What Really Matters in Commercial Building Tenders?

Posted on 18th November 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

How to Focus Your Commercial Building Tender on What Matters

What is a commercial building tender?

Commercial building tenders are the most common way in which buyers find suppliers to construct buildings for commercial purposes. The term covers a wide range of building projects that are, quite often, large contracts. For instance, a commercial building tender could seek suppliers to construct office towers, warehouses, or shopping centres.

Put simply, a buyer will go to the external market with a commercial building tender. This could be part of a specification for building a new leisure centre. This buyer then collects, analyses and nominate bids from suppliers, and the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) wins.

What are the best practices when writing commercial building tenders?

Writing commercial building tenders requires a lot of industry-specific knowledge and skill. Large construction contracts, like commercial building tenders, often involve multiple suppliers operating collaboratively under a framework agreement. Watch our free Tender VLE masterclass on Framework Agreements for more information on how this works. Commercial building work itself is highly technical and costly, therefore the tender needs to be exhaustive. In order to respond effectively to the tender specifications, you need in-depth knowledge of the regulations and legislative examples.

Read our advice on the best practices for general bid writing and creating a water-tight argument for your business. We also have a successful bid writing division, Hudson Succeed. If your business needs to outsource the writing and submission of technical tenders, or simply needs advice, get in touch.

This blog will focus on, arguably, the most important aspect of your commercial building tender. This is its social value, i.e. how you consider the wider community impact of the project. We’ll explain why demonstrating social value can make a BIG difference in whether or not you win a bid.

Public opinion on commercial building tenders

Despite the breadth of commercial building, it is a less recognised sub-sector of construction.

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) reported that the British public underestimates the importance of commercial building tenders. When quizzed on what they think is the most important element of the construction industry, the public emphasised roadwork. Roadwork is the defining sub-sector of construction in the public imagination. Significantly, roadwork also came top when the public was asked where the government should spend more money in construction.

However, roadwork accounts for a relatively small proportion of activity compared to commercial building, educational building and leisure construction projects.

Why does public perception matter?

Well, firstly, it’s important that the construction industry – and those who make policy decisions – take public opinion into consideration. To do this more effectively, they need to know where the public lacks understanding of construction and correct these misconceptions. Otherwise, much-needed budgets for commercial building tenders could be slashed due to misconception. In short – more budget for commercial building tenders, please, not roadworks!

Also, commercial builds can often get a negative reception when they are made public. A commercial building tender for a large warehouse nearby could upset local people if they’re worried about the natural landscape. Opinions could change, however, if the build provided social value by hiring locally and offering work experience to young people.

An example of this is seen as plans to build a 12,500-capacity Gateshead Arena on Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s quayside has caused pushback. Some residents have complained over the obtrusive design of a hotel proposed in the plan. The project, however, is planning to work with local partners and add over 1,000 jobs to the regional economy. Ultimately, this will make the area more attractive to residents, visitors and investors.

Public tensions make it especially important to emphasise positive social value in your commercial building tenders. Getting the local community on your side is a great way to increase funding and your chances of winning.

Where exactly can social value come into a commercial building tender?

Social value has become a much more prominent aspect of commercial building tenders in recent years.

Demonstrating social value in construction bids is essentially detailing the contribution your work will make to society and local communities. This can be boiled down to the following:

reducing inequality;
promoting wellbeing;
decreasing the impact on the environment.

With each aspect of social value, there’s a variety of ways to prove how you can positively impact the local community. For example, will you employ local people? Great. This can demonstrate social value in each of the following ways:

It could create fiscal saving for the Government if these people were previously unemployed.
You could improve these people’s livelihoods and future prospects.
It could increase public health by reducing dependence on public transport during the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdowns.
It could positively impact local education if you have apprentices in your supply chain.
You could boost local trade if your procurement process prioritises local suppliers.

See? You can showcase social value in a multitude of ways in commercial building tenders, once you know what to consider!

Make sure to always use figures to back up your claims. How many local people will you employ, in how many miles radius of the site? It’s important to be realistic and specific with any assertions in your commercial building tender. Watch our free Tender VLE masterclass, Evidence is Key, for more insight on adding evidence to your tender.

Why does social value matter more in commercial building tenders?

It’s particularly beneficial to consider social value when pitching for a commercial building tender rather than, say, excavation tenders.

Why? Well, in short, commercial builds create public spaces. Once completed, most commercial projects will see large public footfall in their lifetime, whether this is staff or customers. For instance, commercial builds like leisure centres and local shopping centres will form community ‘hubs’. Lots of people use them and they can become a regular part of local life. (This extends to pubs, bars, even bingo halls!)

Therefore, the winning suppliers of commercial building tenders will often end up having indirect, yet significant, impacts on local life. It’s very important to consider the bigger picture and wider community carefully when tendering for commercial work.

Using social value to improve public opinion in a commercial building tender doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s a good example that does so simply and effectively.

Willmott Dixon’s build of The Evolution Centre at Oaklands College in St Albans. The site team emphasised Willmott Dixon’s ambition to be net zero carbon by 2030. To do this, they created electrical connections to the grid. This meant diesel generators were not needed for the tower crane, site and welfare facilities. The project also publicised its use of local community wood recycling to ensure any surplus timber was reused rather than wasted.

Future prospects for commercial building tenders

It’s an uncertain time for business, as we find ourselves in national lockdown again heading towards 2021. One thing is truer now, more than ever, for commercial building tenders. Companies that prioritise local economic and social value are in the best stead to see investment and continue operating successfully.

You will see increased success with this in mind.

Looking forward, the CITB’s Construction Skills Network (CSN) sees a bounce back in commercial construction growth. It predicts an annual average growth rate of 1.2% until 2023, with the number employed rising over the period. It also forecasts new construction activity in London to expand by an annual average of 2.1%. New commercial building will play a part.

So, are you looking to secure commercial building tenders right now? If so, we can increase your chances of finding relevant tenders with our sector-specific portal, Construction Tenders. Our Opportunity Trackers ensure much higher accuracy than CPV codes used on other portals.

And if you need help writing a commercial building tender, we have 4 levels of support to fit your needs.

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

Book a free live demo of Construction Tenders today. As a client, you’ll receive a daily bulletin straight to your inbox when new tenders are uploaded. The bulletin contains all the relevant construction leads that we have sourced that day.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

The Future of Carpentry Tenders

Posted on 16th November 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

What Will Brexit Mean for Carpentry Tenders?

Securing work through carpentry tenders is a great way to get diverse experience in a specialised trade. If your business specialises in a sub-sector of construction, you need to consider the implications of Brexit while tendering. Do you import materials from countries in the European Union (EU), or employ EU nationals? Or are you simply concerned about business prospects post-Brexit, and going forward into 2021?

Here’s a guide on what you should be doing (right now!) to secure carpentry tenders as we head towards Brexit.

When is Brexit?

You’re likely aware that Brexit is fast approaching. But when actually is it?

Currently, the UK is in a transition period until the end of the year while we negotiate new arrangements with the European Union (EU). January 1^st, 2021 is the official date that the transition period ends. This is regardless of whether we reach a trade deal with the EU. Businesses must prepare for changes as we leave the customs union and single market.

Over the past month, business secretary, Alok Sharma, has urged businesses to prepare. He advised: “Businesses must act now to ensure they are ready for the UK’s new start come January … There will be no extension to the transition period, so there is no time to waste. Businesses have a crucial role to play in ensuring a smooth transition, and we will be there to support them.”

It’s understandable to be concerned as a business owner as we head towards the uncertainties of Brexit. Not to mention we’re in the middle of a second national lockdown. But, thankfully, we have some reassuring news regarding carpentry tenders.

Is now a good time to find carpentry tenders?

As long as you’re up to date on changing regulations – yes!

Construction will stay open for business during the second national lockdown and over the threshold of Brexit into 2021. The Construction Leadership Council has advised that construction sites should remain in operation. Sites should review their social distancing measures and remind their workforce to comply with Site Operating Procedures at all times. This means new carpentry tenders will be available.

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) also confirmed that training courses will continue, and test centres will remain open. Should they need to, workers can still undertake their Health, Safety and Environment assessments, for instance.

Looking beyond Brexit, the CITB also announced a detailed strategic plan to invest in and incentivise the construction industry. Going forward, the CITB will fund ‘hubs’ to train and develop new labourers. This will help relieve the immediate problem of replacing labourers who previously came from the EU.

What are the figures?

As of November 2020, the number and value of construction contracts overall are increasing. Here’s how carpentry tenders are bouncing back after the devastating closures of Spring 2020:

October 2020 saw 482 construction contracts awarded, worth £6.8 billion. This is a 10% increase from September 2020 and the highest figures since April 2020.
Construction tender opportunities in October were spread more widely across the UK in comparison to September. While a third of expenditure was in London (£2.3 billion), regions right across the nation saw large spends. For example, Scotland (£635 million), West Midlands (£534 million) and the South West (£515 million).

So, as we head into a post-Brexit 2021, it’s a promising time to seek carpentry tenders and secure business opportunities.

How do I find carpentry tenders?

To speed up the process of finding relevant carpentry tenders that can grow your business, try our Construction Tenders portal. We source construction contract opportunities on a daily basis, from thousands of buyers. We manually search for business opportunities in the public and private sector, across the UK, so you don’t have to. All you need to do is filter by relevant keywords, budgets, industry sectors and locations.

You’ll receive daily alerts when tenders are released for relevant services. Private buyers also post projects direct to our portal to source suitable suppliers from our subscribers. Book a free live demo today and see how we can help you find and secure carpentry tenders.

Will I need to adjust my business to win carpentry tenders post-Brexit?

Potentially, yes. And the sooner the better.

On January 1^st, changes will be made to the way businesses do the following:

Import and export goods
Hire workers from the EU
Provide services in EU markets.

But don’t fret. We’ve compiled the main points highlighted by the latest government advice and the latest weekly industry report from Build UK. The following points should be relevant to your business if you’re interested in carpentry tenders. You should, however, also seek personalised advice on how your business will be affected by Brexit. To do this, use the governments ‘Check, Change, Go’ tool on www.gov.uk.

You may need to reconsider the following things to meet regulations and secure future carpentry tenders.

Importing goods

Your business risks not being able to bring or receive goods or materials from EU countries if you don’t prepare. You should take the following steps to prepare for 1^st January:

Check the new rules on importing and exporting goods from the EU. For example, timber imported into the UK is currently governed by the European Timber Regulations (EUTR). From 1st January 2021, it will be governed by the UK Timber Regulations (UKTR) in England, Scotland and Wales. If your carpentry business imports timber from the EU, it will incur the responsibilities of an ‘Operator’ under the new regulations. In 2021, your company will have to undertake due diligence to show that there is ‘negligible risk’ that the timber was illegally harvested.
Get an EORI number that starts with GB to move your goods into or out of the EU. This can take up to a week to receive. It is essential for moving goods, going forward.
Check the UK Global Tariff that will apply to imported goods and decide how you will make customs declarations. Will you need to get someone to deal with customs for you?
Check the rules for reporting unfair trade practices using the UK’s new trade remedies service.

