The College of Estate Management 2013

Paper 5006V5-0

Pre-tender process:
An introduction

Contents
Aim
Learning outcomes
1. Introduction
2. The traditional pre-tender process
3. The briefing process
4. Production of tender documents
5. Production documentation
6. Advantages and disadvantages of the traditional approach
Appendix: RIBA Plan of Work 2013 (reproduced for educational purposes with
the permission of the Royal Institute of British Architects)

Pre-tender process: An introduction

Paper 5006 Page 2

Aim
This paper aims to introduce the activities that must be completed before an invitation
to tender is issued.

Learning outcomes
After studying this paper you should be able to:

describe the traditional process of preparing the information necessary to invite

competitive tenders for construction work;

discuss the importance of the briefing process;

describe the function of the components of the production documentation, and

discuss the advantages of co-ordinated project information.

Pre-tender process: An introduction

Paper 5006 Page 3

1 Introduction
This paper is an introduction to the organisation of the traditional pre-tender process
for construction work.

First it considers the process as a whole.

Then it considers some related aspects in more detail, including the briefing
process and some issues relating to production documentation.

It concludes with some brief remarks on the advantages and disadvantages of

the traditional approach.

2 The traditional pre-tender process

In simple terms, the traditional pre-tender process is a set of activities or stages, each
of which should, in theory, be completed before passing to the next. The process can
be represented by a simple linear model, as in Figure 1.
FIGURE 1 The traditional pre-tender process
Brief

Initial design

Design development

Tender

Construction

In practice, this simplistic model is conventionally broken down into a larger number
of stages. There are several methodologies, but in the UK the most widely used is the
RIBA Plan of Work, which is reproduced in the Appendix.
Although a formal structure, this should not be considered to be a rigid framework to
be adhered to at all costs. The benefits of structure allow a recognised sequence of
works to be planned, but flexibility must be maintained in order to be able to
recognise and respond to changes as they occur.
The RIBA Plan of Work sets out each stage of the project from appraisal to postpractical completion. As the sequence or content of work stages vary or possibly
overlap to suit procurement methods, the RIBA Plan of Work then goes on to detail
the work stage sequences based on the method of procurement. At each stage the
RIBA Plan of Work identifies the various steps to be taken in the design and
procurement process. Further details of the tasks undertaken by the architect in each
work stage are set out in the RIBA Architects Job Book.

Pre-tender process: An introduction

Paper 5006 Page 4

There are other factors which must be considered if the design and construction
processes are to be efficiently organised. These include:

Team co-ordination. The aim of good team co-ordination is for all members
of the building team to work as one unit. This can only be done if each
member knows and appreciates the work and objectives of each of his fellow
members, and thus realises what effect his own actions will have. This coordination is important for example, liaison is necessary between the
architect and the quantity surveyor if the design is to be successfully cost
planned.

Communications. Obviously the system of communication between members

of the building team must be well established if efficiency is to be achieved.
Great care must be taken in all forms of communication, whether personal
contacts, correspondence, requests for information, instructions, specifications,
works schedules, etc., that nothing is left unclear or ambiguous. To this end,
standardised forms and phraseologies are often used.

Co-ordinating functions may be exercised by a project manager who is appointed by

the client to supervise the entire planning and building operation from inception to
completion. As for all roles within the team, it is important that the project managers
duties and responsibilities are firmly established from the outset.
The traditional pre-tender process has been described as taking a simple linear form,
but, in reality, it commonly includes a number of feedback loops. For example,
inadequacies in the clients brief often require aspects of the brief to be reconsidered
as the initial design stage progresses. The purely linear process presented in Figure 1
is therefore usually modified as shown in Figure 2.
FIGURE 2
Brief

Initial design

Design development

Tender

Construction

Clearly, feedback loops will both extend and disrupt the process, and experience
shows that the later the loops occur in the process, the greater the delay and disruption
caused. Progressive feedback loops (e.g. problems at design development stage that
are so fundamental as to cause a re-examination of the brief) are especially damaging,
and may even call the entire project into question. It is therefore important to ensure
that each stage is completed as far as possible before proceeding to the next.

