With competitive tendering very much the preferred route, a fair process is critical to ensure a client’s best outcome. A few points to consider:
Administration team – what is their experience and approach, seek references from previous builders and clients.
Find builders who are the right fit. An administrator must qualify the builders early; in areas such as; program availability; health and safety; project experience/capability; financial health; site inspections for quality; resource skills & training; insurance cover; memberships; client past experience i.e. references; this information will be available from a professional builder. Leaving this to the end wastes time and your money.
Thorough design and specification detail, without this a fair tender comparison cannot be made – for example; timber flooring can start at £20 sqm going up to £250 and beyond – significant room for variations and future misunderstandings. For complex high-value projects, the detail is critical and must be handled early on, however, this is a whole other subject matter & discussion.
Nominated suppliers – have all the builders referred to them or used a cost-effective mate?
You want a diligent builder so give them a reasonable amount of time to complete the tender; if timescales are short mistakes will be made, costs guessed and good builders will probably pull out.
Meet the builder. Lengthy complex projects are a relationship with highs and lows. Synergy and the ability to communicate is needed. Don’t dismiss offhand a builder who poses higher investment requirements, allow them to explain and present their case.
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Unless the homework has been completed do not decide based on price and, make sure all the right questions have been answered.