Employing workers from the EU

You risk not being able to employ workers from outside the UK if you do not take the following steps:

If you plan to recruit workers from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you will need to obtain a sponsor licence, which can take up to eight weeks. (This does not apply to workers from Ireland or people with pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.)
Encourage your employees to check if they need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.
If you have workers from the EU who wish to continue living and working in the UK after 30 June 2021, advise them to apply for settled and pre‐settled status.
If you have workers who travel to the EU for work purposes, they may need to apply for a visa or work permit from 1 January.
Familiarise yourself with the new points‐based immigration system.

How can I increase my chances of securing carpentry tenders?

When tendering, it’s very important to keep up to date with changing regulations in regard to Brexit and COVID-19. Carpentry tender opportunities may be more difficult to secure in a changing climate. |t’s therefore important that you put your best foot forward with all tenders that are available and suitable for you!

A successful carpentry bid requires in-depth knowledge about tendering and procurement processes. Alongside our Construction Tenders portal, we also offer dedicated bid writing support via Hudson Succeed. The Succeed team has supported and secured construction bids for many clients in the industry. They’re on hand to help you complete carpentry tenders if you don’t have in-house the resources to do so.

There are four levels of tender writing support depending on your needs:

Tender Writing.

Send the tender specification to our bid writers. They will write the carpentry tender response and submit the bid on your behalf.

Tender Improvement.

Our bid writers will assess your previous tender responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Tender Mentor.

Our team will analyse your content and check for any errors before you submit your tender response.

Tender Ready.

The 4-week programme consists of creating and branding your corporate literature and helping you to identify opportunities.

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

Book a free live demo of Construction Tenders today. Clients receive a daily bulletin straight to their inbox when new tenders are uploaded. The bulletin contains all the relevant construction leads that we have sourced that day.

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

Building Tenders for SMEs

Posted on 12th November 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

Building Tenders: How to Prepare and Win as an SME

Building tenders aren’t the most traditional route that SMEs take to grow their building businesses. Instead, tradesmen often rely heavily on their reputation, local community, and word of mouth. In fact, a Constructionline survey looked at how construction SMEs expected to grow their business. They found that 75% of respondents expected future opportunities to come from their business’ reputation for producing high-quality work.

If this sounds like you, we think you need to hear this: reputation won’t cut it! If you aren’t utilising building tenders, then you’re missing out on countless opportunities that could grow your SME, right now. Especially when it comes to larger projects or ongoing jobs.

Should I stick to small construction projects as an SME?

No – you’re not too small to pitch for larger jobs. There are big opportunities available for smaller businesses, especially when it comes to frameworks and ‘partnering up.’

In fact, the legal framework of public sector procurement actively encourages free and open competition and value for money. This means there will always be opportunities for businesses of all sizes. The UK government has a target to ensure the growth of SMEs, giving those smaller companies a fair chance at winning building tenders.

Public sector buyers will look for MEAT (The Most Economically Advantageous Tender), regardless of your size. And often, the personal touch of an SME is what clients are looking for. SMEs can specialise in ways that larger firms can’t while maintaining high levels of flexibility. Plenty of larger clients are seeking smaller contractors in their building tenders for these reasons.

Many public sector bodies appoint a framework of contractors to construct a package of projects. This is often on a Design & Build basis, and there will often be design repetition here. So, if your service makes a positive impression, it is likely to be used repeatedly. This is a great way to secure ongoing work for longer periods, often with numerous high-value contract lots.

Larger projects? Ongoing work? What are you waiting for!?

Too many SME’s aren’t utilising building tenders because they don’t understand the process, or don’t think it’s right for them. We’ll explain why that’s not true. Building tenders are absolutely the right route for small businesses in construction.

So, here’s how you can prepare for building tenders and succeed as an SME.

Preparing for building tenders

Preparation is the key to success when tendering for a construction contract in the UK. Once you’re prepared and have the correct information ready, completing your building tender will feel much more straightforward.

Let’s take a look at the common stages of a building tender, and how your SME can prepare for them.

A PAS 91 – What is it?

– The PAS 91 is simply a standardised Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) for construction bids. You must pass this in order for the rest of your tender to be considered. You must provide policies and answer questions regarding;

Quality assurance;
Health and safety;
Environmental considerations;
Equal opportunities & diversity and more.

– Good news – the PAS 91 is designed with SME’s in mind. It simplifies the tendering process in order to encourage more suppliers (particularly SMEs) to apply for work. Overall, it helps buyers identify suitably qualified contractors with less time and resources. It essentially ensures that suppliers fit the minimum standards of a job and helps buyers achieve more sustainable procurement.
– If you are a Constructionline member, you are automatically PAS 91 compliant for some questions, however, you may still need to complete a few sections.

How can I succeed as an SME?

– It helps to be prepared when completing a PAS 91. It’s important that you can attach relevant and up-to-date evidence and accreditations wherever you are prompted to do so. Make sure you have carefully constructed your policies and answers to the cover all the areas mentioned above. Having these common areas pre-prepared will save you a lot of time in the long run. In tender-writing, we call pre-prepared aspects of a tender “boilerplates”. For more information on the dos and don’ts of boilerplates, please watch our free masterclass on Tender VLE.

– When bidding for building tenders, in particular, you can assume that the buyer will always require certain information from you. Some preparation can therefore be done before you even find the building tender. For instance, how do you plan to minimise health and safety risks on the building site? This will always be an aspect of any building tender. Having a pre-prepared health and safety response will save you time. You can then focus this valuable time elsewhere in your building tender.

– However, be careful when it comes to creating boilerplates and copy and pasting content. There are areas where this won’t suffice, when the content must be up to date and purposeful. This is especially important now as your health and safety response, for instance, must consider the management of coronavirus. Government advice and regulations on coronavirus are continually changing and updating. You may need to continually adjust aspects of the build to ensure you comply with the most recent advice. For instance, managing staff schedules differently, or reducing delivery frequencies to the build site.

A method statement – What is it?

– This is where you explain and answer questions on how you plan to deliver your services. You must detail how you will meet the buyer’s requirements. Think of this as your chance to sell your services in the best light possible. It’s a detailed section of the tender: you need to consider every aspect of the job and how you fit the bill.

– As part of these method statements, you may need to submit supporting documentation, such as policies, procedures, and accreditations. You may also need to provide the qualifications and certifications of your staff to prove their competency.

How can I succeed as an SME?

– You should not make false claims in your method statements. Some or all of the content could become legally binding once you win the contract, so it’s important to be honest and realistic. So, how can you prove your value as an SME when you’re up against boastful statistics from larger companies?

– This is where a good reputation can come into play. Do you have all the relevant TrustMarks for your trade? Showing the buyer that you adhere to government standards can bolster your building tender and prove your reliability.

– Branding is another way in which you can utilise your reputation as an SME. Watch our free masterclass on branding on Tender VLE and make sure you’re presenting your business effectively.

A pricing schedule – What is it?

– You will have to complete a pricing schedule as part of your tender response. Make sure you price your services competitively without making a loss.

How can I succeed as an SME?

– Most buyers have preferred contract forms – for example, Durham County Council may only use NEC4 contracts. You can use this to your advantage by researching which contract forms buyers use. Bid for those with which you already have experience where possible. You can then use this as a selling point in your building tender.

Further support

Even if you’re highly prepared, you may lack the corporate literature or writing skills to tackle building tenders or you may be at capacity with your existing team. In addition, there are so many benefits to having a friend critically review your bid before submission, ensuring responses are directly answering the criteria. It’s imperative that a tender represents your business in the best possible light with no room for error. A quality SME can often be overlooked purely because it lacks a quality submission on paper. This can be highly frustrating. Especially when you know you have the capabilities to complete a contract in practice. Investing in building tenders via professional bid writing is a great method of growing your SME.

Need support?

If you want support with building tenders to grow your business, contact the Hudson Helpline. Our experts can give you bespoke advice regarding any queries you may have.

If you aren’t sure where to start with building tenders, we can support you through every step of the process. Our professional bid writers at Hudson Succeed can transform the way buyers view your business. They will ensure you’re putting your best foot forward in every bid. We have four support packages to help you win any building tender that is right for you. With an 87% success rate, our team can help you to win big and small building tenders, in any form. Contact us today to learn more about the options available to you.

If you simply need help finding building tenders, our Construction Tenders portal can solve this for you.

What are the benefits of using Construction Tenders?

– We are an industry-specific portal and we source both public and private sector opportunities across the UK.

– Our opportunity trackers search numerous portals every day. They then upload all new public and private construction tenders to our site and send them directly to you. You’ll receive all the current building tenders, directly to your inbox. These tenders have been manually sourced by real people – not CPV codes, which are often inaccurate. This guarantees accuracy and relevancy when using the portal, saving you valuable time.

– Multiple users can access the portal to make remote working with your team easier and more effective. You can access our popular ‘Tasks’ function in the portal. Important tasks can be split up and assigned to different members of your team as you form your tender. For instance, one team member may be assigned to focus on pricing, and another to quality, and so on. All of this can be tracked and evaluated succinctly as you form your tender remotely.

Below are previous building tenders sourced on our portal:

SSE Substation Building Construction – Carfax Close, Swindon

Swindon Borough Council- South West- Budget: Undisclosed

Thames Water Tenders £18m Building Construction Work Contract

Thames Water- London- Budget: £17,900,000

UK-London: Building Construction Work

Hyde Housing Association- London- Budget: £2,000,000,000

York Global Initiative for Safe Autonomy Building Construction

University of York- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: £10,000,000

General Building Construction Framework Civils

Dublin Bus / Bus Atha Cliath- International- Budget: Undisclosed

See how our improved methods of tendering can win you building tenders and grow your business. Book a free live demo today.

Get in Touch

The construction industry has a wide range of building tenders on offer. If you need support in your tendering efforts, contact us today. Sign up to Construction Tenders and receive a daily construction leads bulletin of relevant tenders straight to your inbox.

This includes the following:

Bricklaying Tenders & Advice for SMEs

Posted on 6th November 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

How to Win Bricklaying Tenders as the Construction Industry ‘Bounces Back’

Bricklaying tenders are a gateway for growing your brickwork business. But is now a good time to grow as an SME, as we head into another National Lockdown?

At first glance, you may not think so. Coronavirus and lockdown restrictions had a significant impact on businesses in the construction industry earlier this year. In March, major construction projects ground to a halt across the country.

The fallout from these mass shutdowns continues to have an impact on the construction industry. As we enter a second National Lockdown, you’re probably wondering, will history repeat itself?

It’s understandable to be concerned about what the future of bricklaying looks like in 2020. What do the latest government restrictions mean for your sector? And how can you secure bricklaying tenders that are right for your business during a second National Lockdown?

Well, we’ve checked the stats with your bricklaying business in mind. Now is as good a time as any to win bricklaying tenders and grow your business. Here’s why – and how to do it.

What is the construction ‘bounce-back’?

