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Who pays on each bid network
Every bid network has a side that pays and a side that responds free. Vendors seldom say which, and it decides whether the tool is cheap or expensive for you.
The short version
- If you are a general contractor, BuildingConnected and SmartBid are paid by the GC, and the subs you invite respond free. Procore and Kahua also bill the contractor or owner. PlanHub is reported to be free for GCs, with paid add-ons for takeoff and estimation.
- If you are a subcontractor, you can answer invitations on BuildingConnected and SmartBid for free. PlanHub and ConstructConnect Project Intelligence are the ones that charge you, in exchange for finding projects instead of waiting for invitations.
Side by side
| Tool | Who pays | Entry price |
|---|---|---|
| Bidtracer | Subscriber pays; pricing not published | Quote only |
| BuildingConnected | GC pays; subs respond free (Bid Board Pro is a paid upgrade) | GC quote only |
| ConstructConnect Project Intelligence | Sub pays; annual contract | Reported from $129 per month |
| Kahua | Owner or GC pays; quote only | Quote only |
| PlanHub | Sub pays (price by project radius); GC free, takeoff and estimation are paid add-ons | Free for GCs; subs reported from $1,999 per year |
| Procore Bid Management | GC pays; fee scales with annual construction volume, unlimited users | Quote; reported $15,000+ per year |
| SmartBid | GC pays per user per year; invited subs free | GC license, price not published |
What this means in practice
A network that charges the GC can afford to be free to the subs it wants on the platform, which is why a sub can sit on several of them at no cost. A network that charges the sub has to earn that fee, so it sells project discovery: the tool finds work for you, instead of waiting for an invitation.
Pricing for several of these tools is not published. Where a figure comes from a third party, the listing says so and names the source. Treat those numbers as a range to confirm on a sales call.
Prices reviewed October 2026. See how we compare for how we label price sources.