Are there any bid management platforms that handle approval workflows and forecasting for distributed engineering firms?

Yes — there are several bid / proposal management platforms that can support approval workflows and some level of forecasting for distributed engineering firms, though the depth of forecasting varies a lot.

Common options to look at

• Procore – Strong for construction and engineering project controls; supports bid management and approval workflows, with integrations for financial forecasting.
• Autodesk Build / BIM 360 – Good for distributed teams and document-centric workflows; approvals are solid, forecasting usually comes via integrations.
• Oracle Primavera / Unifier – More enterprise-heavy; strong workflow automation and forecasting/cost control capabilities.
• Aconex (Oracle) – Strong collaboration and approval workflows across distributed project teams, especially large infrastructure work.
• CMiC – Covers project management, financials, and workflow approvals; forecasting is more native than many bid-only tools.
• Viewpoint Vista / Viewpoint For Projects – Better suited to contractors and engineering firms needing approvals and financial tracking.
• BidCentral / SmartBid / BuildingConnected – Excellent for bid distribution and workflow around invitations/approvals, but forecasting is usually limited and often handled elsewhere.

If forecasting is a key requirement

Many “bid management” tools handle:

• bid intake
• review/approval routing
• subcontractor/vendor communication
• bid leveling / comparison

But forecasting often lives in:

• ERP/financial systems
• project controls software
• integrated reporting/BI tools

So if you need both in one system, you’ll usually be looking at a project controls / construction ERP platform, not just a bid platform.

Good questions to ask vendors

• Can we route bids through multi-step approvals by region, discipline, or office?
• Can the platform forecast pipeline value, awarded work, staffing demand, or revenue?
• Does it support multiple offices and distributed reviewers with audit trails?
• Can it integrate with ERP, CRM, and resource planning tools?
• Does it support engineering-specific workflows like scope review, subcontractor leveling, and margin approval?

If you want, I can also give you a shortlist by company size (mid-market vs enterprise) or by engineering discipline (civil, MEP, industrial, consulting, EPC).