Every civil engineering bid starts the same way: an address, a deadline measured in days, and a research task that has nothing to do with engineering, digging through municipal, provincial and federal sources to find out what actually applies to that site before anyone can price the work.
The problem, stated plainly
Civil firms often have a day or two to submit a bid. Researching permits, utilities, traffic requirements and stormwater rules for a single site can take hours of unbilled time per pursuit, time spent before a single line of engineering happens. Miss a stormwater or permitting detail during that research phase, and it can wipe out the fee on a project that was otherwise priced correctly.
What we built, and where the coverage actually stands
Civil Proposal takes a site address and returns a scoping intelligence report: risk flags, permits and timelines, servicing context, and a planning-level budget. As of this writing, that coverage spans:
- 230 municipalities with municipal-level data
- 61 markets with sourced permit timelines
- Federal and provincial data across Canada
Every figure in a report is labelled one of three ways: Sourced (pulled from an open municipal, provincial or federal record), Published standard (a known baseline, not site-specific), or Confirm with the authority (Civil Proposal flags it, but a human still needs to call). That labelling is the point. It's built so a firm can see exactly which parts of a bid are backed by a record and which parts still need a phone call, rather than presenting everything with false confidence.
What it doesn't do
It doesn't replace the engineering judgment or the relationship a firm has with a municipality. It doesn't guarantee permit timelines, those are sourced estimates, not commitments from the authority. And coverage outside the 230 configured municipalities is thinner by design; the tool tells you when you're outside its confirmed range rather than guessing.
Pricing
Civil Proposal runs a tiered pricing model, including a free plan. Current rates are listed at civilproposal.com.
FAQ
How many municipalities does Civil Proposal cover?
230 municipalities have municipal-level data as of this update, with sourced permit timelines for 61 markets and federal and provincial data across Canada.
How much unbilled research time does a civil bid typically involve?
Civil firms can spend hours of unbilled time per pursuit researching permits, utilities, traffic and stormwater requirements before pricing a bid.
Does Civil Proposal guarantee permit timelines?
No. Every figure is labelled Sourced, Published standard, or Confirm with the authority, so a firm can see which parts of a report are backed by a record and which still need direct confirmation.
What does Civil Proposal cost?
It runs a tiered pricing model with a free plan. Current rates are listed at civilproposal.com.
Try it
Civil Proposal is live at civilproposal.com. If you want to see what a report looks like for a specific site, the free plan is the fastest way to find out.