Bid teams / tender teams often bid for projects that the company can’t do.

They will make a schedule that is too tight, or have milestones that are impossible to achieve.

You should make sure that the bid teams know what resources are available, how busy everyone is, and what problems have arisen in projects.

Ideally the leaders of the bid teams should be included in regular project summary meetings (the meetings where project managers meet together to report on the different projects to the program manager). Including them in meetings (perhaps once a week) will give the bid managers the opportunity to understand the current issues in the projects.

Remember, they are trying to sell, usually as much as possible, you have to make them aware of just what is possible.

Tagged with: bid • milestone • project meetings • schedule

Filed under: Human Resources • Planning • Tender • Time

If a partly completed project is put on hold (deferred project) by the client, when it is restarted it should be treated as a new project.

This includes reviewing and redeveloping the scope, project plan, schedule, and budget.

The original project team may not be available anymore, so new people will take time to get familiar with the project.

The project should be renegotiated with the client.

Make sure language in the original contract does not say that no additional costs are allowed due to delays, as the client may use that clause to refuse to renegotiate the price.

Tagged with: deferred project • delays • renegotiate • restart

Filed under: Client • Contract • Cost • Planning • Scope • Tender • Time

Visit the intended project site before submitting the tender bid.

By doing this you can spot potential problems that may not have been documented.

Do not do a cost proposal with an incomplete review of the site and conditions.
Don’t submit the cost proposal until you have been given access to all areas of the relevant project site.

If you are given a project that has already been won, visit the site personally to familiarize yourself with it. Don’t write a plan to perform the services until you have visited the site.

Tagged with: cost proposal • site • site inspection

Filed under: Tender

Always check references given to you and also that you are submitting.

• You should check that references you list for your company will in fact give you a good reference.
• Clients do check the references listed in bids and proposals.
• Contact potential references on a regular basis.
• Obtain consent from the reference company for them to act as a reference.
• Ask them to call you after they receive a call for a reference about your company.

Tagged with: bid • proposal • reference

Filed under: Client • Tender

Get sub consultant agreement on tender documents.

When you are bidding for a tender and you are getting prices from sub consultants, make sure the sub gets a copy of the tender documents and agrees with them (or the relevant section) in writing before submitting them and their price to the client.

It is important that the agreement is in writing.

If you don’t get this agreement, the sub consultant may change their prices or conditions once they see the details of the tender.

Tagged with: agreement • sub consultant

Filed under: Contract • Contractors • Tender

Make sure to allow for inflation in cost estimates.
Particularly allow for large increases in raw material costs (e.g. stainless steel, copper).

This is important in the tender preparation process. You don’t want to offer a fixed price and find that your material costs go up dramatically.

It is common to put a clause in your contract/offer conditions that allow for price increases on certain parts of your work if the material costs increase above a set percentage.

Tagged with: conditions • Cost • estimate • inflation • materials • Tender

Filed under: Contract • Cost • Tender