Many industries are still in sharp decline due to coronavirus. It can feel like there’s nothing but bad news for businesses at the moment. But this simply isn’t true – the construction industry is back in growth-mode.

It’s been coined the construction ‘bounce-back’ as the industry, quite literally, rebuilds itself.

This summer, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) reported that almost 50% of SME builders were enjoying an uptick in demand. This state-of-trade survey also specified that 40% expected their workload to increase further in Autumn.

Did this increase happen? In short – yes! Let’s look at this in more detail.

To measure the construction bounce-back, we can look at the PMI (Purchasing Managers’ Index) of the construction industry. This index summarises economic trends in the manufacturing and service sectors and shows whether market conditions are expanding or contracting. Ultimately, the PMI provides information about current and future business conditions to companies, analysts, and investors.

The Construction PMI in the UK shows the industry has bounced back and is operating at above-average levels:

As reported by the IHS Markit/CIPS UK, the UK Construction PMI hit 53.1 in October 2020. This comes after a 12-year average of 51.11 between 2008 and 2020, and an all-time low of 8.20 in April of 2020.
Construction companies report feeling optimistic towards their prospects for the next 12 months. In fact, business optimism has hit a 3-year high in the construction industry. As Markit Economics reported, there are high-hopes for economic recovery and an overall reduction in COVID-19 disruption going into 2021.
As the construction industry avoids shutdown during the second National Lockdown, business optimism is set to remain high for the sector. Build UK announced that the latest government restrictions will have no direct impact on their business or trading. Operations across all Build UK sites remain fully open to support the construction industry.
New orders in the construction sector are also seeing their highest increase since December 2015. This is largely due to delayed projects that were halted earlier in the year amid the initial COVID-19 crisis.

What does this all mean for bricklaying tenders?

All of this is good news for bricklayers. But it gets better:

Housebuilding was the best-performing area of all construction activity in October 2020, scoring a PMI of 62.4. You don’t need to be a consultant to see that’s a great figure. The speed of recovery for housebuilding has eased only slightly since September 2020. This means the bounce-back is showing very little signs of slowing as of November 2020.

This revival is due to pent up demand from stalled or cancelled projects. The boost also stems in part from the fact that housing market conditions have improved in recent months.

As these projects spring into action, they bring a surge of opportunities. Now is the time to source bricklaying tenders and grow your business.

How do I find bricklaying tenders during the bounce-back?

New opportunities in the sector are set to steadily increase as we enter 2021. So, how should you set about finding construction contracts effectively?

Make sure you’re using a portal that is specific to your industry. This will save you countless time trawling through irrelevant results when you could be growing your business.

Signing up to our Construction Tenders portal provides you with a service that is tailored to your needs from day one. Our opportunity trackers (humans, not robots!) manually search the latest bricklaying tender opportunities every day so you don’t have to. This means every result you see is specific to your sector and relevant to the services you offer. You’ll receive updates straight to your inbox.

Opportunities for bricklaying tenders may include:

Masonry and bricklaying work
Programme and Project Management
Renovation Works
Grout packers
Building and Maintenance Services
Training
Bricklaying health and safety consultancy

If you have any questions, your dedicated account manager will always be on hand to answer them.

How do I secure the perfect bricklaying tender?

Have you already found a bricklaying tender perfect for your organisation? Do you want to increase your chances of securing the tenders that are right for your business once you’ve found them?

There is a lot to consider when writing a bricklaying tender, especially now.

A key aspect of construction bids in today’s climate is the effective management of coronavirus. Many buyers will expect this to be considered within tender responses, especially now national restrictions are in place again. You must plan how you will analyse risks and communicate risk management strategies to your workforce.

National restrictions impact how construction sites operate. Always refer to the latest government guidance when planning your bricklaying tender response. You may need to consider:

Planning your approach in advance
Strategically reducing delivery frequencies
Minimising contact between people
Managing staff schedules differently.

Our Hudson Succeed division provides writing support and professional consultation to help you maximise your chances of success. Our dedicated team of bid writers have extensive experience delivering excellent tenders with an 87% success rate.

Whether you are tendering for the first time or have tendered before, we have a service suitable for you. We tailor each service to your needs through the following tender packages:

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

Book a free live demo of Construction Tenders today. Clients receive a daily bulletin with construction leads straight to their inbox when new tenders are uploaded. The bulletin contains all the relevant construction opportunities that we have sourced that day.

Below are previous bricklaying tenders sourced on our portal:

Early Market Engagement Questionnaire – Environmental Improvement Works

Believe housing- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

31-07-2020

Environmental Facilities Work To 187 Properties Oakridge Sketty, Swansea

City and County of Swansea- Wales- Budget: Undisclosed

17-07-2020

Construction of a replacement retaining wall – Belmont, Dreemskerry Road, Maughold

Isle of Man Government- International- Budget: Undisclosed

25-06-2020

Boundary Wall – Clare Court (v2)

Stroud District Council- South West- Budget: Undisclosed

08-07-2020

Take Down and Rebuild Defective Retaining Wall at Parwich Primary School, The Square, Parwich, Ashbourne

Derbyshire County Council- East Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

11-06-2020

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

A Guide to Finding the Best Construction Bid Sites

Posted on 5th November 202023rd March 2022 by John Hudson

How to Choose the Best Construction Bid Site for Your Business

Using the best construction bid sites is a vital step in finding relevant tenders and growing your business.

You might be wondering, what is tendering? And why is it important to the construction sector? You’re not alone – many construction businesses miss out on construction leads simply by not utilising the tendering process. In short, tendering is the most common way in which a buyer finds the most appropriate supplier for goods or services. Including tendering in your business strategy allows you to secure contracts from buyers you may never have connected with otherwise. This is invaluable when it comes to growing your business sustainably.

If you’re new to tendering, finding the best construction bid site can seem like a daunting task. What exactly should you be looking out for, anyway? When you search ‘best construction bid sites’ in Google, the results can be overwhelming. Plenty of sites will provide you with reams of opportunities from countless buyers. Job done! Right? Not quite.

You’ll often find yourself wading through tenders with requirements that don’t suit your business in the slightest. Finding a construction bid site with tenders that are specific to your business can become a stressful and fruitless process. Unless you know exactly where to look!

What to Look for In Construction Bid Sites?

What should you be looking out for to find the best construction bid site for your business? We’ve created a quick and comprehensive guide so you can rest assured that you’re looking in the right place:

Here are the top 7 things you should look for to find the best construction bid site and secure relevant contracts:

The portal doesn’t rely on CPVs.

There’s a fundamental problem with the way most construction bid sites source tenders for businesses – CPV codes.

CPV stands for Common Procurement Vocabulary. A CPV code is an 8-digit code which allows buyers to classify what they are procuring in a succinct way. In theory, suppliers should be able to use CPV codes to source perfect business opportunities quickly and effectively.

Sound too easy to you? You’re right. In practice, this doesn’t happen.

Studies show that close to 30% of CPV codes are tagged inaccurately. It’s easy to make a mistake when tagging a tender with a complex 8-digit code. Many buyers also don’t understand the requirements of CPV codes and so they use them incorrectly, or not at all.

So, what does this mean for your business? Well, this is particularly harmful in a sector as varied as construction with such a broad range of sub-sectors. On most construction bid sites, clients are not finding all of the tenders that are relevant to their specific services. Even if you’re searching via relevant CPV codes, you’re missing out on countless contracts that could grow your business.

For example, imagine an Architecture firm registers to a portal that tracks tenders via CPV codes. To use the portal effectively, the firm would need someone in their team with a comprehensive understanding of CPV codes. Even then, up to 30% of the results they come across could be tagged incorrectly. They could end up trawling through tenders for contracts such as the supply of bedding plants or website development services. Obviously, these tenders would be completely irrelevant to the Architecture firm’s services. This ultimately defeats the purpose of a tracking portal which should save you time when sourcing new business opportunities.

The portal uses manual tracking.

The best way around the shortfalls of CPV codes? Manual keyword tracking.

At Construction Tenders, we don’t rely on CPV codes to source tenders for our clients. Instead, our dedicated team of Opportunity Trackers manually search thousands of sources every day. They read the requirements of every buyer and manually tag each tender with the correct industry-driven keywords. This avoids the problem of sub-sectors being mislabelled with the wrong CPV code. It also eliminates the need for someone in your firm to comprehensively understand CPV codes. We handle all of that for you.

When you sign up to Construction Tenders, you can simply enter the keywords that best describe your services. Search these keywords and you’ll be able to access relevant opportunities instantly. It’s that easy. Every tender you see on our portal is manually tracked, and therefore relevant to the services you offer. No exceptions.

Ultimately, our manual tracking saves you countless hours of searching through irrelevant tenders and gives you instant results.

The system focuses on your industry.

Most bid sites source tenders for all industries so there’s always a high chance of seeing irrelevant opportunities. You could find plenty of tenders for video production, but this is no good if you’re a roofer.

With Construction Tenders, every opportunity is sector-specific. Our focused approach is the most effective way to provide you with relevant tenders.

Our Opportunity Trackers source specific opportunities for a range sub-sectors, including:

Refurbishment
Building Works
Civil Engineering
Surveying
Demolition
Masonry, and many more.

It allows for remote working in teams.

Remote working has changed the way businesses operate in a lot of ways. Tendering remotely is a lot easier when you have access to a portal which allows you to work in teams.

We’ve designed our tendering portal specifically to make remote working easier. Our portal allows you to give multiple colleagues access to your business account. Each colleague can then assign tasks and add tenders to their favourites page.

You’re supported by an account manager.

If your business is new to tendering, we understand that you might need some extra support. With the right support, scouring the web for the best construction bids becomes a much less daunting task.

Via access to an account manager, you will always have on-hand advice and guidance to help you find relevant opportunities. You might waste time applying for a tender that isn’t right for you or that you’re unable to carry out. You might miss opportunities that are perfect for your business by questioning your ability to win a bid. This can all form a stressful process.

But it doesn’t have to be.

With our Construction Tenders portal, you will be assigned a dedicated account manager throughout your subscription. It’s their job to answer any questions you might have, regarding tendering, while using the portal.

An account manager will support you in a range of ways;

Maximising the way you use our tendering portal;
Advice around tendering and procurement;
Connecting you to other Hudson support services;
Queries around a bid that you require support with;
Alerting you when exclusive opportunities are published that are perfect for your business, and;
Ensuring you receive an email alert when new, relevant tenders, are uploaded.

Clients can always contact their dedicated account manager by phone or email, at any time throughout their subscription. This means you’ll always have a solid understanding of where you stand throughout the tendering process.

You have access to virtual learning.

Great! You’ve found the best construction bid site and, consequently, the perfect contract to bolster your business. You now see that the buyer has asked for a technical and in-depth response. Bids can sometimes require over 10,000 word responses with stringent requirements. Even if you have time to do this – which, let’s be honest, who does? – can you show why you’re irrefutably the best business for the job? Do you know how to write a winning bid?

