Tender and bid programme preparation
A tender programme that shows the client how the work will actually be built, in Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project, with the logic, calendars, resources and narrative that stand up to review.
Who this is for
- Small and mid-size contractors bidding in Saudi Arabia with no in-house planner, or one planner stretched across live projects
- Contractors whose tender team needs a programme the client will believe, not a bar chart drawn to fit the price
- Subcontractors asked for a Primavera P6 programme with their bid
- Design consultants preparing design programmes for a bid submission
The problem it solves
A tender programme is often prepared last, under deadline pressure, from incomplete information. A weak programme weakens the bid: the client cannot see how the work will be sequenced, resourced and finished on time, and the programme may be rejected or scored down before price is even considered.
A programme built on real logic, realistic durations and the procurement dates behind them gives the bid a plan the client can test.
Scope and deliverables
Assignments are fixed scope, with the deliverables and the number of review rounds agreed in writing.
- Tender programme in Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project: WBS, activity coding, calendars, logic, float and milestones
- Resource histograms and manpower and equipment plans behind the programme
- Method narrative and basis of schedule, written for the bid submission
- Submission layouts and PDFs, plus the native files
- Procurement and long-lead item links, so the programme shows what must arrive before work can start
- Responses to the client or engineer review comments within the agreed rounds
What we need from you
- Tender documents and the programme specification in the bid
- Drawings, bill of quantities and method statements
- Procurement and long-lead item information
- Subcontract packages and the resource assumptions behind them
- Client calendars, working time and access constraints
- Your tender submission deadline
How the work runs
- Kick-off. WBS, construction strategy, calendars and coding agreed with your team.
- Draft logic and durations. Built with your site and procurement people, then reviewed together.
- Loading and checks. Resources and cost where required; open ends, lags, constraints, calendars, float and critical path checked, with the DCMA 14-point checks where the client expects them.
- Narrative and submission. Basis of schedule, layouts and PDFs prepared; native files handed over.
- Review rounds. Responses to the client or engineer comments within the agreed number of rounds.
- The construction strategy and the durations you approve remain yours; we build the programme on them and tell you where we think they are optimistic.
- We do not provide design or engineering, quantity surveying or method engineering.
- Further review rounds beyond the agreed number, or a rebuild after a change of strategy, are priced separately.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a tender programme take?
It depends on the size and the information available. For a mid-size building contract, two to four weeks from receipt of the inputs is typical; the proposal gives a date for your project.
Do you work in our Primavera P6 database?
If you give us access, yes. Otherwise we work in our own environment and exchange .xer files exported for the P6 version you use, which we agree and test with a trial file before the first real exchange.
Do you run the DCMA 14-point checks?
Yes, where the client expects them, alongside our own checks on logic, calendars, float and the critical path. The findings go into the basis of schedule.
What do we receive at the end?
The native files, the layouts, the PDFs, the basis of schedule and a short session with your team on keeping the programme updated.
Can you help after we win the work?
Yes. The tender programme becomes the starting point for the baseline programme, the monthly updates and the progress reports. See the planning and scheduling page and the outsourced planning page.
Need a programme for a live tender?
Tell us the project, the submission deadline and the date you need it by. We aim to reply within one working day. We confirm the scope and fee once we have the information needed to assess the work.