Compare competing business proposals criterion by criterion
Competing proposals rarely describe the same thing in the same way: one bundles training into the fee, another lists it as optional, a third does not mention it. Upload every bid to one Search+ workspace, ask about one criterion at a time across all of them, and open the citation for each proposal so the comparison rests on what each supplier actually wrote.
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Last updated October 2026
How to compare business proposals with Search+
- Upload all the bids and the brief
Add each bid as it arrived, PDF or Word, plus the brief they answer, up to 10 files per upload. Name the workspace for the decision so the bids and your questions stay together.
- Write your evaluation criteria as context
Put the criteria in Workspace Context, for example "Compare on scope coverage, delivery date, named team, exclusions and payment terms; note where a proposal is silent". Search+ applies that list to every question in the workspace.
- Ask one criterion at a time
Ask "How does each proposal handle data migration?" rather than "Which is best?". Narrow, single-criterion questions give answers that cite each bid clearly, and you can open each citation to check.
Comparison questions to ask across proposals
Which of the proposals cover every item in section 3 of our brief, and which leave something out?
List what each proposal excludes or assigns to us as the client.
What delivery date does each proposal commit to, and which ones state it as an estimate?
Which proposals name the people who will do the work, and which only describe roles?
How does the payment schedule differ between the proposals, including any upfront payment?
Which proposal does not mention support after delivery at all?
Comparison points that matter for proposals
Two prices can only be compared when the scopes match. Compare the inclusions and exclusions before you compare totals.
If one bid says nothing about warranty, support or revisions, that is different from a bid that excludes them. Ask which proposals do not mention a topic.
One supplier commits to a date, another estimates. Compare the exact wording behind each promise.
A named team can be held to; a list of roles can be filled by anyone. Ask which bids commit named staff.
Ask across all the proposals in the workspace and the answer cites each one it draws on, so you can open any supplier's wording.
What to compare across proposals, and why
| Comparison point | Why it matters | A question to ask Search+ |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and exclusions | Defines what each price actually buys | What does each proposal exclude? |
| Assumptions | Conditions that can change cost or timing | Which assumptions does each proposal make about our data or staff? |
| Timeline and milestones | Whether the plan meets your deadline | Which proposals commit to delivering before our deadline? |
| Team and capacity | Who does the work and how much of their time | Which bids name the project lead? |
| Acceptance and revisions | How work is signed off and corrected | How many revision rounds does each proposal include? |
| Commercial terms | Payment schedule, validity, change pricing | How does each proposal price changes to the scope? |
What is a proposal comparison in Search+?
A proposal comparison in Search+ is an answer in chat to a question you ask across several proposals in one workspace, written in prose with inline citations to the passage in each proposal that supports it.
Questions about comparing proposals
Can Search+ tell me which proposal is best?
Can it build a scoring table of the bids?
What if the proposals use different terms for the same thing?
How many proposals can I compare?
Can I come back to the comparison later?
Are the comparison answers always right?
Compare bids on what they actually say
Start a workspace, upload every proposal and your brief, and ask about one criterion at a time.
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