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Winning a construction tender is not about being the cheapest. It is about nailing the brief so the client says, ‘They get it.’
You do not need to write like a solicitor, but you must show clarity around scope, risk, and methodology. If you fail on those fronts, your bid goes straight to the bottom of the pile.
Whether it is a one-off private tender or a large public framework, the same mistakes pop up. Vague inclusions, sloppy delivery plans, and poorly formatted submissions all hurt your chances. Here is how to fix them and stand out.
Do not guess. If the tender documents say ‘provide access,’ clarify if that means only internal access, stair towers, or scaffold. Otherwise, you risk mismatched assumptions.
Contract terms matter just as much. If retention is 15% instead of the usual 5%, that stings your cash flow. If payment terms stretch to 60 days end-of-month, your subcontractors may bolt. Spot these clauses early, and price (or negotiate) accordingly.
The client’s priorities are also key. A council job in Warwick might prioritise social value alongside price and programme. In New York City, the largest construction agency in the city awards more than $1 billion annually, underscoring how each location carries unique factors. A private developer in Sydney may want practical completion before Christmas. Your response must reflect what they really care about.
Watch the tender process:
• Open tenders: Anyone can bid. There is high competition, typical in public sector work.
• Selective tenders: You are on a shortlist. You have passed the first hurdle, so prove you are the best.
• Negotiated tenders: Common with repeat clients or complex projects. You still need a crisp scope, pricing, and programme, but there is room to talk.
No matter the route, if your submission does not show what you are delivering, how you will do it, and how it meets the brief, you will not get the job.
Bidding for everything is a fast way to burn staff. 97% of general contractors use The Blue Book to find subcontractors, but you do not need more bids, you need better bids.
Start with location. If your team is based in Newcastle, a project in Bristol means travel and accommodation you may never recover. Local quirks like heritage overlays or restricted parking can also slow you down.
Next, scope and experience. If you specialise in aged care refurbishments, a data centre new-build could be a meltdown in the making. Tenders often favour relevant expertise. If you lack it, your bid will not shine.
Programme risk is another red flag. If you have only 14 weeks to complete work that obviously needs 20, the client either does not understand or does not care. Either way, you are on the hook.
Contract form matters too. If you know JCT Design & Build like the back of your hand, diving into NEC4 Option C can blindside you with pain/gain targets and open-book accounting.
Also, dig into the attachments. If you see 60+ documents, six revisions of drawings, and no clarity on design responsibility, you are inheriting major coordination risk.
Finally, assess the relationship. If you have done repeat work with the client, you know what to expect. If not, ask around. Chasing a developer infamous for late payments and endless variations may not be worth the headache.
Sometimes the best tender is the one you do not submit.
A small costing error can blow your margin or price you out. Double-check your numbers before you send them.
Start with the take-off. Use the latest drawings (IFC, Rev G, or whichever is correct). If your estimator is scribbling on Rev B, you have already messed up. That is how you miss items.
Subcontractor pricing requires scrutiny, too. Do not just pick the lowest quote. They might be excluding penetrations or scaffold, and then you will wear the cost.
Adjust rates for the current market. Material prices can shift fast, and labour shortages are still biting. If your numbers are stale, you are either too high or too low — both hurt.
Labour can be glossed over, but you should not do that.
Align your hours with real site access. Know the difference between standard rates and enterprise agreements. Factor in travel, site conditions, and allowances. Otherwise, your programme and your profit margin will be toast.
Put subbie quotes side by side and compare. Watch out for exclusions and provisional sums. If your roofing bid includes edge protection but another excludes it, you need to reconcile that before you finalise your price.
When you have solid subcontractor relationships, you get sharper, faster quotes. That can make you more competitive before you have even touched your own figures.
Subbies who trust you will raise potential issues early, which helps you spot missing details. That feedback does not come from a cold email blast.
If you have used the same roofing subbie on three jobs in Adelaide, they will probably sharpen their pencil again. They know you pay fairly and do not dump risk back on them with vague scopes.
