06 / CONSTRUCT
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO LANDSCAPE TENDERING Colm Kenny, landscape cost estimating expert, shares some tips and tricks on how to avoid the pitfalls of landscape tendering
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s a contractor, receiving the news that yours is the winning tender on a landscape project can put a rare smile on your face. However, the grin can soon disappear after discovering that your winning tender is the result of an error on your part. With low profit margins required to win landscape work in the current competitive market, methodical and accurate tendering is vital for contractors. Developing and constantly applying a standard set of procedures that reduces the risks associated with quoting for work is important to achieve this success. It is often too late when contractors discover that the tender sum for the job is too low or that they missed something within the Bills of Quantity (BOQ) or specification, or in fact have overlooked something on site that will have an impact on their intended programme of works. Contracts have been signed, materials ordered or indeed paid for upfront. What can a contractor do then? Walk away from the job? Damage their reputation? Let down their suppliers? To avoid the consequences of inaccurate quotations and possible business failure, landscape contractors should be aware of the most common and often repeated estimating errors. Thus, they should have or implement a standard set of procedures for preparing and submitting a competitive but profitable tender.
UNDERSTANDING THE DESIGN & SPECIFICATION If you don’t know exactly what work you are to undertake, how will you know what you are required to quote for? A clear understanding of the drawings and specifications is critical. A typical tender package includes a set of landscape drawings, a works specification and a BOQ. Once you receive the documents examine them thoroughly, highlighting any key pieces of information and make a note of any queries you may have regarding the scope of works or the specification. The specification is the one area that requires in-depth study as it is usually here where important information is overlooked.
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‘By giving them the precise specification the risk to you is reduced as they are fully aware of what they are quoting’ If you receive the package by email make sure that you print out all the documents, including the drawings to scale if possible. It is easy to miss some important details if you are scrolling through a PDF on a computer screen. Familiarise yourself with the design, the nature of the works and the specification. I would also recommend that you contact the person responsible for the tender, be it the designer, the main contractor or the client directly. This will give you an opportunity to interact and raise relevant queries with the decision maker who should be in a position to answer any questions you may have. If for some reason you decide not to quote for the works, contact them regardless to thank them for inviting you to tender and ask them to consider you for future projects.
SITE VISIT & INSPECTION Assuming that the project is ready to go, the next step is to arrange a site visit. Do this during daylight and not on your way home from another job. If possible, arrange to meet the person that invited you to quote for the works. Again, this will give you an opportunity to gather additional information. Bring all the documents with you and walk through the design step by step, taking note of risks such as access dimensions and existing services. A camera is also a useful asset to have at your disposal for recording important pieces of information and recording what risks you identify on site. Investigate your access route to ensure that any required machinery will be able to get in and out, and also examine where you will be able to park and store your materials. All this collected
HORTICULTURECONNECTED / www.horticulture.ie / April/May 2014