Pre-tender process: An introduction

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3 The briefing process

The prime objective of the construction process is to satisfy the needs of the client
to provide a constructed facility which meets the clients objectives. Therefore, a
successful project requires the clients needs and objectives to be clearly and
unambiguously articulated and communicated to the design team.
Briefing is the term used to describe the process by which the client and the project
team establish the clients reasons for building and the problems that need to be
solved. The adequacy of this process is a fundamental determinant of a projects
success.
The success or failure of construction projects is not only determined by the skill and
flair of the design and construction team, but also depends on the active involvement
of the client, especially during the initial stages of the procurement process. It may
appear self-evident that a project is unlikely to be successful unless the construction
team and the client share an understanding of what it is expected to achieve.
However, history shows that in many cases often involving complex buildings and
complex corporate clients the necessary meeting of minds has not happened and,
often, after time the post-mortem reveals that an inadequate or misunderstood briefing
process has been a major contributor to the failure.
The initial briefing process is crucial in establishing this understanding. It is essential
that clients and their consultants should thoroughly understand both the process and
their roles within it.
The clients level of experience and expertise will plainly have an effect upon the
briefing and procurement process. The construction industry has a very broad
spectrum of client types, the two extremes being:

Very small, inexperienced clients who may only ever build once in their lives.
They will need to be led by the hand and require advice and guidance on every
aspect of the process.

Highly experienced clients who build regularly and understand the industry
very well. They may well drive the process themselves on the basis of what
they know has worked well in the past.

Looked at from a slightly different perspective, clients may range from:

single owner-occupiers with only themselves to satisfy (e.g. a small-scale

manufacturer building an industrial unit for his own use); to

complex corporate organisations with a need to satisfy many user groups (e.g.
a hospital trust building a new hospital).

Complex organisations will require a very different approach in terms of the

development of the brief, and the management of the process as a whole will be much
more complex and demanding.

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Historically, the process of project briefing seems to have been regarded as almost
unworthy of serious attention. For example, in Architectural Practice and Procedure
(3rd edn, 1945), Hamilton Turner ignores the topic almost totally, save to give
budding architects the following advice:
One of your most important rules should be to endeavour to give a client what
he wants. ... It is no doubt often the case that a client has but a dim notion as to
how his ideas can be carried out, and it is then the architects privilege to guide
him with expert advice.
Quite how this was to be achieved was not explained. Although at the time of
Turners advice both buildings and clients were rather less complex than they are
today, in many cases a successful end result must have come about largely by chance.
This ad hoc attitude towards briefing persisted for some time, and it was only from
about the mid-1980s that a number of guides were published for both architects and
clients. Some commentators still express serious doubts about architects brief-taking
skills.
By the beginning of the 1990s, the clients role in the briefing process was seen to be
crucial. It was described as being as creative as anything the architect or other
designers subsequently did. It was not a short-term activity to be got out of the way
quickly, or rushed, or done in a cursory fashion.
Sir Michael Latham, in his 1994 study of the British construction industry,
Constructing the Team, clearly recognised both the importance of the clients role and
the deficiencies of the then current methods of working. Following from the Latham
review, the then Construction Industry Board published a client guide, Briefing the
Team. More current resources can also be found on the Constructing Excellence
website (www.constructingexcellence.org.uk [accessed 17 July 2013]).
The briefing process has traditionally been divided into two main parts:

First, an initial outline statement of the clients requirements, often prepared

before the appointment of the design team, usually by the client himself.

Second, the development of a detailed definitive project brief, usually evolved

during the initial design stage in collaboration with members of the design
team.

Clients, especially those with limited or no experience of the construction process,

often define the brief in simple terms, stating only their basic requirements (e.g. a
schedule of rooms and areas) without considering more abstract factors that may have
considerable effects on the design. Usually this is not what is required. If the
designers perform their job properly, clients will be helped to define their
requirements in terms of the functions the space must fulfil and standards that must be
met. In the case of a factory, for example, the designer will need to understand how
the production process works and how the different operations involved interact with
each other, as well as the size and arrangement of equipment within each space. In the
case of a private house, designers need to understand the clients lifestyle, family
activities, hobbies, tastes and cultural background among other things before they
proceed.
So the briefing and initial design stages often constitute a learning process for both
designer and client, and several iterations of the brief may be required before both
parties are sufficiently confident to move on to the detailed design stage.

