A clear tender pack helps builders spend their time pricing the same job. It also makes the returned prices easier to compare. The most useful improvement is often a small amount of explicit information: the current revisions, final selections, site constraints and the basis every tenderer should use.
Define the decision and return format
State whether the request is an early budget, a detailed tender or a fixed-price offer. Give the deadline, required breakdown, tax basis, validity and clarification process. A consistent return schedule helps separate a genuine cost difference from a different interpretation of the job.
Use the tender comparison worksheet when checking the returns. Keep each builder’s submitted total and qualifications intact before recording any comparison adjustments.
Give the pack a clear document basis
- List drawing and specification numbers, dates and revisions.
- Identify structural, services, survey and schedule information still to follow.
- State which addenda and clarifications form the pricing basis.
- Issue changes to every relevant tenderer, with an explanation of what changed.
The project pack register gives you a reusable structure and a completed example. A folder of files is easier to price when the builder can see which information is current and what is missing.
Make selections and allowances comparable
Hypothetical extension tender-pack example.
| Information | Unclear request | Clearer pricing instruction |
|---|---|---|
| Glazing | Price new rear doors | Give schedule references and specification; state the allowance basis if the final selection is pending |
| Steel | Allow for structural work | Issue the engineer information available and identify the schedule still outstanding |
| Floor finish | Client to choose tiles | State a supply allowance and the installation basis separately |
| Access | Normal construction access | Describe the known delivery route, storage and working restrictions |
An allowance should explain what it covers and what will settle it. A supply allowance is different from a complete installed package. Where the scope is not sufficiently defined, say what information is expected rather than asking every builder to invent a different assumption.
Include information the drawings do not show
Relevant constraints can include occupied areas, access width, waste routes, working hours, storage, protection, client-supplied items and sequencing. Record known facts and identify items the tenderer should verify. The consequences may sit in labour, plant, preliminaries or a subcontract quotation, not just in a material rate.
Architects do not need to choose each builder’s commercial method. They can make the enquiry basis consistent enough for those methods to be compared fairly.
Keep one clarification and revision process
Set a contact, question deadline and method for distributing material answers. If one answer changes scope, share it with every relevant tenderer. Record whether a revised return is required and whether the deadline changes.
When reviewing a lower return, look for unpriced work, different provisional amounts or an earlier revision before describing the offer as better value. Ask the builder to confirm significant gaps instead of silently adjusting them on their behalf.
Make the builder handoff useful
Give the builder a concise summary of the project, the current pack register, the pricing instructions and the unresolved decisions. Ask for the quote basis and qualifications to remain visible in the return.
If the builder is using Quotify, this information provides a better first-pass starting point. The pack preparation lesson shows the practical workflow. You can share it with the contractor who will prepare the price.
A useful next step
Project pack and scope register
Record the documents, quantities, selections and site conditions needed to price the work.
Download blank worksheetSee the completed exampleA construction team checks an extension estimate
See how a labour and material breakdown helped a team review a price difference against its existing estimate.
Read the experienceFollow the practical workflow
Use the relevant lesson while preparing, reviewing or issuing your own project.
Open the matching lessonPut this into practice on your next project
Your first complete project is free, including the estimate, risk information, client reports and internal reports. Bring your drawings, specification and site notes, then review the working against how your business will deliver the job.
FAQs
What should an architect include in a tender pack?
Current drawings, specifications and schedules, a document register, pricing instructions, known selections, relevant site information and a consistent clarification process.
Why do builder tenders vary so much?
The commercial method can differ, but so can the assumed scope, specification, allowances and revision basis. Compare those before drawing conclusions from the totals.
