For winning work, bid-writing is perhaps the most critical – and misunderstood – role in the industry.
In the 1980s and 1990s, tendering for government construction projects was driven almost entirely by price. Contracts went to the lowest bidder, with little consideration given to broader value.
Very soon, however, public bodies realised that the cheapest option often proved the most expensive in the long run. Projects routinely suffered from cost overruns, programme delays, and disputes.
Academic research and industry experience confirmed what many already suspected, price alone was a poor measure of value.
This recognition, reinforced by the introduction of the revised Capital Works Management Framework, led to a significant shift in public procurement.
The MEAT of the matter
Contracting authorities gradually adopted the “Most Economically Advantageous Tender” (MEAT) model, which balanced cost against quality, reliability, and delivery capability.
Under MEAT, contractors are also evaluated through a Suitability Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and a detailed Technical Merit submission.
The SAQ captures financial stability, insurance cover, health and safety performance, environmental practices, and the depth of in-house resources, including skilled labour, plant, and equipment.
Technical Merit requires contractors to demonstrate their understanding of the project, outline delivery strategies, and provide evidence of their ability to plan, manage, and execute the works successfully.
In this more complex and competitive environment, the bid writer has become indispensable.
SAQs generally require the compilation of a contractor’s prior experience together with their present-day level of capability, including labour and plant resources.
Clients don’t already know all about you
The difficulty for many contractors is that preparing these documents demands a very particular skillset. In my fifteen years of dealing with such submissions, I have found that many contractors fail to invest in training staff to develop the skills required to achieve high scores.
Contractors who have successfully delivered prestigious, complex projects often fail to document and present that evidence accurately.
Many assume that prospective clients already know their achievements but, unless their expertise is properly documented and presented in line with tender requirements, they’ll be marked down.
Curriculum Vitae are another critical element of the SAQ. Prior experience, along with professional and academic qualifications, must be presented clearly and professionally, and always in strict accordance with the requirements set out in the tender.
Other important details include health and safety, environmental sustainability, quality assurance, manpower, and plant resources, which must be provided in a professional, legible, and easily retrievable format.
Using Adobe Acrobat Pro, the submission should be compiled into a single file, accurately following the contracting authority’s prescribed layout.
Many contractors continue to fall short of these requirements, often at great cost to their tender prospects. Other common mistakes include the addition of irrelevant or unrelated information, which serves only to frustrate and annoy evaluation teams.
It takes time to do it well
Whilst the SAQ is generally a retrospective document, the Technical Merit is a forward-looking account explaining how the project will be planned, managed, delivered, and ultimately handed over. This is a discipline that demands a very high level of skill.
First and foremost, tender documents are, in most cases, vast in volume. They typically include drawings, specifications, environmental reports, ground investigation analyses, fire safety and disability access reports, planning applications, and numerous other details.
For a typical tender valued at around €10m, it can take a bid writer two full weeks to work through these detailed documents.
Unfortunately, many contractors fail to appreciate this initial requirement and do not allow adequate time or resources for it, placing bid writers under intense pressure.
When navigating such documents, a bid writer must be familiar with civil, structural, and geotechnical engineering along with architectural proposals. They must also be adept at interpreting drawings and specifications to fully understand the client’s requirements.
Get the experts in
Before starting the writing process, the bid writer must first form a clear and comprehensive understanding of the proposed works. Most contracts also contain elements of specialist disciplines, particularly in the “MEICA” areas: mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, commissioning, and automation.
In these cases, specialist input is essential when it comes to methodology and programming. Making contact and negotiating with such specialists requires effective communication skills.
Once all research is complete and the bid writer has achieved a thorough understanding of the project, the task of compiling the bid can finally commence.
At this stage, however, another skillset comes into play, one that is more journalistic in nature. This is a skill that remains underdeveloped and undervalued within much of the construction industry.
The future of bidding
Universities and institutes of technology offer a wide range of courses in civil engineering, project management, and quantity surveying.
But I’m not aware of any structured programmes dedicated specifically to estimating, bid writing, or project planning – three roles that, in my experience, are among the most critical in the construction industry.
During my own studies for a Higher National Diploma at Jordanstown and a BSc, Hons, in Construction Management at Nottingham Trent University, I touched on these subjects only briefly through isolated modules. That exposure, while valuable, was insufficient.
The future, however, lies in BIM, Building Information Modelling. This is the direction in which the construction industry must now move.
Progressive contractors should be investing in this technology, rather than repeating the same catch-up approach that was previously applied to SAQ and Technical Merit submissions.
To secure future success, the construction industry should prioritise professional training in bid writing and estimating, fully embrace BIM technology, and approach the preparation of SAQ and Technical Merit submissions with the same rigour as the projects they seek to deliver.
- Eamonn Coyle MCIOB is a Chartered Engineer and a Chartered Environmentalist, holding an MBA in International Business and an MSc in Strategic Procurement. He has 15 years of experience in technical bid writing. He contributed to the research and compilation of the bid for the €200 million Design and Build NDFA school’s bundle.