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4 Production of tender documents

In the traditional procurement route, the detailed design stage is followed by the
tender stage. Prices for the work are sought by competitive tender from a list of
suitable and willing contractors selected by the client (or by the quantity surveyor,
project manager or architect on his behalf), or by direct negotiation between the client
and a single contractor.
All projects need some form of tender documents on which a contractor can submit
a price for the work required. Depending on the procurement strategy chosen,
documents can range from a simple list of clients requirements (for a design and
build approach) to complete bills of quantities, specification and drawings (for a
larger traditional contract).
For small projects, drawings and a specification will be sufficient for the contractor
to determine his costs and submit a firm price on a pricing schedule. Drawings should
be complete and the specification detailed enough for there to be no ambiguities. The
contractor should be able to measure all the required quantities from the drawings
provided and establish the resources needed to complete the project.
For larger and more complex projects, traditionally bills of quantities are produced
to provide a common basis on which to obtain prices. The client takes responsibility
for the quantities provided and each contractor prices the same document. Before the
bills of quantities can be prepared, the design needs to be fully complete and include a
thorough and detailed specification of all the works. The time required to produce
tender documents using bills of quantities will, generally, be longer than for other
forms of tender documents, but using them can save time during the tender period as
the quantities are only measured once. However, it can lead to additional costs for the
client if there are errors in the quantities. In the UK, the client also has to pay a
considerable sum for the preparation of bills of quantities, as quantity surveyors with
the skills to prepare them are becoming increasingly scarce.
For design and build projects, contractors are not provided with bills of quantities as
the project is not yet fully designed. Nor do they need to measure bills of quantities in
order to establish a tender sum they adopt an approximate quantities or cost
planning approach based on a scheme design. However, in order to purchase
materials or obtain subcontract quotations, they do need to undertake some
measurement, perhaps based on the estimating rules contained in the RICS New Rules
of Measurement: Order of Cost Estimating and Cost Planning for Capital Building
Works (NRM1) rather than using a standard method of measurement.
A move towards management type contracts on large projects has reduced the need
for bills of quantities, as contractors only price the fee for managing a project, not for
undertaking the work. Each works package which is let can be on a different basis
either drawings and specification, or performance specification (design and build).
Here, the risk for measurement and its accuracy lies with the works contractor
undertaking a specific section of the works.
Producing bills of quantities

Before accepting a commission, a quantity surveyor should assess whether there are
sufficient resources available to undertake the work in the short amount of time
usually allocated. Usually, a commission is accepted before bill dates are known. It is
important that the production of this document is not rushed, otherwise the quality
and accuracy will be compromised.
The project is usually broken down into elements and allocated to different surveyors.
The information relating to each element is given to the relevant surveyor and any
deficiencies noted. Site information (e.g. for boreholes, water levels and existing site
conditions) is required, along with drawings and specifications.

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Each surveyor creates a take-off list of the works that need to be measured, and query
sheets are used to raise points for discussion if the information is incomplete or
ambiguous. Once most queries have been resolved, measurement of the works begins.
The method to be followed depends on local custom and practice. RICS New Rules of
Measurement: Detailed Measurement for Building Works (NRM2) provides detailed
guidance on the preparation, structure and format of bills of quantities, as well as the
detailed measurement rules to be used in the actual classification and quantification of
the works included in the bills. The measurement process is usually undertaken using
a computer system, as the speed of abstracting and compiling the bill is greatly
increased over manual methods. The basic process of measurement, however, is
largely unchanged.

5 Production documentation
Production documentation is generally held to include all the information required for
the contractor to carry out the work, normally as follows:

all necessary drawings;

specifications detailing the type and quality of materials to be used and

standards of workmanship to be attained;

terms and conditions of contract;

for large schemes, a bill of quantities or other descriptive schedule describing

the quantities of work required.

Generating the production information for a large project typically takes a long time,
often many months, and is carried out by a large number of people often working in
different organisations (e.g. architect, project manager, structural engineer, services
engineer, landscape architect, interior designer, geotechnical surveyor, acoustician,
ecologist, planning consultant, solicitor and quantity surveyor). The volume of
information generated is huge a large project may require hundreds of drawings,
usually supported by hundreds of pages of written information. The management and
co-ordination of this large volume of data is both time-consuming and challenging.
Historically the construction industry has a poor reputation for the quality of its
production information. Common deficiencies are that information is:

missing either not produced or not distributed to the correct people;

late not available in time to plan the work or order the materials;

incorrect containing errors of description, reference or dimension, or out of

date;

contradictory in conflict with other information provided for the same

project;

insufficiently detailed not adequate for pricing or construction;

impractical not possible to construct;

inappropriate not suitable for its purpose;

unclear or ambiguous;

poorly arranged or badly structured;

unco-ordinated.

Poor or inadequate production information has often been cited as a major cause of
poor quality work and the late completion of contracts.

Pre-tender process: An introduction

Paper 5006 Page 9

Attempts have been made to improve the quality of production information in the
British construction industry, through the adoption of a common information
reference system based on a common arrangement of work sections (CAWS). This
classification system, which incorporates a system for referencing project drawings
and the National Building Specification (NBS), is now widely though not universally
adopted, helping to prevent many of the documentation inadequacies listed above.
Other classification systems include the wider-ranging Uniclass system which
incorporates CAWS and implements BS ISO 12006-2:2001.
More generally, many companies have adopted national or international standards,
such as BS EN ISO 9000:2005, which provide guidance on the development of
corporate quality management systems intended to ensure that services provided to
clients are consistent and of a high quality.