If not, don’t worry. We’ve created Tender VLE specifically to eliminate the confusion around tendering and procurement. Tender VLE is a free service which gives your business expert advice on the ins and outs of tendering. Through video masterclasses, fact sheets, blogs and templates, you’ll learn how to create a winning tender and secure the best contracts.

You can outsource bid writing if needed.

Some people just aren’t natural-born writers. A good bid writer can transform the way buyers view your business – and give you exponential results.

We have developed Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division, to carry our clients through the bidding process every step of the way. Our team are exceptional Bid Writers who assist businesses in multiple sectors to write compelling and technical narratives. With the help of Hudson Succeed, countless construction sector companies have grown their businesses effectively. The team holds an 87% bid success rate and are trusted by over 700 businesses, globally.

How do I get started?

If you’re looking to secure construction contracts UK, Construction Tenders can save you countless time and money that you’d spend manually searching. You’ll instead gain new business opportunities that are specifically relevant to you. Unlike other construction bid sites, we’ve humanised tendering at every level – from manual tracking to account management. This high level of attention to detail secures the best results for your business.

You will receive daily alerts when tenders are released for services in your sector as well as 24-hour access to our Construction Tenders portal. Book a free live demo of the portal today and see how the portal can help your business grow with construction leads. You’ll see all of the current opportunities available and understand how the system will work for your business.

Below are previous construction bids sourced on our portal:

Fender Pile Replacement Works

Fenland District Council- Eastern- Budget: £90,000

Dunnikier Business Units, Kirkcaldy – Steelworks, Roof and Wall Cladding Works Package

Fife Council- Scotland- Budget: Undisclosed

Communal Floor Replacement

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council- Eastern- Budget: Undisclosed

Asbestos Removal Services

Yorkshire and Humber Police Procurement (Y&HPP)- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: £1,500,000

Roofing Repairs (Framework)

Nottingham City Council- East Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

We source tenders for services including:

Architectural Tenders
Refurbishment Tenders
Brickwork Tenders
Building Works
Health & Safety Tenders
Small Construction Tenders
Civil Engineering Tenders
Electrical Tenders
Surveying Tenders
Demolition Tenders
Flooring Tenders
Glass Tenders
M&E
Cost Consultancy
Painting Contracts
Decorating Tenders
Masonry and many more.

What Does Tendering Mean to the Construction Sector?

Posted on 17th August 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

What is tendering in construction?

Tendering is a vital business development strategy for most construction firms. Why? Because tendering is an effective way of securing new contracts from buyers you may not have had access previously to or even be aware of.

So, what is tendering? As in all industries, tendering is an approach that is ultimately deemed to be the fairest way of procuring works, goods and services. The tendering process, however, can vary slightly depending on your industry sector. It is normally a formal process, aimed at procuring the most economically advantageous option.

In order to secure the work, businesses have to demonstrate why they are the most appropriate supplier for the construction contract. You must answer the buyer’s specification and evidence how you will meet the criteria of the contract.

What is the process?

Pre-qualifying stages

Initially, buyers may request that suppliers complete and submit a PAS-91. This method of pre-qualifying suppliers is becoming increasingly popular in the construction sector. It was developed by the British Standards Institute to save suppliers time filling out multiple types of PQQs.

In a nutshell, the PAS-91 takes the same ‘what have you done’ approach as the PQQ. The main purpose is to ensure that suppliers who bid for the contract, have the capability to deliver the services/goods if successful.

Requests

Depending on the contract, the buyer can ask for this information by publishing various different requests. For example, buyers can publish:

An RFQ (request for quote)
An RFP (request for proposal)
or an RFI (request for information) and more besides.

If buyers require more than just a quote, they will divide their evaluation weighting into pricing and quality. For example, the buyer may mark the tender responses based on 60% price and a 40% quality. We have also seen this the other way around in a variety of different ratios.

When quality is required, this means that the buyer is assessing your written responses to their questions. They may also request to see three previous, relevant, contract examples and potentially turnover evidence in the form of accounts.

Evaluation

Once you have completed the tender and submitted your bid, the buyer will then evaluate the submissions against the specification.

The highest-scoring supplier will be awarded the contract and the work will commence on the contract start date.

Why do businesses tender for work?

Securing contracts through tendering is a proactive approach to your business development strategy. When asking yourself, ‘what is tendering in construction?’ the answer is simply, being practical about growing your business.

It’s great when you get inbound leads through marketing or word-of-mouth. However, to really grow your business sustainably, you need to invest in self-generation.

Tendering opens up a new world of possibilities. If you’re a smaller business, relying on word-of-mouth, imagine the difference that securing a construction contract with the council could make to your pipeline of work. You can secure long-term, 10+ year contracts with local authorities and know that the work is guaranteed for the future.

As well as this, the Prompt Payment Code means that you are guaranteed to be paid on time. All too often we hear of businesses who have been caught in difficult situations when clients miss payments. The Prompt Payment Code means that government authorities have 30 days to pay invoices.

What if you’re an SME?

If you’re an SME business and you’re asking yourself ‘what is tendering in construction?’ you can think of it as a way of opening doors.

We have been supporting businesses with their tendering efforts for almost two decades. In this time, we have realised that SMEs are often under the impression that they are too small to tender.

Under this impression, you could potentially be losing out on multiple opportunities for business growth.

In terms of government construction contracts, the UK government has a target to spend every £1 in £3 with SMEs. This means that public sector buyers want to award contracts to SMEs in order to meet this target.

Of course, there will be contracts that are simply too big for SME businesses to deliver. However, for businesses that are new to tendering, we always recommend starting small and working your way up. It is likely that with smaller contracts, you won’t be competing against the “big players”. They will be bidding for the larger projects. By building a portfolio of contracts, you are preparing your business for winning big construction bids in the future.

Where do I find tendering opportunities in construction?

By simply Googling ‘Construction Tenders’ you will be confronted with a plethora of platforms who will source these opportunities.

However, if you’re looking to save time when sourcing these tenders, you should be aware of issues with CPV codes.

CPV codes (or common procurement vocabulary) are how buyers categorise their tenders. In theory, each industry has its own code and buyers simply select the service with the correct code when publishing a tendering opportunity.

However, when we conducted research, we found that a third of tenders were tagged with incorrect codes. The problem is that these opportunity tracking platforms rely on algorithms to collect their data and the algorithms track CPV codes.

That’s why our Construction Tenders platform is different. We don’t rely on codes or algorithms to source our tenders. We have a dedicated team of Opportunity Trackers who manually search thousands of sources, daily. They read the buyer’s requirements and tag each tender with industry-driven keywords.

What does this mean for you?

When signing up to Construction Tenders, you will simply be able to enter the keywords that represent your services and instantly find construction leads. The tenders you see will be relevant to your service offering and ultimately, this will save countless hours, searching through hundreds of irrelevant contracts.

Below are previous construction tenders sourced on our portal:

Provision of Scaffolding to Weetwood, Wooler

Advance Northumberland Limited- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

Minor Works Framework Agreement Daresbury Laboratory & UK Astronomy Technology Centre

UK Shared Business Services Limited- South West- Budget: £9,500,000

Mechanical Upgrade Works at Ballyheada N.S.

Ballyheada National School- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Freemans Park B Block Campus Mechanical Works

Leicester College- East Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

Flat Roof Replacement & Parapet Repairs at Clacton Police Station

7 Forces Procurement- Eastern- Budget: £380,000

We source tenders for services including;

Book a free live demo of the portal to see the current opportunities and see how the system can help your business.

How do I win?

When you find the perfect contract, it’s easy to get excited and imagine winning the tender. Then, you look at the requirements and see that the buyer has asked for quality responses totalling 10,000+ words. How will you complete this to a high-standard whilst delivering your current contracts?

That’s why we developed our sister company, Hudson Succeed. This is our bid writing division. Our Bid Writers have vast experience supporting construction businesses with their tendering efforts. The team proudly holds an 87% bid success rate and they are trusted by over 700 businesses, globally.

Get in touch with the team for a free consultation. Our consultants will be happy to discuss your current tendering strategy or how to get started with your first bid. Call 0203 051 2217 or email hi@tenderconsultants.co.uk.

Shovel-ready projects & the £1.3 billion investment

Posted on 11th August 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

Shovel-ready projects receive a £900 million investment

Shovel-ready projects will account for over £900 million of the Government’s £1.3 billion investment in homes, infrastructure and jobs. £360 million will be used to build 26,000 new homes. Overall, the funds are predicted to deliver up to 45,000 homes and create up to 85,000 jobs. The work will also help to upgrade skills and infrastructure, contributing to building a greener economic recovery.

What is it?

The Housing Secretary, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick, announced the nearly £1.3 billion investment earlier this month (August). The project will see the build and implementation of vital infrastructure across England.

Over 300 projects throughout the country have been told that they will be receiving a share of the £900 million. This is being referred to as the ‘Getting Building Fund’. The fund was announced by the Prime Minister in June as the COVID recovery plans stepped into action.

The Housing Secretary said:

“As we get Britain building, we are also laying the foundations for a green economic recovery by investing in vital infrastructure for local communities, creating jobs and building environmentally-friendly homes with a huge £1.3 billion investment announced today.

This Government is determined to level up all parts of the country and this funding will not only give a much-needed boost to our economic recovery, it will help build the good quality, affordable homes the country needs.”

What is the goal of the projects?

Not only focussed around infrastructure, the shovel-ready projects are also in aid of boosting the economy as we recover from the pandemic. Whilst creating around 85,000 jobs, the projects offer a chance to boost skills in the construction industry.

Creating a greener England is also one of the main aims of the work. It is expected that the new infrastructure will reduce around 65 million kilograms of CO2 emissions across the country.

The successful projects

Some of the 300 successful shovel-ready projects include;

Mayfield Park in Greater Manchester. They were granted £23 million for the first phase for the development of commercial space. The project is predicted to open 3,200 jobs and attract around 1 million visitors per year.
The National Brownfield Land Institute was granted £14.88 million. The project aims to create a leader in sustainable construction to drive levelling up across the region.
Support for a high-speed railway station in Thanet, Kent. The project was funded £12 million and aims to improve transport infrastructure in the area, as well as creating 800 jobs.
A total of 21 projects in the North East have been granted a combined £64 million. These projects include the Gateshead Quays convention centre and the development of a new business park. These schemes are expected to create over 4,200 jobs and safeguard a further 3,500.

In total, the successful shovel-ready projects are expected to deliver;

85,000 jobs;
1 million sqm of commercial space;
45,000 homes;
Almost 1 million sqm of the public realm or green space (improved or created).

Developing 26,000 new homes

The government has also confirmed a further £360 million investment in Mayoral Combined Authority areas. This investment will help to develop 26,000 homes, whilst protecting greenfield sites.

Additionally, another £8million of funding has been confirmed for brownfield sites. The funding will speed up the build of new homes on these sites. These leaves £40million of funding remaining, for which the Government is now inviting ambitious bids from Mayoral Combined Authorities.

Green Homes grant scheme & required accreditations

The new Green Homes grant scheme will see the government offer £2billion of funding. This will fund up to two-thirds of the cost of home improvements for over 600,000 homes.

