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Forward a bid invitation to bids@buildvision.io and BuildVision adds it to your account. You can do it one message at a time, set your mail client to do it for you, or have IT copy the address on everything.
Tell us before you start. Forwarding needs a little configuration on our side today, so email support@buildvision.io and we’ll set your company up. We’re working toward making this something you switch on yourself.

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Before you start

Two things catch most teams out.
The first message needs verifying. Gmail and Outlook send a one-time verification message to bids@buildvision.io when you add it as a forwarding address. Nobody at your company receives that message, so email support@buildvision.io and we’ll confirm it. Until it’s confirmed, forwarding won’t start.
Your tenant may block forwarding to outside addresses. Plenty of organizations disable external forwarding by default, and the failure looks like nothing happening at all. In Microsoft 365 a blocked message bounces with 5.7.520. Your administrator can allow it:

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Forward a single bid

Forward the original invitation, with its attachments, to bids@buildvision.io. Forward the whole message rather than a reply, so BuildVision gets the attachments and links from the original. This is the right way to try BuildVision on a few real bids before changing any settings.

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Forward automatically from your inbox

Set a rule once and your bids arrive without you thinking about it.
Gmail uses a filter to forward only the messages you choose.
1

Add the forwarding address

Add the filter in the next step. A forwarding address on its own sends every message in your inbox to BuildVision.
Use Gmail in a desktop browser. The mobile app can’t set up forwarding.
  1. Select the gear icon, then See all settings.
  2. Open the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
  3. Select Add a forwarding address, enter bids@buildvision.io, then Next → Proceed → OK.
The Gmail gear icon and the See all settings optionThe Gmail add a forwarding address dialogGmail now sends its verification message. Email support@buildvision.io to have it confirmed. Once it is, the address shows as verified and you can continue.
2

Create a filter for project emails

Go to gear icon → See all settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses → Create a new filter.The Filters and Blocked Addresses tab in Gmail settingsEnter criteria that match your project mail:
  • From a contractor domain, such as @contractordomain.com
  • Subject terms such as Bid, RFQ, Proposal, or Quote
  • Has attachment, so BuildVision receives drawings, schedules, and specs
The Gmail filter form with Has attachment selectedSelect Create filter, then check Forward it to and choose bids@buildvision.io. Check Also apply filter to matching conversations to send the project mail already in your inbox, so BuildVision has the history too. Select Create filter to save.The Gmail filter action set to forward with also apply filter selected
Create one filter per contractor or distribution list. A message matching several filters is still only forwarded once.
Google’s own guides: automatically forward Gmail messages and create rules to filter emails.
Using a different mail client? Email support@buildvision.io and we’ll walk you through it.

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Have IT copy the desk for everyone

Rather than every rep setting up a rule, your IT team can add a mail rule that copies bids@buildvision.io on the bid mail your reps send and receive. Your reps then do nothing at all. This needs setting up together, so start a conversation with us before your IT team builds the rule.

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How we know the bid is yours

Everyone forwards to the same address, so BuildVision works out which company a bid belongs to from the people on the message. Someone BuildVision already knows from your company has to be on the thread. That’s usually true without you doing anything, because you’re forwarding it. If nobody recognizable is on the message, BuildVision ignores it rather than guessing and filing it against the wrong company. If forwarded bids aren’t showing up, that’s the first thing to check, and support@buildvision.io can confirm who we recognize at your company.

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Troubleshooting

Three things cause this, in rough order of likelihood.
  1. The forwarding address was never verified. Gmail and Outlook send a confirmation to bids@buildvision.io, which nobody at your company can read. Email support@buildvision.io to have it confirmed.
  2. Your tenant blocks external forwarding. See Before you start.
  3. Nobody we recognize was on the thread. See How we know the bid is yours.
That’s expected until we confirm it. Gmail won’t let you forward to an address that hasn’t confirmed the request, and the confirmation goes to us. Email support@buildvision.io and we’ll action it, then the address shows as verified.
Microsoft 365 is blocking external forwarding through its outbound spam policy. Your administrator can allow it: outbound spam policies and external email forwarding.
For Gmail, yes, unless you want your whole inbox forwarded to BuildVision. A forwarding address on its own applies to everything. Outlook rules always carry a condition, so the equivalent risk doesn’t arise there.

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What forwarding costs you

Forwarding is the fallback, not the recommended path. Forwarded mail is less reliable at detecting projects and files, and at finding saved credentials for bidding portals, because forwarding rewrites the message and can break links or strip context. BuildVision still pulls what it can from the links and attachments it finds. If you can connect the inbox instead, do that.