Markup & Bid Decision Intelligence Dashboard
Executive decision support system for owner-level bid approval, built on SAP BusinessObjects for an ENR Top 100 international contractor.
Decision Validation, Not Reporting
The purpose of the dashboard was not reporting or estimating automation. It was developed to give the company owner and executive management direct visibility into how the bid price was formed and to enable independent validation before committing capital and margin.
What the Dashboard Enabled
Before finalizing the bid, the owner of the ENR-ranked contractor was able to perform comprehensive validation across multiple dimensions.
Multi-Layer Price Review
Review the complete price calculation through multiple analytical layers, rather than relying on a single aggregated estimate.
Normalized Metrics Validation
Validate pricing using Cost per SF, Rate per SF, Man-hours per SF, Unit rates and productivity indicators.
Cost Visibility by Master Code
Evaluate direct and indirect costs separately, with detailed drill-down by master codes, making overheads and risk-loaded items visible.
Risk Component Analysis
Analyze commercial impact of risk-related components including insurance, guarantees, unforeseen costs, taxes and statutory deductions.
Scenario Comparison
Compare multiple bid scenarios side by side (Scenario 1 / 2 / 3) before selecting the final commercial strategy.
Executive Markup Decision
Only after validations were completed did ownership determine the markup percentage and approve the final proposal amount.
Decision Logic Embedded in the Dashboard
The dashboard was intentionally structured to reflect how senior executives assess risk and profitability.
Clear Cost Separation
- Direct costs fully itemized and validated
- Indirect costs separated and tracked
- Risk and contingencies explicitly shown
- Markup and final sales value linked
Sensitivity & Transparency
- Sensitivity visibility showing impact of assumption changes
- Margins and total bid value impact analysis
- Transparent linkage between cost behavior and profit
- Clear understanding of risk distribution
This allowed leadership to clearly understand where profit was generated, where risk was carried, and how resilient the bid was under different assumptions.
SAP BusinessObjects Decision Intelligence
Built on SAP BusinessObjects, this solution transforms bid governance from estimator-driven workflows into structured executive decision frameworks.
BI as Decision Validation
BI applied as a decision validation system, not a reporting dashboard. Every metric serves executive judgment.
Owner-Level Pricing Governance
Pricing governed at owner and executive level, not driven solely by estimators. Strategic control restored.
Strategic Markup Decisions
Markup treated as a strategic, auditable decision with full documentation and rationale trail.
Rapid Response Capability
Ability to respond rapidly to pricing revisions while maintaining commercial control and margin visibility.
The dashboard replaced intuition-driven pricing with a structured, repeatable, and transparent decision framework, supporting disciplined bid approval within a highly competitive ENR 100 contractor environment.