But even strong subbies need well-defined scopes. If one includes edge protection and another does not, you cannot compare them. That leads to confusion and inflated contingency.
‘The process of sending out tenders to subcontractors, where they can directly upload their quotes into ProcurePro saves us so much time not needing to check emails... it’s so straightforward.’
— Eren Gover, Cadet, Building Engineering
Reliable relationships thrive on clear, repeatable processes.
• Use consistent scope templates.
• Spell out inclusions and exclusions.
• Capture lessons learnt from previous projects.
• Respond to requests for information (RFIs) promptly.
Make life easier for your subcontractors, and they will deliver more accurate prices. Make it painful, and they might guess or not bother.
Lowest price is not everything. Clients want confidence and minimal hassle. You must show them why you are the best choice without waffling.
Focus on hot-button issues. For a childcare centre with tight access, show how you will manage deliveries. For a hospital refurbishment, explain your sequencing to avoid shutdowns.
Write plainly. Skip buzzwords. Show them what you will do and how.
• Risk management: List known risks and how you have priced them. If you have allowed for cost escalation on imported cladding, say it.
• Safety: If you are working in a live school environment, highlight separation measures. Share any zero lost-time injury (LTI) stats.
• Sustainability: If a scheme targets Green Star or BREEAM, show your plan. Give specific examples — do not just say ‘We like eco-friendly stuff.’
Use real-world examples. If you handed over a school extension in March 2023 on time and under budget, mention it. Keep it short and demonstrate relevance to the job at hand.
Clients do not want your tender to crumble mid-project.
If you have locked in prices with key suppliers, say so. If you are factoring in wet-weather allowances, note those. Show how your early procurement approach can avoid 26-week switchboard delays. It proves you have a plan, not just a guess.
Do not lose hours chasing emails and updating spreadsheets. That is the old way, and it is full of gaps. The new way uses connected systems to keep tendering tight and transparent.
ProcurePro removes grunt work and streamlines scopes, RFIs, comparisons, and approvals in one place. Subcontractor responses come in a uniform format. You can see who has opened your tender, who has quoted, and who needs a nudge.
Approvals are quicker with eSignatures. Real-time reporting flags delays before they become crises. When you are juggling multiple tenders, you do not have time to babysit every package. A robust platform does it for you, so you can focus on pricing and programme.
If your bid is chaotic, the client doubts your competence. Keep it structured and match the tender’s format. If they say Part A (methodology), Part B (pricing), Part C (track record), then follow it.
Use a single bookmarked PDF. Give it a clear contents page. Label everything correctly. Do not bury your clarifications in random attachments.
Double-check:
• You are using current documents (no old drawing revisions).
• You follow submission rules (naming conventions, upload portals).
• You attach everything they request (all 12 items on the checklist, not 11).
• You have the right signatories (if a director must sign, do not go with a project manager).
• You list exclusions in one place.
• You maintain consistent formatting (metric measurements, not a mix of metric and imperial).
Submit early if possible. If the portal has file size limits or your login fails, it is not an excuse for missing that noon cut-off. The submission itself shows how you will run the project. Make it clear, complete, and on time.
Do not try to match them on size. Focus on your advantages. Local knowledge, familiar suppliers, and tighter comms loops often beat bloated overheads.
Scope misalignment, unsigned declarations, or missing attachments. Maybe you priced ‘supply only’ when the client asked for ‘supply and install,’ or you forgot the safety statement. These simple errors are easy to avoid but can tank your bid.
Not when you compare the cost of one missed clause or a delayed signature. One big error could cost far more than a year of software.
You do not win by chance. You win because your pricing is tight, your scope is clear, and your submission is flawless. That requires systems, not spreadsheets.
ProcurePro brings everything together in one platform. You can build scopes from templates, compare quotes in seconds, and issue contracts without heaps of paperwork. No more risking errors in your inbox.
To see how it all works, book a demo with ProcurePro. Gain accurate pricing, smoother workflows, and stronger supply chain relationships — the real reasons you will outbid your competition.
James Metcalfe
