee commercial glazing specialist used Strkr's GC relationship dashboard to surface GCs the firm had worked with historically but had not received a bid invitation from in 12-plus months. Three dormant accounts were identified. Targeted outreach reactivated two of them within six months, which drove $2.1M of pursued work. The pattern of "losing" GC relationships to attrition had been invisible on the prior CRM.
Steel contractor, 110 employees, $65M revenue
Fabrication capacity data integrated with bid go/no-go.
A 110-employee steel contractor integrated fabrication shop scheduling with Strkr's bid pursuit scoring. Incoming bid invitations auto-scored on fab capacity feasibility alongside the usual GC relationship and project type factors. The sales lead and the fab shop manager had a shared view of which bids to pursue. Over the first year, the firm reported fewer late deliveries and higher margin on awarded projects because the firm stopped winning jobs the fab shop could not deliver on time.
Roofing contractor, 55 employees, $22M revenue
Manufacturer certification gating prevented three ineligible bids per month.
A 55-employee commercial roofing contractor tracked manufacturer certifications in Strkr with gating logic that flagged bids requiring certifications the firm did not hold. The system prevented an average of three ineligible bids per month that would have been submitted and either disqualified or won-and-reneged. The estimator team reported less wasted effort and the sales lead redirected the time toward manufacturer certification development, which expanded the firm's eligible-bid universe by 15 percent over 18 months.
Bid tracking built for commercial contractors chasing 400 bids a year.
Start a 14-day trial, import a quarter of historical bid data, and see the award rate reporting across GC, project type, and estimator. See where the data model fits the commercial contractor shape where general-purpose CRMs do not.
How does Strkr handle the large number of lost bids commercial contractors generate?
Lost bids are first-class data in Strkr, not clutter. The bid tracking object includes a loss reason (lost on price, lost on scope, lost on schedule, GC awarded in-house) and the award recipient when known. Lost bids feed the award rate reporting and the GC relationship analysis. The pattern turns the 340 lost bids a year a commercial sub generates into learning data rather than a wall of red status that nobody reports on. The dashboard surfaces award rate trends over time by multiple dimensions so the sales lead sees which categories are improving or decaying.
Does Strkr integrate with my estimating software?
Strkr publishes integration patterns for Sage Estimating, PlanSwift, Trimble WinEst, STACK, HeavyBid, and the other common commercial estimating platforms. The pattern uses webhook events and the Strkr REST API. The integration flows bid pricing from the estimating tool into the bid record on submit, and surfaces the submitted bid value alongside the awarded value for variance tracking. Most commercial contractor integrations ship in one to two weeks of engineering time.
What is the mobile app offline capability for site walks?
Strkr's mobile app is a native build with aggressive offline-first design. Account records, bid records, and project records cache on the device. Voice notes, photos, and bid record updates queue locally and replay when the signal returns. For commercial contractors doing pre-bid walkthroughs on sites with marginal cell coverage (which is most sites), the offline mode is reliable without a connection. The feature ships on every paid tier at no additional charge.
How does Strkr handle prevailing wage and bonded work?
The bid tracking object carries flags for prevailing wage requirement, bonding requirement, and bond amount. The pursuit scoring considers these flags in the expected-value calculation (prevailing wage work has different margin profile; bonding capacity is a hard constraint). The admin configures the firm's bonding capacity ceiling, and the system flags bids that would exceed the ceiling when combined with current bonded work in flight. The detailed certified payroll and bond issuance workflow stays in the payroll and bonding systems that already handle it.
What is the typical onboarding time for a commercial contractor?
A mid-sized commercial contractor (30 to 100 employees) typically onboards in 4 to 8 weeks. Week 1 to 2: configure the bid tracking object with the firm's specific fields and project classification scheme. Week 2 to 4: import historical bid data and GC accounts. Week 4 to 6: train the estimator team on the mobile and web workflows. Week 6 to 8: enable integrations to estimating software and accounting. The implementation partner network for commercial contractors is growing; Strkr publishes certified partner profiles for firms that want hands-on help.
How does Strkr compare to Procore CRM or Autodesk BuildingConnected?
Procore CRM and Autodesk BuildingConnected are strong at bid solicitation (GC-side) and project execution (post-award). Strkr is strong at the sub-side bid tracking lifecycle: pursuit decision, estimator capacity management, award rate analysis, GC relationship trending. The common pattern is Strkr for the sub's own bid tracking plus BuildingConnected or Procore Bid Board as the invitation source, with integration between the two. For construction management post-award, Procore remains the standard; Strkr hands off cleanly to Procore via native integration.
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