How to Write a Construction Tender

The conditions of tendering (sometimes called instructions to tenderers) are the rulebook for the bid — they set out exactly what must be submitted, in what format, and by when. Reading these conditions before you start pricing is the single most important step in the whole process, because they determine what “complete” actually means for this particular tender.

• Submission format and deadline — how the tender must be lodged (portal, email or hard copy) and the exact close time, after which late submissions are typically excluded outright.
• Pricing schedule or Bill of Quantities — the priced document the client wants back, often in a mandatory template so bids can be compared line by line.
• Methodology statement — a written explanation of how you will sequence and deliver the works.
• Program — a construction schedule showing key milestones and the overall duration.
• Safety, quality and insurance documentation — WHS management plans, quality certifications, and evidence of current insurances.
• Referees and past performance — examples of similar completed projects and contactable references.

Before pricing anything, work through the full document set: architectural and engineering drawings, the specification, and the conditions of tendering. You are looking for the full extent of the scope, anything unusual or high-risk, and every document the conditions say you must submit.

It pays to visit the site at this stage rather than relying on the drawings alone. Existing conditions, access constraints and services that are not obvious on paper can materially change your price — and a site visit also signals to the client that you have genuinely engaged with the job.

With the scope understood, measure the works into quantities — the takeoff — and apply your rates to build up the price. This is the slowest and most error-prone part of tendering by hand, because every wall, slab and fitting has to be measured, listed and priced individually before you can even start on preliminaries and margin.

Add preliminaries as their own priced items rather than folding them into trade rates, since they are project-wide costs that scale with the length of the program rather than the quantity of trade work. Then apply your margin and, where the job carries genuine risk, a contingency. My Trade Hub automates the takeoff directly from your uploaded plans and assembles it into a structured, priced Bill of Quantities, which is designed to cut this stage of tender preparation by 60-75% compared with measuring by hand.

Once the price is built up, assemble every document the conditions of tendering require into the format specified — this is where tenders are most often marked non-conforming, usually for a missing form rather than a pricing problem. Work back through the conditions of tendering line by line as a final checklist before you submit.

Most losing tenders fail for reasons that have nothing to do with the trade price. Not following the conditions of tendering exactly — wrong format, missing attachment, late lodgement — is the fastest way to be excluded before an assessor even looks at the number.

Beyond compliance, under-pricing preliminaries, leaving scope and exclusions vague, and pricing from a rushed or incomplete takeoff are the most common causes of a tender that is either uncompetitive or, worse, unprofitable if it is actually won.

A tender that is accurate, complete and easy to compare consistently beats one that is merely the cheapest. Assessors are reading dozens of line items across multiple bids, so a submission that is clearly laid out, prices the exact scope with clear inclusions and exclusions, and shows a sound methodology builds real confidence that you understand the job.

Clarity also protects you after you win. Clear inclusions and exclusions, and a methodology that matches your program, become the reference point if the scope shifts or a variation is disputed later in the project.