However, please be aware that tradespeople must register for a TrustMark accreditation in order to take part in the scheme.

The Business and Energy Secretary, Rt Hon Alok Sharma said:

“Green home improvements will save people money on their energy bills, help to cut carbon emissions, and create new work for many thousands of builders, plumbers and other tradespeople.

Our TrustMark scheme will guarantee that building work is completed to a high standard by accredited tradespeople, ensuring consumers are fully protected.”

Households on low incomes can receive vouchers which will cover 100% of the cost of their home improvements. This support carries a maximum of £10,000.

Are you looking for new construction projects?

Does your business need to secure new construction contracts in the UK? We know that the opportunity tracking process can be time-consuming. There are numerous tendering portals available to you that can make the process more efficient. However, when we conducted research, we found that over a third of the opportunities on these portals were tagged with incorrect CPV codes.

In a nutshell, CPV (common procurement vocabulary) is how the algorithms on these portals find and identify tenders. The problem is that buyers don’t always know which CPV codes to use when publishing tendering opportunities.

We decided to eradicate this process altogether. When we developed Construction Tenders, we decided not to rely on CPV or to leave decisions at the mercy of computers. Our team of Opportunity Trackers manually searches thousands of sources every day. They identify new opportunities in the construction sector and upload them to one central system. They then tag the tenders with industry-specific keywords. This means that all the tenders you see are relevant to your business. No more searching and scrolling through endless, irrelevant contracts.

But don’t just take our word for it. Book a free live demo and trial the system for yourself. The demo will allow you to access the system, see the current opportunities and understand how the portal can help your business.

We source tenders for services including;

Refurbishment Tenders

Do you need bid writing support for a construction tender?

We understand how important the process of tendering is to the construction industry. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, houses our five dedicated bid writing services. The Succeed team has vast experience with writing and winning construction bids. They proudly hold an 87% bid success rate and are trusted by over 700 businesses globally.

Each service was created to ensure that the team can support businesses of varying sizes with different levels of tendering experience.

For example, the Tender Ready package was designed to support those who are new to tendering. During the service, our bid writers will work with you to develop the corporate literature you will need when you begin tendering for work. Not only that, but our Bid Designers will also ensure that your documents are professionally branded and stand out from your competition. They will then help you to identify the right tendering opportunities for your business. Then, they will offer to write your first bid on your behalf or guide you through two.

Tender Writing is the perfect ad-hoc solution if you require support with a one-off bid. The team will write your tender responses, attach the required documents and then submit the bid on your behalf. They will work with you to respond to any technical questions to ensure that your bid showcases your business in the best light.

Tender Improvement was developed to help you see success from your tendering efforts. During this service, our consultants will assess your previous tender responses and identify any areas of improvement. They will also assess your corporate literature and either create or re-develop any necessary documents. Once this is complete, the team can either write your next bid or guide you through two.

Further support

For further support or more information about how we can help your construction business grow with a steady supply of construction leads please get in touch. Our team will be happy to take you on a tour through our Construction Tenders portal or discuss your tendering strategy in more detail.

The North London Heat and Power Project

Posted on 28th July 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

The £600million North London Heat and Power Project

The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has called for bids to develop a world-class Energy Recovery Facility (ERF). The work comes as part of the North London Heat and Power Project (NLHPP) to modernise Edmonton EcoPark.

The government originally granted development consent for the project in 2017, with work consisting of a new energy recovery plant to replace the incinerator which has been in place for almost 50 years. During this time, the park has diverted over 21 tonnes of waste from going to landfill.

The impact of the project will have the same carbon impact as removing 110,000 cars off the road each year.

For workers in the construction industry, this contract offers an array of opportunities due to the various services required.

The Chair of the NLWA, Councillor Clyde Loakes, said: “The procurement of the ERF is our biggest contract to date and marks a crucial step forward in delivering this nationally significant infrastructure project for our two million residents.

“In the first phase of construction we’re also investing £100m in flagship recycling facilities which are vital for boosting North London’s recycling rates.”

What does the contract involve?

The modernisation work will take place over the next 10 years. The project is to develop a sustainable waste hub, involving substantial investment in state-of-the-art recycling facilities.

The North London Heat and Power Project requires the construction of an Energy Recovery Facility. The successful supplier will be responsible for all risk for;

Design;
Engineering;
Procurement;
Construction;
Commissioning;
Testing;
And operator training.

The new development will utilise the most up-to-date technology to control emissions. This means that the facility will be capable of using 60% less than the current limits for nitrogen oxides.

The site will have the capacity to treat up to 700,000 tonnes of household waste every year. The radius will cover the boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forest.

The process

The project is divided into four stages.

Stage 1 – The preparatory works which are due to end in 2021.

Stage 2 – The building works which will continue until 2023.

Stage 3 – The Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) construction and commissioning. This work is due to begin in 2023 and end in 2025

Stage 4 – Post-ERF works consisting of the decommissioning and demolition of the existing facility. This stage is due to begin in 2027 and finish in 2031.

Creating jobs

The NLWA has committed to boosting local employment by 25%. Throughout the development, the project will provide approximately 100 apprenticeships. At least 90 of these opportunities will be directly associated with the Energy Recovery Facility.

NLHPP’s Programme Director, David Cullen, has claimed: “Overall, the construction of the NLHPP will generate 2,500 jobs.

“We’re working with the constituent boroughs of the NLWA and education providers to ensure that job opportunities and wider project benefits reach the local community where they are most needed.”

Why is the project important?

The facility will be part of NLWA’s efforts to raise awareness of the need for waste reduction and improvements to recycling. The North London Heat and Power Project forms the wider plan which includes Low Plastic Zones, clothing swaps and the London Upcycling Show.

The new development will be crucial to managing non-recyclable waste in the area sustainably. When the project is complete, the ERF will ensure that increasing waste levels can be managed responsibly for years to come. For the first time ever, residents will be allowed to bring their household waste to the EcoPark. The items will then be processed through the facility, lowering the usage of landfill sites.

Overall, the NLHPP project will see the development of;

The Energy Recovery Facility;
A Resource Recovery Facility;
A Reuse and Recycle Centre;
And EcoPark House which will include a visitor and education centre.

Finding construction opportunities

Are you looking for new construction contracts to help your business grow? Our Construction Tenders portal is dedicated to your industry.

Construction Tenders is our opportunity tracking portal. We know that opportunity tracking for tenders is a full-time job because we have a team who is solely responsible for this every day. They source new contract opportunities from thousands of sites to ensure that you never miss out.

Once the tenders have been sourced, they are then uploaded to our portal and categorised with industry-led keywords. This allows you to log into the system, select the services you provide and instantly find all the relevant opportunities. You can also filter the results by location, budget and sector.

Below are previous heat and power tenders sourced on our portal:

GB-Colchester: Planned Renewal of Heating Systems

Colchester Borough Council- Eastern- Budget: £1,000,000

CAT1 Gas Works: Heating Upgrade Works – Rosary College, Armagh Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12

Rosary College (Crumlin)- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Emergency heating works to Mary Queen of Ireland

Mary Queen of Ireland National School (Toberburr)- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Upgrade of LV Panels at Solihull Hospital

Sunderland City Council- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

Heating Installation and Associated Works

South Tyneside Council- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

Book a free live demo of our portal. The demo will allow you to access the system, see the current tenders and understand how the portal can help your business with construction leads.

We source tenders for services including;

Construction sector bid writing services

Once you have sourced the perfect tendering opportunity, you may need support with writing the bid. Bid writing requires a set of specialist skills, not to mention time and resources.

Our team at sister company, Hudson Succeed, have experience with writing and winning tenders in the construction sector. They have been helping business to see success from their tendering efforts for almost two decades and they support over 700 businesses globally. The team proudly holds a bid success rate of 87%, so you can rest assured that your bid is in safe hands.

No matter the size of your organisation or experience with tendering, Hudson Succeed can support you with your construction bids. The team offer five dedicated bid writing services;

Tender Writing: A fully managed bid writing service. The team will handle everything from writing your tender responses to submitting the final bid.
Tender Ready: A full preparation service for businesses who are new to tendering. This service involves the creation and branding of your corporate literature, support to find your first tender opportunity and the option of a bid writing service or guide and review support.
Tender Improvement: The perfect solution for increasing your success rate. During this service, our consultants will assess your previous tender submissions and advise on areas of improvement.
Tender Mentor: An expert second pair of eyes. This is the perfect final stage before submitting the bid. Let our experts review your responses and provide guidance to ensure you submit an error-free bid.

Call or email the team for a free consultation.

The Construction Talent Retention Scheme – Protecting workers in Construction

Posted on 9th July 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

The Construction Talent Retention Scheme – Everything you need to know

The Construction Talent Retention Scheme was announced by Chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak. The aim of the scheme is to protect workers in the construction industry as the UK begins to rebuild itself and emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Co-Chair of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), Andy Mitchell said: “This is a great example of what we can achieve when we work collaboratively with government and we look forward to continuing in this spirit when the proposals and recommendations of our broader Roadmap to Recovery are published. In the meantime, we will work with our members and industry stakeholders to encourage the scheme’s use and success.”

How will the scheme work?

The Construction Talent Retention Scheme is due to launch, formally, later this month. The scheme will be in the form of an online portal that will work to protect those who work in the construction industry. The portal will do this in the following ways;

Advertising vacancies

Companies can use the portal to advertise open vacancies and employ workers that may be at risk of redundancy.

Help construction projects

The portal will help to place at-risk workers on construction projects to prevent a loss of talent in the sector.

Inter-trading with talent

The Construction Talent Retention Scheme system will also allow businesses to “loan” workers to other companies who can utilise their skills.

Transfer workers into construction

The system will aim to help workers from different industries to transfer to the construction sector. This means that workers who have lost jobs, or who are at risk of being made redundant, will have a route into a new career.

The foundations

The foundations of the Construction Talent Retention Scheme are based on a tried and tested model. A similar scheme has been used previously to safeguard workers in the aerospace and automotive industries.

The Chief Executive for the Association for Consultancy and Engineering, Hannah Vickers said: “This is a proven solution with a strong track-record in other sectors, cross-industry support and pledges from our leading employers. It is vital we keep the skills in our sector to avoid a talent drain and is the only way we will be able to ramp-up activity to lead the recovery of the wider economy and deliver growth through new buildings and infrastructure.”

Funding for the scheme has been secured until the end of the financial year. The platform will be free for any organisation to use.

Finding construction contracts

Are you currently looking for construction contracts in your field? Our Construction Tenders portal takes the headache out of the sourcing process.

Finding new contract opportunities is a full-time job. We know because we have a dedicated team who do this daily to ensure your business never misses a construction lead.

Below are previous construction tenders sourced on our portal:

West Thames College – M & E Services Tender

West Thames College- London- Budget: Undisclosed

UPVC Guttering, Soffits, Fascias and Accessories

Luton Council- Eastern- Budget: Undisclosed

Replacement or Repair of Existing Over Door Canopies

Raven Housing Trust Limited- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

Quick Quote – Ronaldsway Airport Fire Station Slipway Refurbishment

Isle of Man Government- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Quick Quote – Castletown Harbour – Light Column Replacement

Isle of Man Government- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Book a free live demo to tour the system and see how the portal can help your construction business.

