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ServicesFrom first sketch to tender-readySeven steps ProjectsDrawings, models and renders38 sheets
Journal LatestDesigning from abroad: Design only or Design and Build Part ofBODE Group and its sister practices
Measured first floor plan of a house with porches, rooms and dimension strings

JournalArticleTender3 min read

What makes a pack tender-ready

A tender-ready pack lets every builder price the same building. Here is what it holds, why the drawings, RKS, BOQ and areas agree, and how an unpriced BOQ and an Owner's Estimate work together.

When a design is complete, the next question is who will build it and at what price. The answer comes from a tender, and a tender is as clear as the pack it is based on. The last of BODE Design's seven steps, BOQ and tender pack, makes that pack complete, so every builder receives the same information and prices the same building.

What the pack holds

  • Construction documents. Full architectural details, door and window schedules, ceiling and floor patterns, and the structure, MEP, interior, landscape and lighting drawings, listed in a drawing register.
  • The RKS. The rencana kerja dan syarat-syarat, the written specification: how each part is to be built and to what standard, with brands named.
  • The BOQ. A bill of quantities measuring every item from the drawings, with its unit.
  • The final area schedule. The floor area of every space, as drawn.
  • The tender documents. The instructions and forms that tell bidders how to submit.

Why everything agrees

A builder pricing a house reads all of these together. The drawings show a terrazzo floor in the living room; the RKS names the terrazzo and how it is laid; the BOQ gives its square metres; the area schedule gives the same square metres. When all four agree, every bidder prices the same thing, and the bids can be compared like for like.

BODE Design checks the drawings, RKS, BOQ and areas against each other before the pack is issued. Door D-01 on the plan is door D-01 in the schedule, in the specification and in the bill.

Floor plan drawing of a cottage with four rooms and porches on two sides
Every room on the plan carries the same area in the schedule and in the BOQ.

The unpriced BOQ and the Owner's Estimate

The BOQ is prepared in two forms from the same measurement. The unpriced BOQ goes to bidders: a list of items and quantities with the rate column left open for each builder to fill in. The Owner's Estimate is the same list priced by the quantity surveyor, kept by the owner as the benchmark.

When the bids arrive, each line can be read against the Owner's Estimate. A rate well above or below the benchmark becomes a clear question for the bidder, with a line number to point to. The owner then chooses a builder knowing what each price includes.

Issuing the pack

The pack is prepared by the quantity surveyor and issued by BODE Procurement or BODE Construction. With Design only, the pack is the owner's to take to the market, and tender management by BODE Procurement can be added: the pack issued, questions answered and bids compared. With Design and Build, the same pack carries on to BODE Construction under one contract.

A short checklist

  • Every sheet is in the drawing register, with its scale and revision.
  • Every item in the BOQ can be found on a drawing and in the RKS.
  • Areas match across the drawings, the schedule and the BOQ.
  • Brands and finishes are named, so bidders price the same quality.
  • The Owner's Estimate is ready before the bids come in.
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