Budget Template: AICP Commercial Bid
A free AICP budget template that follows the lettered sections of the AICP bid form, from A Prep Crew to W Editorial Labor and Creative Fees, with insurance and production fee markups. Bid the job, then track actuals against the same lines.
What is the AICP bid form?
The AICP bid form is the standard format US commercial production companies use to bid jobs to advertising agencies and brands, maintained by the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP). Using it lets agency producers compare competing bids line by line. AICP revised the form in December 2019, after its January 2018 merger with AICE: sections A through N stayed essentially the same, O and P were reassigned, Q through W took over the former AICE post-production sections reworked for social deliverables, and X was reserved for non-standard formats from design, animation and VFX studios. AICP publishes the official form in Excel and PDF.
Sections in this AICP budget template
This template follows the lettered structure and opens in Saturation as a live bid with 535 line items.
Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
A Prep Crew / B Shoot Crew | Line producer, AD, DP, camera assistants, DIT and the rest of the crew, priced by day |
C Prep and Wrap Expenses | Craft service, per diems, hotels, scouting, deliveries, car rental |
D Location Expenses | Location fees, permits, lane closures, set security, trucking |
E Props, Wardrobe and Animals | Rentals, purchases, fabrication, costumes |
F Studio Costs | Build, pre-light and shoot days, each with overtime hours |
G Art Department Labor / H Art Department Expenses | Production designer, set decorator, props; dressing, supplies, kit rental |
I Equipment Rental | Camera, sound, lighting, grip, generator, crane |
J Media | Drives, transcode and transfer, dailies |
K Miscellaneous Production Costs | Petty cash, shipping, phones, special insurance |
L Director's Fees | Prep, travel, shoot and post days |
M Talent / N Talent Expenses | On-camera principals; talent travel and per diem |
O Other | Anything that does not fit above |
Q Editorial / R Social Versions | Editorial; cleanup, reposition, re-animation, frame extension, pre-roll versions |
S Audio / T Finishing | Mix prep, sound effects and music search, voice casting; color grading, data I/O |
V Miscellaneous Editorial / W Editorial Labor and Creative Fees | Storage, LTO archiving, stock footage; editor and assistant labor with OT |
Markups | Insurance and Production Fee, calculated on the costs you include |
The template does not include sections P, U or X; add them as accounts if your bid needs them.
How to bid a commercial with it
- Lock the schedule first. Prep, pre-light, shoot and wrap days drive sections A, B and F.
- Price crew and studio by day. Enter day rates and overtime in A, B and F from your crew deals or the union agreement that applies. Shooting union? See the IATSE commercial agreement.
- Fill expenses from quotes. C through K, line by line.
- Enter the director's fee and talent. L for the director; M and N for on-camera talent and their expenses.
- Price post and social versions. Q through W, including every cutdown and aspect ratio the agency asked for.
- Set the markups. Insurance and production fee calculate on the subtotal, so the bid total stays right as lines change.
After the shoot: actualize the same bid
Agencies often ask for a wrap report against the original bid. Every line in the template carries Estimate, Actual and Variance, so you actualize the bid you sent instead of rebuilding it in a new spreadsheet. On a paid plan, export to Excel (XLSX), CSV or PDF when the agency producer needs a file.
Step-by-step help: how to fill out an AICP bid form and the AICP budget template explained. Running a commercial company? See Saturation for commercial production.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the official AICP bid form?
No. Saturation is not affiliated with AICP. This template follows the lettered section structure of the AICP bid form so agency producers can read it line by line. The official form is available from AICP in Excel and PDF.
What changed in the AICP bid form in 2019?
AICP introduced a revised form in December 2019. Sections A to N stayed essentially the same, O and P were reassigned, Q to W took over the former AICE post-production sections reworked for social deliverables, and X was reserved for non-standard bid formats from design, animation, VFX and interactive studios.
How do the production fee and insurance work in the template?
Both are markups on the subtotal rather than line items. Choose which sections each markup applies to and the bid total recalculates as lines change.
Can I export my AICP bid to Excel or PDF?
Yes. On a paid plan, export the full bid to Excel (XLSX), CSV or PDF at any time.
Can I use this template for music videos or branded content?
Yes, the lettered layout works for most short-form commercial work. For music videos specifically, the Music Video template is a lighter starting point.
Is it free?
Yes. The AICP template is one of the public templates on Saturation's free Creator plan.
Open this template in Saturation
Every template lands in a live budget: auto-fill the line items, set your phases and rate packs, and let fringes and reports follow the numbers.
Budget Engine 2.0
Your budget, your cost report and every export run on one engine.
Auto-fill
Rates fill in as you type, from the source you turned on.
PhasesRebuilt
Every column knows its type.
Reports
Drag blocks onto the page and split a row in two.
Rate packs
Verified union rates, versioned.
Fringes and markupsRebuilt
Stack them, cap them, and see the split on every line.