We source tenders for services including;

Local Road Maintenance Contracts – £100million invested into local roads

Posted on 9th July 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

Local Road Maintenance Contracts – could your business benefit?

Local road maintenance contracts are expected to be announced as the government announces a prolonged £100 million investment into local road conditions.

“As the country begins the recovery from COVID-19, we need to get on the front foot and invest in infrastructure in every region to reignite the economy, helping better connect people with opportunities in the future.

“By investing £100 million in local roads and reaffirming our commitment to better connecting communities, we are not just talking about levelling up – but making it happen.” – Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary.

The projects

A total of 29 projects will benefit from the investment. These projects will range from fixing deteriorating road surfaces to flood mitigation works and bridge repairs. The aim of the projects is to make a long-lasting improvement to the quality of local highways throughout the UK.

High-quality road surfaces lie at the heart of the public’s ability to travel for both work and leisure. By making these improvements, the aim is to encourage the economic boost needed to help the UK recover from the COVID pandemic.

The listed projects include some of the UK’s most important A-roads, stretching from the A58 in Bolton to the A38 in Somerset.

You can expect to see local road maintenance contracts for;

The repair of two bridges in Sandwell;
Key routes in Liverpool;
Swanswell Viaduct;
Tadcaster Road, York;
Footpaths in Sheffield
And the A15.

Where can you find local road maintenance contracts?

Don’t worry about keeping track of hundreds of sites, waiting for contracts to be announced. Our team at Construction Tenders do this daily. They manually search through thousands of sources to ensure you never miss construction leads. Once they have identified new tenders, they are uploaded to our dedicated portal and tagged with industry-driven keywords. This means that you can simply log into the portal, select the keywords with relevance to your business and instantly find new construction contracts in the UK. Not only that, you can also use the location filter to easily find the most recent contract opportunities in your area.

Don’t have time to log in? We’ll send you an email alert each time a relevant opportunity is uploaded to our system.

Below are previous local road maintenance contracts sourced on our portal:

Mini competition – A6 Chorley Road Junction

Salford City Council- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

Installation of new pop-up Cycle Paths within Hull City Centre – Expression of Interest

Hull City Council- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: Undisclosed

GB-Braintree: Cemetery Embankment Works

Braintree District Council- Eastern- Budget: £100,000

Road Recycling Works Within the Municipal District of Athlone and Moate

Westmeath County Council- International- Budget: Undisclosed

Area 10 M65 Junction 2 Safety Scheme GPR, Trial Pits, Asbestos and Lighting

Highways England- North West- Budget: £25,000

We offer a free live demo of our portal. The demo allows you to access the system, tour the functionality and understand how the portal can help your business.

Book a free demo

We source construction leads for services including;

Need support responding to tenders?

Our team at sister company, Hudson Succeed, have vast experience with construction bids. They offer five dedicated services to ensure that businesses of all sizes have an equal chance at seeing success from their tendering efforts.

The team proudly hold an 87% bid success rate and they support over 700 businesses, globally. Get in touch to speak to a consultant today about construction contracts.

Building construction contracts for tender

Posted on 2nd July 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

Building construction contracts for tender

In 2018, the construction industry contributed to 6% of the UK economy. However, in March 2020, there was a large decline in outputs due to Covid-19. There was a 6.2% decrease in new work – the largest monthly fall since records were created in 2010. Now that construction work is up and running again, you can rest assured that there will be more building construction contracts for tender.

Most tenders in the construction industry will name the form of contract under which you will operate within the tender documentation. Hitting the ‘control’ and ‘f’ keys will help you to discover which one will most likely be used.

Upon successfully tendering for a building construction contract, you will have to sign it and adhere to it. It’s important therefore to have a working knowledge of the types of contract you may have to undertake.

Contract notices

A contract notice provides information about building construction contracts for tender. In short, this is an advertisement for current tenders and therefore upcoming contracts. These are published on OJEU, and you can utilise the Government’s Contracts Finder tool to search for building construction contracts for tender. This is one of hundreds of websites where notices are published. Details often include:

Type of contract;
Approximate/estimated value;
Contract duration;
Any lot-specific information.

Similarly, a prior information notice (PIN) flags up any upcoming procurement runs. PINs let potential bidders know that they can expect the release of a tender typically within the coming 12 months. This process is optional – it merely serves to accelerate the tender timetables, as bidders have had advance notice of a tender’s release.

It’s worth keeping an eye on contract notices and PINs so that you can be sure you’re ready for when desirable building construction contracts for tender are released.

Standard forms of contract

Everyone knows a contract sets out the relationship and expectations between two parties. Critically, building construction contracts for tender outline the allocation of risk and price. Contracts will make most sense when read alongside certain tender documents such as terms and conditions, and/or the specification.

We have listed here the most popular building construction contracts for tender within the UK:

JCT (The Joint Contracts Tribunal)

JCT forms of contract are the most commonly found within the sector. It is a limited company which produces contracts and other supporting documentation, such as sub-contracts and forms of tender. JCT contracts cover the construction of all buildings, including but not limited to:

Standard and intermediate building contracts;
Minor and major works contracts;
Design and build contracts.
Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)

The CIOB developed the Complex Projects Contract in 2013, but it was renamed to the Time and Cost Management Contract in 2015. Its primary aim is to organise time management in complex construction and engineering projects. Buyers may use this contract because it caters for BIM. This contract form entails close collaboration between multiple parties involved in the project. This is because of the contract’s aim to mitigate time and cost risk. Ultimately, this contract pushes for early completions of complex projects.

FIDIC (Fédération Internationale des Ingénieurs-Conseil)

This is a membership organisation with a suite of contracts at its disposal for works in:

Construction;
Design and build;
Turnkey projects.

The organisation’s primary aim is to promote the strategic goals of the construction industry. The contract forms here are internationally recognised, as you may have guessed from the French name.

NEC (The New Engineering Contract)

NEC4, the latest version of the NEC suite of contracts, became available in June 2017. NEC contracts have been available for over 20 years, and thus NEC4 is the culmination of feedback from the use of the contracts in practice. The NEC4 contract aims to streamline:

Contract administration;
Risk management;
Key terminology.

There are various changes between the NEC3 and the NEC4 contracts. These changes all have the purpose of promoting and facilitating collaboration between all parties.

There will be other forms of building construction contracts for tender, but these are far less commonly used.

Bespoke contracts

Some companies, usually private sector organisations, will use bespoke contracts which are written specifically for the project at hand. These are riskier than signing standard forms of contract and tend not to cover as many eventualities. As the contractor, you normally have little choice about the contract you sign. As such, it’s worth considering which formats of building construction contracts for tender you are willing to bid for.

CIC BIM Protocol

CIC BIM Protocol is an additional legal agreement that can be added to construction contracts, suitable for all Level 2 BIM projects. Its main purpose is to establish obligations, limitations and liabilities which support Level 2 BIM construction projects.

Components

But which documents might these types of contracts contain? Possibly all, or a combination of, the following:

Article of agreement and conditions of contract (what needs completing);
Drawings;
Bills of quantities;
Schedules of work;
Specification(s);
Adjustments schedule (any changes agreed following the tender process);
An information release schedule;
A model enabling amendment and/or BIM protocol (for BIM projects).

Tendering

Now that we’ve understood the popular forms of contract, let’s look at how to tender for them. Within the documentation for building construction contracts for tender, you will probably find the following:

A PAS 91.

The construction industry’s answer to a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. Your method statements and pricing will not be evaluated if you don’t pass this stage. Unless you have SSIP certifications like Constructionline, CHAS or Safecontractor or ISO/OHSAS accreditations, you’ll have to provide policies and answer questions on the following subjects:

Quality assurance;
Health and Safety;
Environmental considerations;
Equal opportunities and diversity.

Make sure you pay attention to detail here. It is imperative that you attach relevant evidence and accreditations where prompted.

Method statements.

Most buyers will want to understand your approach to delivering your services and their requirements. As such, you may have to respond to questions asking about:

Your proposed resourcing – qualifications, experience and training of staff;
Your proposed approach and how this complies with the specification and/or industry regulations;
Mobilisation – how you intend to ensure that the contract is ready to commence on the buyer’s stipulated date;
How you comply with certain legislation/regulations;
Quality assurance – such as minimising defects;
How you minimise environmental impacts;
Health and safety and/or risk management;
Social value – how you can contribute to the social and economic wellbeing of the local community.

As part of these method statements, you may be asked to (or choose to) submit supporting documentation. This could be policies, procedures, accreditations, or CVs for your staff members. If there is a question about resource, it’s possible you’ll also have to attach copies of staff’s qualifications/certifications to prove their competency.

Tender documentation may often state the importance of the claims you make in your method statements. Some or all of the content could be inserted into the contract and therefore form legally binding commitments. It’s important to bear this in mind when creating your responses. However, this shouldn’t mean that you scrimp on demonstrating your ability to provide added value and deliver the services.

A pricing schedule.

You will have to complete a pricing schedule as part of your tender response. Make sure you price your services competitively without making a loss.

Those releasing building construction contracts for tender will be similar to other public procurement buyers. Organisations could include:

Councils;
Housing associations;
NHS Trusts or CCGs;

Most buyers will have preferred contract forms – so for example, Durham County Council may only use NEC4 contracts. It might be worth considering which contract forms buyers use and bid for those with which you already have experience where possible.

Further support

Still got more questions? Why not contact the Hudson helpline. Our experts can provide you with bespoke advice about queries you have about your construction bids.

If you’re interested in building construction contracts for tender but don’t know where to start, look no further. At Hudson Succeed, we have five support packages to help you in your tendering efforts. Our team has an 87% success rate and can help you with any tender, of any size or form. Contact them today to find out more about your options.

Or if you need help finding building construction contracts for tender, Construction Tenders from Hudson Discover could be your answer. We don’t use CPV codes – we use real people to give you reliability and accuracy. Our opportunity trackers scour numerous portals every day and upload new public and private construction contracts in the UK directly to our site. It’s never been easier to source new business opportunities. Click here to contact the team and access your free demo of our time-saving tool.

Get in Touch with Construction Tenders:

Sign up to Construction Tenders today and receive a daily construction leads bulletin straight to your inbox, containing all relevant small construction tenders uploaded that day.

Below are previous building construction contracts sourced on our portal:

45210000-2 Building Construction Work

St. Macartan’s National School- Northern Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

Building Construction Framework Agreement

Grwp Llandrillo Menai- Wales- Budget: £10,000,000

CREWW Research Facility Building Construction

University of Exeter- Eastern- Budget: £6,200,000

Dynamic Purchasing System for Building Construction, Design and Build Construction, Demountable (Temporary) Buildings, Asbestos Removal and Demolition

Shropshire Council- South West- Budget: £625,000,000

National Train Control Centre (NTCC) – Building Construction

Iarnrod Eireann-Irish Rail- International- Budget: Undisclosed

This includes the following:

Further Support

The industry has a wide range of building tenders on offer. If you need support in your tendering efforts, contact us today.