6 Advantages and disadvantages of the

traditional approach
The principal disadvantage of the approach described in this paper is that of time.
The fact that the process is essentially linear, and that each stage needs to be
completed before proceeding to the next, means that months, sometimes even years,
elapse before projects are actually built. A number of studies in the 1990s showed
that for major complex buildings such as hospitals, the period between inception and
occupation of the completed building was typically 10 years.
A further problem is caused by the separation of the design and the construction
functions the building design is typically led by an architect, whereas construction
is carried out by the builder and this often leads to disputes over responsibility for
defects in the finished building.
In order to overcome these problems, clients have sought other ways of procuring
work, either by combining design and construction functions (the design and build
family of approaches) or by overlapping the design and the construction phases (the
so-called fast-track approach). Neither approach is devoid of problems.
Despite the disadvantages, the traditional approach is still widely used and does have
some advantages:

Well known: The approach has endured over some 250 years and is well
known and well understood by everyone in the industry.

Good predictability of time and cost: Completion of design in advance of

construction should mean that estimates of time and cost at tender stage are
reliable and acceptable.

Client satisfaction: The extended briefing stage should result in a high degree
of client satisfaction.

Pre-tender process: An introduction

Paper 5006 Page 11

Appendix: RIBA Plan of Work 2013 (reproduced

for educational purposes with the permission of
the Royal Institute of British Architects)

Copyrighted materia
m
l
CEM
M would like
l
to th
hank the Royal In
nstitute of
o British
h Architects
(R
RIBA) for permis
ssion to use
u this material

BA Plan of
o Work 2013
Title: The RIB

Publlisher: RIIBA
P
Page 1/1

Conditions off use:

w
http://ww
ww.ribaplanofwork
k.com/Do
ownload.a
aspx
RIBA and the website
1
13) are to be cle
early referrenced.
(correct as at 11/06/201

Staff and sstudents of CEM

M are reminded that copyright ssubsists in this work
w
and this co
opy has been suupplied under th
he
conditions detailed above.
d copy supplied
d to you may onlly be used by yo
ou personally inn connection witth your
This digital copy and any digital or printed
pies after the en
nd of the course
e, but strictly for your own persoonal use.
course of sstudy. You may retain such cop
This digital copy has been
n made with the explicit permisssion of the copy
yright holder and
d allows you to::

accesss and download a copy;

print out
o a copy.

All copies (including electronic copies) sh

hall include this copyright notice
e and shall be destroyed
d
and/oor deleted if and when
required byy CEM.
Except as provided for by copyright law, no further copyiing storage or distribution
d
(inclu
uding by email) is permitted witthout the
h
consent off the copyright holder.
The authorr has moral righ
hts in the work and
a neither stafff nor students may
m cause, or pe
ermit, the distort
rtion, mutilation or other
modificatio
on of the work, or
o any other derrogatory treatme
ent of it, which would
w
be prejud
dicial to the honoour or reputation of the
author.
Peermission refere
ence: 00042

Prepare Developed Design,

including coordinated and
updated proposals for
structural design, building
services systems, outline
specications, Cost
Information and Project
Strategies in accordance with
Design Programme.

Developed
Design

Prepare Technical Design

in accordance with Design
Responsibility Matrix and
Project Strategies to include
all architectural, structural and
building services information,
specialist subcontractor
design and specications,
in accordance with Design
Programme.

Technical
Design

Undertake third party

consultations as required
and conclude Research and
Development aspects.
Review and update Project
Execution Plan, including
Change Control Procedures.

Undertake third party

consultations as required
and any Research and
Development aspects.
Review and update Project
Execution Plan.

Required.

Required.

Not required.

Completed Technical Design

of the project.

Developed Design, including

the coordinated architectural,
structural and building
services design and updated
Cost Information.

Concept Design including

outline structural and building
services design, associated
Project Strategies,
preliminary Cost Information
and Final Project Brief.

Initial Project Brief.

Required.

Sustainability
Checkpoint 4

Sustainability
Checkpoint 3

Review Construction
Strategy, including
sequencing, and update
Health and Safety Strategy.

Review and update Project

Execution Plan.

Prepare and submit Building

Regulations submission and
any other third party
submissions requiring consent.

