What a Tender includes
A tender package comes after, or alongside, a detailed Building Regulations pack is complete. This is where we translate your construction drawings into a comprehensive, legally robust pricing pack for contractors.
Building Regulations drawings meet compliance standards, but they do not cover everything a contractor needs to price accurately. Therefore, we take the construction drawings and expand them into a full tender package.
First, this includes detailed finishing schedules covering materials, colours, textures and product references. Next, we add door, window and ironmongery schedules with specific manufacturers and performance criteria. Our package also includes sanitaryware, kitchen and lighting specifications. Furthermore, we prepare landscape, electrical and ancillary works schedules where the project requires them.
Additionally, we add full Preliminaries covering site setup, welfare facilities, working hours, access constraints and programme expectations. These clauses define the contractual basis on which contractors return their prices.
Consequently, the result is a pack that leaves no room for assumption. Every item we specify gives contractors the clarity they need to submit an accurate, comparable price. The same pack also serves as the benchmark for the future building contract. Anything not included in the pack risks becoming a variation later, so thoroughness at this stage protects your budget.
Working with Contractors
How we tender your project
We tailor the tender approach to your project scale, your budget and your preferred level of involvement. Below are the main tender routes we use across the industry.
Open Book Tender
First, we work directly with your preferred contractor throughout the pricing process. We share all cost information openly, including our own estimates and material budgets. The contractor then builds up their price line by line, with full visibility of every figure.
This approach builds trust and transparency from the outset. Moreover, it suits clients who already have a relationship with a contractor, or who want early cost certainty without competitive tension. The contractor can also advise on buildability and value engineering before we finalise the price.
Open Book works well for complex or bespoke projects where flexibility matters. However, it is less suited to clients seeking the lowest possible price through market competition.
Competitive Tender
We issue the same pricing pack to typically three selected principal contractors. Each contractor returns their price by an agreed deadline. Subsequently, we assess every return on a like for like basis.
This approach drives competitive pricing and gives you a clear comparison of market rates. It works well for projects where the design is fully resolved and the scope is clearly defined. Competitive tender suits clients who want best value rather than a pre-existing contractor relationship.
We recommend inviting three contractors to ensure genuine competition without overcomplicating the comparison. Fewer than three limits competition. Conversely, more than three creates unnecessary assessment work and can dilute contractor interest.
Two Stage Tender
Stage one focuses on preliminaries, overheads, profit and the contractor’s team. We appoint the preferred contractor early based on these headline figures. Then, stage two finalises the works packages through open book pricing with subcontractors.
This approach combines early contractor input with competitive subcontract pricing. It suits larger or more complex projects where the design is still evolving, or where early engagement with a contractor adds buildability value.
Two stage tender reduces risk on complex schemes. Furthermore, it allows construction work to start before every detail is finalised, which can shorten the overall programme.
Design and Build
Under this route, the contractor takes responsibility for both the design and the construction. We either work alongside the contractor as the client’s lead designer, or we transfer across to the contractor through a process called novation.
Design and Build places a single point of responsibility on the contractor. As a result, the client deals with one entity for both design and delivery. This approach suits clients who want price certainty and minimal management involvement.
The trade off is reduced design control once the contract starts. The contractor may substitute materials or alter details to meet their target price. To mitigate this, we lock key specifications into the employer’s requirements before we award the contract.
Cost Plus
Under this route, the contractor receives payment for their actual cost of labour, materials and subcontractors, plus an agreed percentage fee for overheads and profit. All costs remain transparent and fully itemised.
This route suits projects where the scope is uncertain or likely to change. It offers maximum flexibility and transparency. However, it carries the highest cost risk for the client, as there is no fixed total at the outset.
Cost Plus works best when trust between client and contractor is already established. Therefore, we always recommend a guaranteed maximum price cap where possible to limit your exposure.
Assessing the returns
Once we receive the tender returns, we do a full assessment. First, we compare every line item across all returns, not just the bottom line total. Then, we look for anomalies, exclusions, qualifications and unrealistic rates that could signal risk later.
Where the returns are higher than expected, we engage further. For example, we might conduct wider costing reviews with independent quantity surveyors on larger schemes. Alternatively, we might negotiate specific items directly with contractors to bring the price in line with your budget. Or we might recommend accepting a return where the price and the quality align.
We present our findings to you in a clear, structured format. We also highlight the strengths and risks of each return. Based on this, we advise on the best route forward considering cost, programme and contractor track record.
Once you agree the price with the contractor, we prepare the formal contract documentation. The pricing pack then becomes the contractual baseline for the build. This protects you from unagreed cost increases during construction