01
Procurement route
Traditional, design and build or two-stage, chosen for the scheme and the risk you want to carry.
Development management 05
Procurement and contractor selection
The right contractor, on a contract that protects your budget
Many development budgets are lost in the contract, not on site. We fix the scope, test the price and allocate the risk before work starts.
- 01
Tender documents and a fair, competitive tender
- 02
A line-by-line tender analysis and a clear recommendation
- 03
A building contract set up to protect your budget
The problem
The lowest tender, the highest final account
A contractor who prices low against an incomplete scope recovers the difference later.
Exclusions, provisional sums and qualifications sit quietly in the tender. They are not compared, not priced and not noticed until they come back as variations.
A weak contract then lets them through. Payment terms, completion dates, damages and the procedure for change are left open, and every disagreement on site becomes a negotiation you start from behind.
How we procure
Scope fixed, price tested, risk allocated
A tender is only as good as the documents behind it.
02
Tender documents
Drawings, specification, pricing schedules and preliminaries, so every tenderer prices the same thing.
03
Contractor selection
Contractors of the right size, experience and financial standing for the scheme.
04
Tender analysis
Every return checked line by line, with exclusions and qualifications brought into the open.
05
Recommendation
Price, programme, track record and contract terms assessed together, not price alone.
06
Building contract
Usually a JCT form, with payment, retention, completion, damages and change procedures that protect you.
A fixed price only protects you if the scope is fixed.
Our position on procurement
We work with a network of contractors we know, and we invite others where the scheme needs them. Every contractor competes on the same terms, and we have no financial interest in which one is appointed.
The contract is written before the first problem on site, so it decides who pays for every problem after it. That is why we spend as much time on the contract as on the price.
Questions
Procurement, answered directly
How many contractors should tender?
Usually three to five suitable contractors give a fair test of the market without wasting anyone’s time.
Should I go for a fixed price?
A fixed price only protects you if the scope is fixed. We advise on the right route once the design is clear.
Can I use a contractor I already know?
Yes, as long as they are tested against the market. That protects you and anyone investing alongside you.
Which form of contract do you use?
Usually a JCT form suited to the size and type of scheme, amended where the project needs it.
Insights
Further reading on procurement
Procurement and contracts
Single stage or two stage, choosing honestly
The decision is usually taken by whoever speaks first in the meeting. It deserves better, because it sets how much...
Read the article
Procurement and contracts
Normalising bids before you compare them
Four bids for the same scheme are almost never bids for the same scope. Until the differences are stripped out, the...
Read the article
Procurement and contracts
Choosing a contractor on more than the price
Every developer knows the cheapest tender is not always the cheapest job. Far fewer have a method for working out...
Read the article