Review and update

Sustainability, Maintenance
and Operational and
Handover Strategies and
Risk Assessments.

Sustainability
Checkpoint 2

Consider Construction
Strategy, including offsite
Review and update
fabrication, and develop Health Construction and Health and
and Safety Strategy.
Safety Strategies.

Review and update

Sustainability, Maintenance
and Operational and
Handover Strategies and
Risk Assessments.

Prepare Sustainability
Strategy, Maintenance and
Operational Strategy and
review Handover Strategy
and Risk Assessments.

Handover
and Close Out

Administration of Building
Contract, including regular
site inspections and review
of progress.

Not required.

As-constructed
Information.

Sustainability
Checkpoint 5

Update Construction and

Health and Safety Strategies.

Review and update

Sustainability Strategy
and implement Handover
Strategy, including agreement
of information required for
commissioning, training,
handover, asset management,
future monitoring and
maintenance and ongoing
compilation of Asconstructed Information.

Required.

Updated As-constructed
Information.

Sustainability
Checkpoint 6

Updating of Project
Information as required.

Carry out activities listed in

Handover Strategy including
Feedback for use during the
future life of the building or on
future projects.

Conclude administration of
Building Contract.

As required.

RIBA

As-constructed
Information updated
in response to ongoing
client Feedback and
maintenance or operational
developments.

Sustainability
Checkpoint 7

Updating of Project
Information, as required, in
response to ongoing client
Feedback until the end of the
buildings life.

Conclude activities listed

in Handover Strategy
including Post-occupancy
Evaluation, review of Project
Performance, Project
Outcomes and Research
and Development aspects.

Undertake In Use services

in accordance with
Schedule of Services.

In Use

www.ribaplanofwork.com

Offsite manufacturing and

Handover of building and
onsite Construction in
conclusion of Building
accordance with Construction Contract.
Programme and resolution of
Design Queries from site as
they arise.

Construction

The procurement route may dictate the Project Programme and may result in certain
stages overlapping or being undertaken concurrently. A bespoke RIBA Plan of Work
2013 will clarify the stage overlaps. The Project Programme will set out
the specic stage dates and detailed programme durations.

Planning applications are typically made using the Stage 3 output.

A bespoke RIBA Plan of Work 2013 will identify when the planning
application is to be made.

Review Project Programme.

The procurement strategy does not fundamentally alter the progression

of the design or the level of detail prepared at a given stage. However,
Information Exchanges will vary depending on the selected procurement
route and Building Contract. A bespoke RIBA Plan of Work 2013 will set
out the specic tendering and procurement activities that will occur at each
stage in relation to the chosen procurement route.

Prepare Concept Design,

including outline proposals
for structural design, building
services systems, outline
specications and preliminary
Cost Information along with
relevant Project Strategies
in accordance with Design
Programme. Agree
alterations to brief and issue
Final Project Brief.

Concept
Design

The RIBA Plan of Work 2013 organises the process of brieng, designing, constructing, maintaining, operating and using building projects
into a number of key stages. The content of stages may vary or overlap to suit specic project requirements. The RIBA Plan of Work 2013
should be used solely as guidance for the preparation of detailed professional services contracts and building contracts.

*Variable task bar in creating a bespoke project or practice specic RIBA Plan of Work 2013 via www.ribaplanofwork.com a specic bar is selected from a number of options.

UK Government
Information
Exchanges

Not required.

Strategic Brief.

Information
Exchanges

(at stage completion)

Sustainability
Checkpoint 1

Sustainability
Checkpoint 0

Agree Schedule of Services,

Design Responsibility
Matrix and Information
Exchanges and prepare
Project Execution Plan
including Technology and
Communication Strategies
and consideration of Common
Standards to be used.

Sustainability
Checkpoints

Prepare Handover Strategy

and Risk Assessments.

Review Feedback from

previous projects.

Suggested
Key Support
Tasks

*Variable task bar

(Town) Planning

*Variable task bar

Pre-application discussions.

Establish Project Programme. Review Project Programme.

Programme

Pre-application discussions.

Prepare Project Roles Table

and Contractual Tree and
continue assembling the
project team.

Initial considerations for

assembling the project team.

Procurement

*Variable task bar

Develop Project Objectives,

including Quality Objectives
and Project Outcomes,
Sustainability Aspirations,
Project Budget, other
parameters or constraints and
develop Initial Project Brief.
Undertake Feasibility Studies
and review of Site Information.

Preparation
and Brief

Strategic
Definition

Identify clients Business

Case and Strategic Brief
and other core project
requirements.

Core
Objectives

Tasks

Stages