Concrete Tenders and the Construction Industry

Posted on 29th June 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

Concrete Tenders and the Construction Industry

Great news – the construction industry is brimming with complex concrete tenders. This means that there is a wide range of construction contracts, suitable for both small and large organisations.

Additionally, the concrete industry is rapidly evolving. Buyers and suppliers must consider innovations, sustainable growth and their supply chains.

So what kind of concrete tenders might you find?

Possibilities include:

Kerbs and sleepers
Cement supply
Building material supply
Aggregates and ready mixed concrete
Concrete removal
Repairs and remedial works
Full refurbishments
Car park repairs

Opportunities also exist for concrete sub-categories such as:

Aggregates
Ready-made concrete
Rebar
Concrete blocks
Pre-cast concretes
Cement materials
Admixtures
Mortar

Categories that concrete tenders apply to can both public and private sector buyers. Opportunities to apply for concrete tenders exist in:

Retail and commercial spaces
Residential sites
Education and healthcare sites
Commercial sites and industrial buildings
Museums and public offices

The list really does go on. The concrete industry is rapidly expanding, and with that – tendering opportunities.

Broadly speaking, public sector buyers will advertise more framework tenders than private sector buyers. That does not mean to say that the public sector is short of single contract concrete tenders. Quite the opposite. Concrete tenders remain a high demand service provision across the changing urban landscape.

CDM 2015

On any concrete tenders project, you may be required to work with a range of other contractors. For example, architects, quantity surveyors, and other material suppliers.

Working with other stakeholders, you must be able to demonstrate your ability to collaborate, manage contracts, and create mobilisation plans which will effectively deliver the work.

Familiarity with CDM 2015 is also essential for many concrete construction projects. More formally named the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, contractors must now create a construction plan. Dependent on the scale of work involved, contractors may also need to inform relevant regulatory bodies, like HSE.

For large-scale tenders, a principal contractor will be assigned to the contract. Their responsibility is to effectively manage a project’s construction phase, ensuring it is streamlined, organised and compliant with legislation.

Other projects may require you to be familiar with a JCT contract in a non-principal contractor capacity. Familiarity with CDM regulations and JCT contracts are therefore essential in the concrete tendering process. It may sound obvious, but If you have JCT contract experience, your case studies are invaluable here.

It’s worth building up a bank of your key experience. A useful approach here could be to spend time creating a JCT experience spreadsheet. This could detail aspects including:

Project title and client;
Location;
Contract dates and values;
Contract management team (such as Contract Manager, Site Manager and Project Manager);
JCT specifics;
A short summary of your organisation’s roles and responsibilities;
The contract brief, with details such as budget and specification;
Details of the site, such as warehouse, hotel, etc.;
A summary of your specific working practices and methods;
Key referee contact details;
Any other added value which you provided to the project

This spreadsheet will support your case study development. It will also enable you to quickly gather all contract facts and figures from one place. The spreadsheet approach can save you time and reduce the number of back-and-forth emails between colleagues.

BIM

An understanding of Building Information Modelling (BIM) can be beneficial on some concrete tenders. This is because BIM facilitates better information sharing and data between parties involved in a project’s design and construction. Therefore, if you choose to tender as a concrete manufacturer, having product data sheets ready can be beneficial.

This data can be used to support BIM processes. Additionally, some buyers may require BIM as a specification requirement. Contributing to BIM data will also help deliver more effective sustainable processes during construction design. Therefore, the benefits of BIM to concrete tenders are:

That accurate data modelling is provided, which benefits all project contributors;
It can model the potential environmental and embodied carbon effect of concrete products and materials;
It can benefit BREEAM sustainability assessments.

Concrete and environmental considerations

Concrete is heavily linked to carbon, sustainability, and responsible sourcing processes. Within the tendering process, buyers may request concrete-specific standards and codes. These codes are standards for thermal performance, environmental impact, reinforcements, aggregates and more.

As a supplier, you should be familiar with standards and codes such as:

Thermal Performance: Part L1A 2013
Target Fabric Energy Efficiency rates (TFEE)
BS EN 1992, Eurocode 2: Design of concrete structures
BS 8297: 2017 Design, manufacture and installation of architectural precast concrete cladding code of practice
BS EN 206: 2013 +A1:2016 – Concrete – specification, performance, production and conformity
BS 8500-2:2015+A2:2019 – Concrete – specifying and guidance for the specifier
BS EN 197-1:2011 – Composition, specification and conformity criteria for common cements.
BS EN 10080:2005 – Steel for the reinforcement of concrete – Weldable reinforcing steel – General
BES 6001 – Responsible sourcing of construction products

The above list is dependent on the type of service and material supplied. The key point here is ensure that your organisation is fully up-to-date with industry requirements. Not only this – you must be able to demonstrate these requirements.

You can do this through evidence, case studies, sample documents, training records, and similar. As a golden rule, the more specific and relevant your evidence is, the better.

PAS 91

The PAS 91 is often essential to complete in construction bids. It is a standardised pre-qualification questionnaire for the construction industry. The PAS 91 is a comprehensive questionnaire which requests supplier information about:

Essential company and contact information
The company’s financial standing
Insurances in place
Business standing – verifying the organisation and staff integrity
Health and Safety policies

Whilst the PAS 91 is a very rigorous questionnaire, it does offer exemptions if you have specific accreditations. This is because those accreditations already demonstrate you have the required criteria. Certifications and memberships that may gain you an exemption to certain PAS 91 question responses include:

ISO 18001 International Health and Safety Management systems accreditation
Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) membership
ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems accreditation
ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems accreditation

That is not to say that having these accreditations are essential to completing a PAS 91 questionnaire. It does however make the process a lot simpler! The reason is that these certifications save time and effort during the sometimes complex tendering process.

Bigger organisations who tender frequently would benefit from having these accreditations in place. Or, to be working towards accreditation.

There is a lot of cost, time and planning involved in becoming accredited. Smaller organisations must weigh up the benefits of each accreditation to the type of work they will tender for. Broadly speaking, having any level of ISO Quality Management Accreditation will benefit your organisation and the concrete tendering process.

The reason is that health and safety, quality and environmental quality management systems are organisation-wide processes. They demonstrate that you have processes, procedures and systems in place to consistently deliver a standard. These accreditations will enable you to discuss persuasively why your organisation is best placed to deliver concrete tenders.

To prepare for ISO accreditation requires a thorough review (and sometimes upheaval) of organisational processes. Careful consideration must be given to the end goal. This means not only thinking about accreditation but also that planning must be projected forward to maintaining those ISO management systems. This can be through people, planning, policies, training, company ethos, and documentation, for example.

Health & Safety

As with any construction project, health and safety is absolutely paramount. When preparing concrete tenders, due consideration should be given to risk assessments, COSHH, RIDDOR and PPE.

Organisations must consider:

All employees
Members of the public
Vulnerable workers
Site visitors

Risks present during any concrete works may include:

Working at height
Manual handling
Machinery, plant and equipment
Harmful substances
Noise
Slips and falls

Companies are now expected to manage coronavirus risk. These essentially come down to managing risk in various capacities. The key points here are to identify, assess and control risks. Essential to this process is to document your findings and propose mitigation strategies.

How can we help you with your next concrete tender? Contact us today to find out more. We offer a full range of service which can improve your organisation’s potential.

At Hudson, we also provide a dedicated portal, Construction Tenders. On this portal, you can find the most relevant construction leads and up-to-date concrete tenders across the UK and further afield.

Signing up, you will receive the following benefits which will support your tendering efforts:

A dedicated Account Manager, who will answer your tendering queries;
Daily new tenders, relevant to you, direct to your inbox;
You can search this sector-specific portal using filters that you need. No more scouring across lots of different websites for relevant tenders. We have all construction contracts in the UK right here on one easy portal;
We don’t use computer algorithms to find concrete tenders, but dedicated Opportunity Trackers. This Opportunity Tracking team manually do all of the hard work for you;
Ultimately, our construction portal will save you time, money and effort. So what are you waiting for? Contact us today, to find your next ideal concrete tendering opportunity.

Get in Touch with Construction Tenders:

Sign up to Construction Tenders today and receive a daily bulletin straight to your inbox, containing all relevant small construction tenders uploaded that day.

Below are past concrete tenders sourced on our portal:

Concrete Survey

NHS South West – Acutes- South West- Budget: £70,000

Contractor Services for Steel and Concrete Repairs for Kingsway Fan Grill Replacement and Associated Works

Merseytravel- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

Framework Agreement for the Supply of Ready Mixed Concrete

City & County of Swansea- Wales- Budget: Undisclosed

Kirkby Wharfe New – Concrete Saddle

North Yorkshire County Council- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: Undisclosed

Pre-cast Concrete L-Shape Retaining Walls

SCS JV- London- Budget: £2,500,000

This includes the following:

Further Support

The construction industry has a wide range of Concrete Tenders on offer. If you need support in your tendering efforts, contact us today.

Building Maintenance Contracts for Tender

Posted on 25th June 202021st March 2022 by John Hudson

Building Maintenance Contracts for Tender

There’s a sure-fire chance that if you live, work or own a building of some kind that it will need maintenance to some degree, regardless of whether your building is an old property in need of a major refurbishment or a brand-new build.

Fortunately, the public sector does too – leading to thousands of building maintenance contracts for tender going live each day. This is where you come in.

So, what can we do?

Typical building maintenance contracts for tender will cover, say, a council’s domestic or commercial properties. Both come with their own unique considerations, which are more than likely going to be reflected across the tender questions.

Councils may put out to tender for the likes of:

Gas servicing
Electrical maintenance
Painting and decorating
Joinery and plastering
Planned preventative maintenance

Not all public sector buyers are the same

Public sector procurement may follow the same guidelines – namely the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 – however buyers differ, and as such there can be a massive variety of contracts to choose from. Buyers can break different maintenance trades down into individual contracts and tenders or as large, overarching contracts or frameworks.

Larger contracts, usually covering many trades are typically released as frameworks, hereby a proportion of the top scoring tenders will be added to the buyer’s approved suppliers list. Thereafter, they are contacted on a call-off basis, where the top scorer is called first, the second called afterwards and so on.

Larger opportunities

Some larger contracts may be split into lots, in which you can bid for the separate services under the same contract. This is often great news for smaller firms or those who simply wish to cherry pick the services they wish to deliver – as such, you could opt to deliver gas servicing and painting and decorating for a local council as part of a much larger maintenance package.

Make sure it’s worth bidding for

Once you’ve found an opportunity that you’re interested in, it’s time to make a bid/no bid decision. Important things to consider when you’re interested in a bidding maintenance contract for tender is whether you:

Meet the minimum financial criteria and stability to bid
Can feasibly deliver the maintenance across the geographical area
Satisfy any other minimum eligibility criteria

Sometimes, buyers will require as a minimum, certain accreditations to be held by yourselves or your subcontractors to be eligible to bid – this has included the likes of GasSafe, NICEIC and even ISO accreditations, such as ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015.

