Reading a tender pack in 10 minutes: what to pull out first

Read a tender pack in this order: the instructions to tenderers for the deadline and what to return, the scope and drawings list, the form of contract and its amendments, payment terms and retention, the scoring criteria, then anything that rules you out. Ten minutes on those tells you whether to bid. Pricing comes after.

Why read it in a set order?

Because a tender pack is built for the person issuing it, not for you. The documents that decide whether you can or should bid are often the shortest and buried among the drawings and specifications.

A 22-page tender document with seven different attachments

That was for a loft conversion. A pack that size is normal now, even for modest jobs, and reading every page before deciding whether to bid is how owners lose weekends to work they were never going to win.

What should you pull out in the first 10 minutes?

The items below, in this order. Note each answer on one page. If anything on the list is a deal-breaker, stop there.

Ten items in ten minutes is a minute each. You're reading to find answers, not understanding every clause.

Where do you find each of these in the pack?

In most packs, the same few documents carry the answers.

If you're bidding to a main contractor rather than the client, the subcontract terms may be a separate document from the main contract. Ask for them if they're missing; payment terms and retention sit there. For public sector work, the scoring and conditions of participation must be published with the tender notice, so they'll be in the pack. See the Procurement Act guide for small contractors.

What makes a tender a no-bid?

Anything you can't meet, can't price safely, or that pays too slowly for your cash. Decide before you measure anything.

1. You can't meet a pass/fail requirement.

   Turnover, insurance cover, an accreditation or a reference you don't have. Check whether equivalents are accepted before giving up.

2. The information isn't there to price it.

   Drawings missing, scope vague, no site visit allowed on a refurbishment. You can bid with heavy qualifications, but price the risk.

3. The contract moves risk you can't carry.

   Design responsibility on a labour-only package, uncapped damages, pay-when-paid wording.

4. The cash doesn't work.

   Long payment terms plus retention on a job that's a big share of your turnover.

5. You're making up the numbers.

   Too many bidders, or a client known to go on price alone when your strength is quality.

What does pricing a tender cost you?

More than most owners think, because you pay for the ones you lose. The fair way to count it is the cost of one tender divided by the share you win.

Worked example

What one won tender costs a builder who pays a QS

A five-person builder prices a commercial fit-out. Owner's time valued at £45 an hour; a quantity surveyor prices the package.

Owner's time reading, visiting and checking12 hours × £45	£540
QS fee to price it	£1,250
Cost of one tender	£1,790
Win rate1 in 5	20%
Cost of each tender won£1,790 ÷ 0.20	£8,950

That £8,950 has to come out of the margin on the jobs you win. A builder who reads ten packs fully and prices every one is paying for nine he doesn't need to. A ten-minute read that rules out half of them is the cheapest saving there is. For the full sum, see the real cost of tendering, and if you're weighing up the QS, do you still need a QS.

Calculator: What one won tender costs you

Hours to price one tenderReading, measuring, pricinghrs

What your hour is worth£

Outside fees per tenderQS, printing£

Tenders you win%

Tenders priced a year

Cost per tender won–

Your numbers, not a promise. Change any figure to match your firm.

What should you note down as you read?

Every gap, assumption and risk, in a running list. That list becomes your qualifications and exclusions when you submit, which protects the price you've worked out.

Typical notes from a first read:

• "Drawing A-104 listed but not in pack"
• "Asbestos survey not provided; assume none"
• "Spec calls for a product brand; equivalent not stated"
• "Working hours 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, occupied building"
• "Retention 5%, half released at practical completion"

Turn those into clear wording with the tender qualifications and exclusions template.

When should you price it yourself versus send it out?

Price it yourself when you know the work and the drawings are clear. Send it to a QS or estimator, or use take-off software, when the measurement is big or outside your trade. Either way, do the ten-minute read first so nobody spends money on a tender you'd never bid.

One national groundworks firm we spoke to, seven staff plus subbies on mainly commercial work, ran everything on pen and paper and said he'd had "seven suppliers for a three-day job". The read is where you spot that kind of buying work before it eats your week. For measuring, see how to measure PDF drawings and the quantity take-off guide.

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Where Nexley fits

Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms: five AI assistants run your tenders, quotes, buying, scheduling and invoicing. It connects to the tools you already work in, you run it all from WhatsApp, and you approve everything. £799 a month.

For tender packs, Nexley reads every document you forward on WhatsApp and sends back the deadline, return list, contract terms, payment and retention, scoring and any rule-outs in one summary, then drafts the take-off and priced schedule from your rates with a list of gaps to qualify. You decide whether to bid and approve the price.

Start 7 days freeSee AI tendering

Common questions

Sources

1. GOV.UK: Guidance on time periods (Procurement Act 2023)
2. GOV.UK: Guidance on assessing competitive tenders
3. GOV.UK: Guidance on conditions of participation

Every rule, rate and date above was checked against these sources on the date shown at the top.