Tender measurement and estimating support for a new school

We supported a main contractor preparing a tender for a new school with an approximate project value of £70 million. A tight submission programme required additional estimating capacity while design changes were being incorporated. We measured key building packages, provided records linking the quantities to the drawings, and supported the final cost plan checks so the team could complete its pricing document within the submission timescales.

Background

The contractor needed to complete measurements for several building packages while progressing its tender. The work covered demolition and structural elements, with modifications to the design requiring quantities to be updated as the pricing developed.

The estimating team also needed support with the final cost plan checks and the tender clarification log. The requirement was to provide usable package quantities and help the team understand whether the pricing reflected the latest requirements before the submission deadline.

Our approach

We worked alongside the contractor’s estimating team, taking responsibility for measurements across demolition, metal deck flooring, foundations and ground floor slabs. This gave the team additional capacity to progress defined parts of the tender while it coordinated the wider submission.

Using Bluebeam Revu, we measured the tender drawings and provided package quantities with supporting measurement records. The records allowed the estimating team to follow a quantity back to the relevant drawing and review the basis of the measurement. That traceability made the information easier to check and use within the cost plan.

As the design developed, we updated the measurements to reflect modifications. Keeping the quantities aligned with the changing requirements was an important part of the assignment, because an earlier take-off could otherwise cease to represent the work being priced.

We then supported the final cost plan checks, including the transfer of quantities into the pricing document and the accuracy of spreadsheet formulae. These checks addressed how the measurement information had been carried through into the estimate, as well as the underlying quantities.

Alongside the measurement work, we reviewed the tender clarification log and identified potential additional scope items for the estimating team to consider. This helped bring requirements arising through clarifications into the pricing discussion before the document was finalised.

Outcome

We delivered package quantities and supporting measurement records, helping the contractor complete the required measurements, incorporate design changes and finalise its pricing document within the submission timescales.

The team gained additional estimating capacity at a demanding point in the tender, with quantities it could trace to the drawings and specific scope matters to consider. Our contribution supported both the practical completion of the pricing document and a more informed assessment of the tender requirements.