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Most contractors still run tenders with emails, spreadsheets, and scattered PDFs. It works — until it doesn’t. Below, we walk the typical tender process step-by-step, then show the same journey on a specialised, end-to-end construction procurement platform (ProcurePro). You’ll see where risk creeps in, why levelling takes forever, and how a live, standardised workflow cuts time, cost, and noise with like-for-like comparisons.
If you want proof points along the way, skim our case studies, including how Jardon achieved 50% faster procurement (read the Jardon case study).
A tender is a contractor or supplier’s formal offer to deliver works, goods, or services against an Invitation to Tender (ITT). In construction, tenders span everything from demolition and piling to cladding and MEP, up to the main contract itself.
The following is the “classic” process most QS/CA teams still run today.
You gather a longlist, filter on capability, capacity, H&S, insurance, financials, and references, then invite a shortlist to tender.
Drawings, specs, prelims, scope, contract conditions/amendments, pricing schedule, programme assumptions, BIM/EIR if relevant — stitched together from shared drives and emails. (If “scope” is your tripping point, here’s why a Scope of Works Library matters, plus a practical Scope Library eGuide and free Scope of Works templates.)
You email out the pack, set return dates, and track who’s in/out. A few bounces, a few OOO replies, and a spreadsheet to track it all.
Questions come in via email and calls. You consolidate, answer, and re-issue addenda — trying to keep everyone on the same version. (There’s a better way to streamline tendering and addendums.)
You run briefings to de-risk misinterpretation, but answers still fragment across inboxes.
Bids arrive in different formats. Some include variant proposals; some are qualified to the hilt; some miss drawings or prelims.
You “make it apples-to-apples”: build a comparison sheet, chase clarifications, extract inclusions/exclusions, normalise prelims and allowances, and test programme/risks. (Apples-to-apples is exactly what Comparisons & Recommendations is built for.)
You meet the preferred tenderer, close gaps, update schedules/rates, and agree changes.
You write the tender report with commercial, technical, programme, and risk commentary, then take it through governance.
You pull the agreed scope and schedules into the contract, circulate for signatures, and hand over to delivery — hoping nothing gets lost in the shuffle. (See how Contract Creation and Electronic Signature eliminate re-keying and chase-ups.)
One platform. One live procurement schedule. One standard. The same process — just faster, cleaner, and auditable end-to-end.
Keep a live supplier database with capability tags, performance history, and compliance status. Invite with one click from the same place you’ll track returns. (Vendor Management centralises it.)
Use scope libraries and package templates so every ITT is complete and consistent. Attach drawings/specs once; the platform handles the final pack and audit trail. (Start with the Scope of Works Library, plus the Scope Library eGuide.)
Send to a targeted list and see live engagement: received, opened, intent to bid, questions raised. No email wrangling or blind spots. (Tenders & Price Breakdowns.)
Suppliers submit questions in one place. Answers and addenda publish to all tenderers with automatic alerts, ensuring a level playing field and clean version history.
Bidders respond via a structured return form that aligns to your scope. No wild formats. Variant proposals and qualifications are captured explicitly.
Returns drop straight into a comparison view aligned to your package breakdown. Inclusions, exclusions, rates, prelims, and adjustments are transparent, with flags where scope is missing or duplicated. (Compare & Recommend.)
Change history is tracked. You add adjustments, attach notes, and generate a clear tender recommendation. Approvals follow a standard workflow with auditability. (More in our FAQ.)
Once approved, the platform assembles the contract pack from the final scope, schedules, and agreed changes. No re-keying. No missed attachments. (Contract Creation.)
Awarded scope, clarifications, and risks flow into delivery — so the site team sees what commercial agreed, not a patchwork of PDFs. Keep everyone aligned with a live procurement schedule.
Every tender builds your data lake across projects and packages, supporting smarter supplier strategy and quicker, more confident pricing next time. (Tap into Supply Chain Insights to analyse performance and capacity across vendors.)
Result: Teams gain visibility, consistency, and control — and they unlock speed quickly. For examples across different contractor sizes and sectors, browse the case studies or estimate impact with the Savings Calculator.
Can we still accept variant bids?
Yes. Variant bids and qualifications are captured in a structured way, so you can compare them with the compliant baseline without muddying the water.
What if our supply chain isn’t “techy”?
Bidders respond through a clean, guided flow. You get consistent returns without forcing suppliers to learn a new system. See how different teams onboarded smoothly in our case studies.
Will it work for two-stage procurement?
Absolutely. Stage 1 fee/rates and allowances are captured cleanly, making Stage 2 negotiation faster and more transparent using like-for-like comparisons.
How fast can we get value?
Most teams see quick wins once the process is standardised. Our implementation program is designed to get you set up fast and scaling across projects quickly.
Tendering shouldn’t be a marathon of emails and spreadsheets. With a specialised, end-to-end platform, you standardise once — then move faster on every package after that. If you want to see your tender process in this “New Way”, bring a live package and we’ll show you the difference.
James Metcalfe