Integration · Design tool
Compare Material Bids and Build Accurate Solar Proposals in One Place
BidList lets solar installers solicit, receive, and compare material bids from multiple distributors on a standardized bill of materials — and the SubcontractorHub integration imports the winning bid's pricing and BOM directly into your proposal so your margins are protected and your numbers are exact. Installers using BidList typically reduce material cost variance between estimated and actual by 15–22% compared to those quoting from memory or outdated price sheets.
What Connects Between BidList and SubcontractorHub
The specific data flows that eliminate double entry and keep both systems current without extra work from your team.
BOM Data to Proposal Material Section
When a bid is accepted in BidList, the complete bill of materials — panels, inverters, racking, wiring, conduit, and hardware — with unit pricing and extended totals syncs to SubcontractorHub's proposal material section. Estimators see line-item materials populated from the actual distributor quote, not a price-book estimate from 6 months ago, protecting gross margin on every job.
Bid Comparison Archive to Project Record
BidList's full bid comparison — showing pricing from multiple distributors side-by-side — attaches to the SubcontractorHub project record as a sourcing document. When a project manager questions why a specific distributor was selected, the bid comparison is retrievable in seconds, and the cost delta versus the next-lowest bid quantifies the savings decision.
Material Cost to Job Costing
Accepted bid pricing flows from the proposal into SubcontractorHub's job costing module as the budgeted material cost baseline, enabling real-time gross margin tracking as the job progresses. When a distributor invoices differently from the accepted bid, SubcontractorHub flags the variance against the BidList-sourced budget and alerts the project manager before it erodes margin silently.
Reorder and Change Order Pricing Updates
When a change order requires additional materials, BidList can be triggered from the SubcontractorHub change order workflow to request updated pricing from the distributor on the specific added items. The updated pricing syncs back to the change order proposal, keeping the customer-facing change order price tied to current actual cost rather than an estimate.
How to Connect BidList with SubcontractorHub
Connect via BidList API Credentials
Log into BidList, navigate to Account Settings > API Access, generate your API credentials, and enter them into SubcontractorHub's BidList integration panel to authorize the bid data sync.
Map BOM Categories to Proposal Lines
Align BidList's BOM categories (modules, inverters, racking, BOS) to SubcontractorHub's proposal line item sections so accepted bid data populates in the correct proposal structure.
Enable Job Costing Import
Turn on the job costing sync so accepted BidList pricing automatically sets the material cost budget in SubcontractorHub's job costing module for each project, enabling real-time margin tracking.
Configure Change Order Bid Trigger
Set up the optional change order workflow so that when a change order is created in SubcontractorHub, a BidList material request for the added items is automatically triggered to your preferred distributor.
Ready to connect BidList?
Book a 30-minute demo — we'll show you exactly how the integration works and walk you through setup for your account.
Who Uses the BidList Integration
Protecting Margin on Fluctuating Module Prices
A solar installer bids 20 projects per month with a 3-week average sales cycle. Module prices move 4–8% over the period from first contact to proposal acceptance. By pulling BidList pricing into each SubcontractorHub proposal at the time of quote (not from a 90-day-old price sheet), the contractor locks in current pricing and avoids the margin compression that happens when module costs rise between quote and install. The result: gross margin variance dropped from ±9% per job to ±2%.
Multi-Distributor Sourcing for Supply Chain Resilience
During a period of supply constraint on a specific inverter model, a solar installer uses BidList to bid out their Q3 pipeline to 4 distributors simultaneously. BidList identifies that one distributor has 60 units in stock at $312/unit while others are showing 8-week lead times. The installer shifts all Q3 purchasing to the available distributor, SubcontractorHub reflects the updated BOM pricing, and no jobs are delayed for equipment.
Accurate Commercial Solar Proposal Costing
A commercial solar EPC is bidding a 250 kW warehouse roof system. The estimator uses BidList to solicit pricing for 650 panels, 3 string inverters, and 3,200 linear feet of racking from 5 distributors. BidList's side-by-side comparison identifies a $14,000 material cost delta between the highest and lowest qualifying bids. The winning bid syncs to SubcontractorHub and the proposal margin is 4.2 points higher than if the estimator had used their default distributor without competitive bidding.
Change Order Material Pricing Accuracy
A homeowner adds a battery backup (10 kWh Enphase IQ Battery) mid-installation via a change order. The SubcontractorHub change order workflow triggers a BidList request to 3 distributors for current battery pricing. BidList returns quotes within 4 hours; the installer accepts the best price, which syncs to the change order proposal. The homeowner receives a change order with an exact equipment cost rather than a 'TBD pending pricing' placeholder that erodes trust.
Common Questions About the BidList Integration
Does BidList work for roofing and HVAC material sourcing or only solar?
BidList's current platform is designed specifically for solar BOM management and distributor relationships. For roofing material sourcing, ABC Supply's integration with SubcontractorHub covers shingle, underlayment, and accessory pricing directly. HVAC equipment pricing is typically managed through SubcontractorHub's built-in supplier catalog.
How long does it typically take to receive bids from distributors via BidList?
BidList's network distributors typically respond within 2–6 hours during business hours. Requests submitted after hours are typically fulfilled by 9 AM the following business day. Rush response (under 2 hours) can be requested for time-sensitive proposals.
Can I lock pricing in BidList for a specific period after accepting a bid?
BidList facilitates price holds with distributors — typically 30 or 60 days — depending on the distributor's terms. SubcontractorHub tracks the bid acceptance date and can flag when a price hold is approaching expiration so you can re-bid before the hold lapses and the proposal price is no longer defensible.
Does BidList integrate with ABC Supply or other wholesale distributors?
BidList connects with solar-focused wholesale distributors such as CED Greentech, BayWa r.e., Wesco, and regional solar distributors. It does not connect with roofing-specific distributors like ABC Supply, which has its own direct SubcontractorHub integration.
Is the BOM from BidList detailed enough for permit applications?
BidList's BOM provides model numbers, quantities, and specifications sufficient for permit equipment schedules. For structural and electrical permit drawings, Scanifly or Aurora Solar's permit plan outputs are the appropriate documentation — BidList's BOM supports the materials section of the permit, not the engineering drawings.
Connect BidList with SubcontractorHub
Your team keeps working in the tools they know. SubcontractorHub ties them together so nothing falls through the cracks.
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