How to Write a Construction Tender: A Practical Guide

Construction tenders are won and lost on detail. A contractor with a superior method and a strong track record can lose a competitive tender to a less experienced competitor simply because their submission was vague, non-compliant, or poorly structured. The bid you submit is the first piece of work the client sees — make it reflect the quality of your delivery.

Step 1: Read the Tender Documents Before You Do Anything Else

This seems obvious but is consistently undervalued. Tender packages typically include a specification, drawings, a bill of quantities or schedule of rates, a form of tender, and a set of instructions. Each one contains information that affects how you should structure and price your submission.

Before you write a single word, create a compliance checklist. Note every mandatory requirement — format, deadline, documents required, pricing structure. Non-compliance disqualifies otherwise strong bids. A checklist takes 30 minutes and saves the cost of a failed submission.

Step 2: Decide Whether to Bid

Not every tender is worth pursuing. Before committing resource, ask:

• Do we meet the stated qualification criteria (turnover, insurance, accreditations)?
• Is this project type and scale within our core competency?
• Can we price competitively given current material and labour costs?
• Do we have capacity to deliver within the required programme?

A selective bid strategy — pursuing fewer tenders with greater focus — consistently outperforms a volume approach.

Step 3: Write a Compelling Method Statement

The method statement is where most construction tenders are won or lost on the quality side. Evaluators use it to assess whether you genuinely understand how to deliver the project.

A strong method statement covers:

• Sequence of works: How you'll approach the project phase by phase, in a logical order that demonstrates site management thinking
• Key risks and how you'll mitigate them: Show that you've identified the project-specific challenges — ground conditions, live environment, interfaces with other contractors — and have a plan for each
• Plant, equipment, and materials: What you'll use and why, with any lead time considerations
• Quality control: How you'll inspect, test, and record compliance with the specification

Avoid generic method statements. A method statement that could apply to any project of this type tells the evaluator nothing. Reference specific details from the drawings and specification to show you've read them.

Step 4: Address Health and Safety Specifically

Health and safety sections in construction tenders are often scored heavily and often written poorly. Generic H&S statements score poorly. Project-specific risk assessments score well.

Identify the significant hazards specific to this project — working at height, confined spaces, proximity to the public, demolition — and describe your controls for each. Reference your current H&S management system (ISO 45001, CHAS, Constructionline, or equivalent) and include your current accident frequency rate if it's below industry average.

Step 5: Price Competitively Without Racing to the Bottom

Winning on price alone is a short-term strategy with long-term consequences. Underpriced contracts create cash flow pressure, compromise quality, and damage relationships.

Build your price from first principles — labour, plant, materials, subcontractors, preliminaries, overhead, and margin. Be honest about your prelims and don't strip them to look competitive: a project that runs over time because you underestimated management costs will cost you more than the margin you recovered.

If the budget is known, check whether your price is realistic for the scope. If your price is significantly higher than the budget, consider whether there are scope savings you can flag as alternatives — this shows commercial awareness and can turn a price objection into a conversation.

Step 6: Programme

Include a programme that is realistic and specific to this project. A Gantt chart with key milestones, critical path activities, and any client-side dependencies demonstrates that you've planned the delivery, not just priced it.

Show any float you've built in and explain why — weather allowances, material lead times, inspection hold points. A programme with no float looks optimistic; a programme with transparent contingency looks professional.

Common Mistakes That Cost Construction Firms Tenders

• Non-compliant submissions: Missing documents, wrong format, late delivery — all grounds for automatic disqualification
• Generic method statements: Copy-pasted content that ignores project-specific challenges
• Unrealistic programmes: Timelines that don't account for procurement, interfaces, or inspection hold points
• No subcontractor detail: Named, accredited subcontractors with relevant experience score better than "to be appointed"
• Insufficient H&S detail: A one-page generic policy does not satisfy a 20% weighted H&S criterion

DraftYourBid helps construction companies and contractors generate professional, structured tender submissions quickly — using your past winning bids as the foundation. Download a free construction proposal template to get started.