Service · 03 · Tendering & Contract Administration

RIBA Stage 4

Procurement, Tendering & Commercial Control

The Objective: securing the right contractors at market-verified prices, safeguarded by airtight execution contracts.

Core scope

Three workstreams that decide what gets built — and by whom.

Tendering is where the project's economics get fixed. Get the design right first, run a transparent bid, sign a contract that holds.

01

Pre-Tender Design Audit

Closing design loopholes to eliminate future Variation Orders. Every spec, drawing and BOQ line reviewed for gaps a contractor could later exploit.

— Specification & drawing audit
— BOQ completeness review
— Risk-driver identification
— VO-exposure scoring

02

Tender Management

Organising transparent bidding, bid levelling and contractor selection. We score bids on a published matrix and recommend in writing.

— Tender package preparation
— Pre-qualified bidder list
— Bid levelling & clarification
— Reference checks & recommendation

03

Contract Verification

Rigorous technical and commercial review of execution contracts. FIDIC, JCT or bespoke — clauses negotiated on the owner's side of the table.

— FIDIC / JCT / bespoke review
— Liquidated damages & retention
— Defect liability & warranties
— Dispute & termination clauses

Why it matters

Most owner overspend is locked in at Stage 4.

By the time construction starts, the price the owner will pay is largely set — by the tender package, by who signed it, and by the contract clauses nobody read carefully. Stage 4 is the last cheap moment to influence it.

Output 01

Audited tender package

A bidder-ready set with the loopholes closed.

Output 02

Bid analysis memo

Scored matrix, reference findings, owner-side recommendation.

Output 03

Negotiated contract

FIDIC / JCT / bespoke, with redline annotations and rationale.

How we work

Five steps. 6 — 10 weeks from RFP to a signed contract.

Tendering is a sequence of small, irreversible decisions. We make each one explicit, document it, and only move to the next when the owner has signed off.

01

Tender package audit

Drawings, specifications, BOQ, scope of work — reviewed for completeness and for the gaps a contractor could later exploit. Loopholes closed before issue.

1 — 2 weeks · Output: audited tender package

02

Bidder pre-qualification

Long-list shortlisted on capability, financial standing, current workload, reference projects. We bring our independent view of who actually delivers in the UAE market.

1 — 2 weeks · Output: pre-qualified bidder list

03

RFP issue & clarification

Transparent bidding round. Site visits coordinated, technical and commercial clarifications managed in writing, equal information to all bidders.

3 — 5 weeks · Output: clarification log + bid submissions

04

Bid analysis & recommendation

Score bids on a published matrix — commercial, technical, programme, references. Recommendation memo with documented rationale, presented to the owner in writing.

2 weeks · Output: bid analysis memo

05

Contract negotiation & signing

FIDIC, JCT or bespoke — clause-by-clause negotiation on the owner's side. Liquidated damages, retention, defect liability, dispute resolution, termination. Signed contract handed to PMC.

2 — 3 weeks · Output: executed contract

Frequently asked

Answers, before the call.

The five questions owners ask in nearly every first conversation about Stage 4 work.

01 Which contract forms do you work with?

All the major FIDIC books (Red, Yellow, Silver, Pink), JCT for fit-out work, and bespoke forms where the owner has a preferred template. We negotiate from the owner's side of the table — we are not the contract administrator post-signing, that's a separate Stage-5 engagement.

02 Do you have preferred contractors?

No, and we never take referral fees from contractors. We maintain an internal view of who delivers and who doesn't on UAE projects of various scales, but the shortlist is shaped to the project and validated against current workload and references — not preferred relationships.

03 Can you re-tender a project that's already been awarded?

Yes, with one caveat: re-tendering after award has real cost in time and (sometimes) damages payable to the original bidder. We'll be candid about whether the upside justifies the disruption before you commit.

04 What if no bid comes in under the budget?

Three paths: negotiate with the lowest qualified bidder on scope adjustments; refer back to design for further value engineering; or accept a revised budget with the owner's eyes open. We'll set out the options in writing — never silently push for option (c).

05 Do you continue into construction?

Most clients continue with us into Stage 5–6 PMC — we already hold the contract, the design pack and the bidder relationships, so handover is seamless. If an owner prefers a different PMC, we package the documentation for them.

Where are you now?