Building construction contracts for tender

Contract notices

Type of contract
Approximate/estimated value
Contract duration
Any lot-specific information.

It’s worth keeping an eye on contract notices and PINs so that you can be sure you’re ready for when desirable building construction contracts for tender are released.

Standard forms of contract

Everyone knows a contract sets out the relationship and expectations between two parties. Critically, building construction contracts for tender outline the allocation of risk and price. Contracts will make the most sense when read alongside certain tender documents such as terms and conditions, and/or the specification.

We have listed here the most popular building construction contracts for tender within the UK:

JCT (The Joint Contracts Tribunal)

Standard and intermediate building contracts
Minor and major works contracts
Design and build contracts.
Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)

FIDIC (Fédération Internationale des Ingénieurs-Conseil)

This is a membership organisation with a suite of contracts at its disposal for works in:

Construction
Design and build
Turnkey projects.

The organisation’s primary aim is to promote the strategic goals of the construction industry. The contract forms here are internationally recognised, as you may have guessed from the French name.

NEC (The New Engineering Contract)

Contract administration
Risk management
Key terminology.

There are various changes between the NEC3 and the NEC4 contracts. These changes all have the purpose of promoting and facilitating collaboration between all parties.

There will be other forms of building construction contracts for tender, but these are far less commonly used.

Bespoke contracts

CIC BIM Protocol

Components

But which documents might these types of contracts contain? Possibly all, or a combination of, the following:

Article of agreement and conditions of contract (what needs completing)
Drawings
Bills of quantities
Schedules of work
Specification(s)
Adjustments schedule (any changes agreed following the tender process)
An information release schedule
A model enabling amendment and/or BIM protocol (for BIM projects).

So, we can bid – what now?

Tender exercises of this nature will either follow the open or closed procedure. The former allows you to jump straight into the tender questions, often submitted with a pricing schedule and a selection questionnaire.

The latter however follows a strict two-stage process, in which potential bidders are vetted through a pre-qualification or selection questionnaire, which evaluates you on a basis of what you have done previously that is relevant to the contract you’re bidding for.

These are usually marked as pass/fail, rather than the scoring system in the latter invitation to tender (ITT) exercise.

The PAS-91

Being an area of construction, it’s entirely possible that the pre-qualification stage for a maintenance contract could entail the completion of a PAS-91, or “Publicly Available Specification 91”. These are becoming increasingly common in the construction sector, working as standardised, elongated PQQ.

The workloads associated with completing PAS-91s will vary depending on the accreditations you hold, which in turn will exempt you from completing certain sections. Should you be fortunate to hold Constructionline – particularly gold level – you should be in good stead to avoid most sections. See our lowdown on PAS-91s here.

The ITT exercise

Should you pass the selection questionnaire stage, it’s now a matter of explaining and selling your approach to delivering maintenance across the building(s) the client requires. As is standard practice for writing any bid, first make sure you have:

Read the specification, and as such understand what the client needs you to deliver on
Broken down each question and cross-referenced these with the specification
Have the time and resources to complete the questions fully.

The specification is often a good idea as to what the client is looking for in each response, and as such it’s worth breaking down your responses to cover the relevant information in the specification to cover as many marks as possible.

Themes and why…

Not only that, but the specification – and indeed the question sets – is a great way to break down the theme of a bid. The ‘theme’ of a bid, in this case, hints to certain areas where buyers may have had issues in the past. As such may award or prefer tenders that reference this point – we’re all human after all. Simple giveaways of themes can include:

Multiple questions regarding a specific subject (e.g. out of hours service)
Disproportionate weighting to certain sections
Extensive coverage in the specification.

By ascertaining the theme of the bid, you can then start to identify how you can appeal to the buyer’s needs and create a positive impression – a happy evaluator is likely to be a more generous one.

You should consider:

Method statements

Most buyers will want to understand your approach to delivering your services and their requirements. As such, you may have to respond to questions asking about:

Your proposed resourcing – qualifications, experience and training of staff
Your proposed approach and how this complies with the specification and/or industry regulations
Mobilisation – how you intend to ensure that the contract is ready to commence on the buyer’s stipulated date
How you comply with certain legislation/regulations
Quality assurance – such as minimising defects
How you minimise environmental impacts
Health and safety and/or risk management
Social value – how you can contribute to the social and economic wellbeing of the local community.

As part of these method statements, you may be asked to (or choose to) submit supporting documentation. This could be policies, procedures, accreditations, or CVs for your staff members. If there is a question about resources, it’s possible you’ll also have to attach copies of staff’s qualifications/certifications to prove their competency.

A pricing schedule

You will have to complete a pricing schedule as part of your tender response. Make sure you price your services competitively without making a loss.

Those releasing building construction contracts for tender will be similar to other public procurement buyers. Organisations could include:

Councils
Housing associations
NHS Trusts or CCGs.

Managing your resources

For any construction contract – there is a very high chance a buyer is going to want to you to demonstrate how you manage your resources. Questions can vary and can cover the likes of:

Staff allocation
Managing planned preventative maintenance schedules
Contract delivery teams
Resources and managing across the local area.

It’s best here, if you have one, to talk about any workflow management software you may have, which allows you to allocate staff based on certain criteria, such as proximity and skillset. Always consider also how you prioritise certain jobs, and the policies and procedures in place to ensure continuity in the event of peaks and troughs in workload.

Buyers will be looking for organisations who can demonstrate their ability to allocate resources effectively and efficiently, with the systems in place to manage multiple properties (in the case of social housing contracts), across difficult geography.

Health and safety

You are likely to score higher marks with formally recognised health and safety accreditations or management systems, for example, ISO 45001:2018, OHSAS 18001:2007, CHAS or SafeContractor. A formally recognised body will instil confidence in a buyer, and as such lead to higher marks.

Regardless, you are often required to answer health and safety questions regarding the likes of:

Operative health and safety competency and training
Risk assessments, method statements and safe systems of work
Ensuring staff and resident/building user safety out of hours
Compliance with statutory requirements and legislation, and how this is maintained.

Health and safety responses follow best practice, and as such reference to ISO 45001:2018 standards, for example, will be a good place to start. Areas of recent interest, especially following the introduction of the said ISO include considering employee mental health and a culture of behavioural health and safety across an organisation – not just a top-down approach.

Staff competence

Buyers, naturally, will want reassurance that the engineers conducting PPM for their gas boilers, for example, are being serviced by competent staff, recognised and registered with appropriate bodies, such as GasSafe. As such, training and competence questions may ask how your organisation:

Monitors and records staff training and accreditations
Ensures compliance with the latest legislation and best practice
Promotes staff retention and development.

Appointment process

Another area of consideration may be your approach to managing appointments. This could easily link to questions regarding resource management, with typical question areas including:

How do you monitor appointment times?
How do you mitigate no-access appointment?
How do we enable flexibility regarding appointments, around the needs of the customer?

The best approach here is to consider how you put the residents/building users in control of the appointment process, in a manner that is most convenient for them. Customer service is something that clients value, and even some statistics to back up your responses, such as customer satisfaction rates, will be good to put down here.

How can we help?

If you want to take out all of the hard work of sourcing building maintenance contracts for tender, why don’t you leave it to us by signing up to Construction Tenders.

Construction Tenders is your one-stop-shop for all your tendering needs. Updated by our opportunity trackers daily, the portal will allow you to filter down through the hundreds of tenders uploaded each day to identify the ones most relevant to your business, with refining fields from budget, to scope, to location.

Below are some building maintenance contracts sourced on our portal:

General Building Maintenance Work

Nottingham City Council- East Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

Building Maintenance and Cleaning Services

Herefordshire Council- West Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

Building Maintenance of Council Owned Buildings

Copeland Borough Council- North West- Budget: Undisclosed

Maintenance of Building Maintenance Units, Roof Top Safety and Fall Arrest Systems

Procurement and Logistics Service- Northern Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

Provision of a General Building Maintenance Service

Northumbria Police- North East- Budget: £250,000

Get in Touch with Construction Tenders:

Sign up to Construction Tenders today and receive a daily construction leads bulletin straight to your inbox, containing all relevant small construction tenders uploaded that day.

This includes the following:

Further Support

Alternatively, if you’ve found an opportunity already, why not check out our Tender Writing services, in which we can work with you and produce a winning submission from scratch. If you’ve already written your construction bid and would like a second pair of eyes, try our Tender Mentor service.

How to Focus Your Commercial Building Tender on What Matters

What is a commercial building tender?

What are the best practices when writing commercial building tenders?

Why does public perception matter?

Where exactly can social value come into a commercial building tender?

Why does social value matter more in commercial building tenders?

Future prospects for commercial building tenders

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

What Will Brexit Mean for Carpentry Tenders?

Is now a good time to find carpentry tenders?

What are the figures?

How do I find carpentry tenders?

Importing goods

Employing workers from the EU

How can I increase my chances of securing carpentry tenders?

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

Building Tenders: How to Prepare and Win as an SME

Should I stick to small construction projects as an SME?

Larger projects? Ongoing work? What are you waiting for!?

Preparing for building tenders

A PAS 91 – What is it?

How can I succeed as an SME?

A method statement – What is it?

How can I succeed as an SME?

A pricing schedule – What is it?

How can I succeed as an SME?

Further support

Need support?

What are the benefits of using Construction Tenders?

Below are previous building tenders sourced on our portal:

Get in Touch

This includes the following:

How to Win Bricklaying Tenders as the Construction Industry ‘Bounces Back’

What is the construction ‘bounce-back’?

The Construction PMI in the UK shows the industry has bounced back and is operating at above-average levels:

What does this all mean for bricklaying tenders?

How do I find bricklaying tenders during the bounce-back?

How do I secure the perfect bricklaying tender?

Get in touch with Construction Tenders

Below are previous bricklaying tenders sourced on our portal:

We actively source tenders for the following sub-sectors:

How to Choose the Best Construction Bid Site for Your Business

What to Look for In Construction Bid Sites?

The portal doesn’t rely on CPVs.

The portal uses manual tracking.

The system focuses on your industry.

It allows for remote working in teams.

You’re supported by an account manager.

You have access to virtual learning.

You can outsource bid writing if needed.

How do I get started?

Below are previous construction bids sourced on our portal:

We source tenders for services including:

What is tendering in construction?

What is the process?

Pre-qualifying stages

Requests

Evaluation

Why do businesses tender for work?

What if you’re an SME?

Where do I find tendering opportunities in construction?

What does this mean for you?

Below are previous construction tenders sourced on our portal:

We source tenders for services including;

How do I win?

Shovel-ready projects receive a £900 million investment

What is it?

What is the goal of the projects?

The successful projects

Developing 26,000 new homes

Green Homes grant scheme & required accreditations

Are you looking for new construction projects?

Do you need bid writing support for a construction tender?

Further support

The £600million North London Heat and Power Project

What does the contract involve?

The process

Creating jobs

Why is the project important?

Finding construction opportunities