A bicategorical perspective on Steinberg algebras

We show that the Steinberg algebra construction for ample groupoids is part of a pseudofunctor from the bicategory of ample groupoids and groupoid correspondences to the bicategory of rings with local units and nondegenerate bimodules. We define a covariance ring for diagrams in this bicategory of rings and show that it is a bicategorical limit. We compute the covariance ring for a diagram of ``proper’’ bimodules over an Ore monoid. For diagrams coming from groupoid correspondences, we identify the covariance ring with the Steinberg algebra of its groupoid model.