← services

Tendering & Procurement

competitive tenders that compare like with like

Procurement is where a project's cost and risk profile is actually set. The contract you choose, the documents you issue and the contractors you invite determine how much competition you get, how much of the risk sits with you, and how many arguments you have later. We manage the whole process — strategy, documentation, tendering, evaluation and award — so the client makes the appointment decision with complete and comparable information.

procurement strategy

We advise on the route before the documents are drafted: traditional lump sum, design and build, construction management, or a two-stage approach where the design needs contractor input or the programme cannot wait for full information. Each route allocates cost certainty, programme control and design responsibility differently, and the right answer depends on the client's appetite for risk and involvement. We also advise on packaging, whether to prequalify, and how long the tender period realistically needs to be for the quality of return you want.

tender documentation and process

We assemble complete tender packages — drawings, specifications, bills of quantities or pricing schedules, preliminaries, the proposed form of contract and its particular conditions — and check them for consistency so tenderers are not pricing around ambiguity. During the tender period we manage the process formally: distribution, site visits, a controlled question-and-answer procedure with addenda issued to all tenderers equally, and a documented return and opening procedure. That discipline matters commercially and, on publicly funded work, procedurally.

evaluation, negotiation and award

Evaluation is where most value is either captured or lost. We check submissions arithmetically, interrogate rates that look unsustainable, identify qualifications, exclusions and scope gaps, and normalise the returns so the comparison is genuinely like for like. Programme, resourcing, method, relevant experience and financial standing are assessed alongside price. We then run post-tender clarification or negotiation, produce a written tender report with a clear recommendation and audit trail, and prepare the contract documents for execution.

what you receive

  • procurement strategy and packaging advice
  • contractor prequalification and shortlisting
  • complete tender documentation packages
  • tender period management, queries and addenda
  • normalised bid comparison and evaluation report
  • award recommendation and contract execution documents

A well-run tender typically saves far more than it costs, and it starts the construction phase with a contractor who understands exactly what has been priced. Talk to us before you issue your next enquiry.

discuss your project