Worked examples
Most bids lose marks in the same few ways. One example for each kind of practice we write for, showing where the marks go and how to win them back.
What high-scoring answers have in common
They answer the situation in the question
In the buyer's own words, part by part.
They describe a process you can picture
Who does what, and when.
They prove each claim
With a relevant project, a figure or a date.
They name this job's risks
Which shows the documents have been read.
Architects
The questionDescribe your approach to design development and consultation on a school refurbishment carried out while the school stays open.
Typical first draft
We are an experienced, award-winning practice with a collaborative approach. We work closely with all stakeholders to deliver high quality design solutions that meet the client's needs, on time and on budget.
Stronger answer
The school stays open throughout, so the design has to fit around teaching. In the first two weeks we would meet the head teacher and site manager to map which spaces can be released in which holidays, and agree one named contact at the school for design questions. Options would go to a short staff session before each stage is signed off. We took the same approach at [a primary school extension of similar size], where the main works ran over two summer holidays.
Why it scores higher. The first draft could be pasted into any bid. The second answers the situation in the question, says who is consulted and when, and backs it with one relevant project.
Quantity surveyors
The questionHow will you manage cost and report to the client during the construction phase?
Typical first draft
We have a proven track record of cost management and provide regular cost reports to keep the project on budget.
Stronger answer
We would issue a cost report on the same day each month, in the format the council's finance team already uses, showing the forecast final account, the movement since last month and the biggest risks with a value against each. Any variation over [£10,000] would reach the project manager with a costed recommendation within five working days. On [a £4m library refurbishment] this monthly routine meant the final account was agreed [within eight weeks] of completion.
Why it scores higher. Evaluators look for a process they can picture, and dates, formats and thresholds give them one.
Building surveyors
The questionDescribe how you will deliver condition surveys across a portfolio of 40 buildings within the programme.
Typical first draft
Our qualified surveyors carry out thorough condition surveys to RICS standards and always deliver reports on time.
Stronger answer
Forty buildings in [ten] weeks is four surveys a week. We would group the buildings by area so each surveyor covers one cluster, survey schools during the holidays, and agree the data format with the estates team in week one so results load straight into their asset system. A second surveyor would check each report before it is issued. We used the same approach on [a 60-property housing stock survey], which finished [two weeks] early.
Why it scores higher. The buyer's worry is capacity. The second answer does the arithmetic and shows how the numbers will be met, including the checking.
Engineers
The questionHow will your building services design support the council's net zero target?
Typical first draft
We are committed to sustainability and have extensive experience of low carbon design across a wide range of sectors.
Stronger answer
The council's target is net zero by [2030], so the design would improve insulation and heating controls before sizing any new plant, which makes a heat pump smaller and cheaper. We would model energy use at each design stage and report it against the target, so the effect of each decision is visible to the council. On [a leisure centre heat pump retrofit] this reduced the plant size by [a quarter].
Why it scores higher. A statement of commitment is hard to score. The second answer ties the design to the council's own target and shows how progress would be measured.
Project managers
The questionHow will you identify and manage risk on this programme?
Typical first draft
We use a proven risk management process to identify, assess and mitigate risks throughout the life of the project.
Stronger answer
We would set up the risk register with the council's team in week one and give each risk an owner, a cost and a date by which it should be closed. The register would be reviewed at each monthly progress meeting, and anything likely to affect the completion date would go to the project board that week. From the tender documents, the risks we would expect to lead the register are [asbestos in the older blocks, access during term time and long lead times on switchgear].
Why it scores higher. Naming the risks this particular job carries shows the documents have been read. Most answers to this question describe a generic process.
CDM advisers
The questionExplain how you will carry out the Principal Designer role under the CDM Regulations 2015.
Typical first draft
We are fully conversant with CDM 2015 and will fulfil all the duties of the Principal Designer.
Stronger answer
Our first step would be to gather the pre-construction information the council already holds, including asbestos surveys and as-built drawings, and list the gaps within [two weeks]. At each design review we would record the risks the designers have removed or reduced, and pass the remaining ones to the contractor in a short register specific to this site. The health and safety file would be built as the project goes, so it is ready at handover.
Why it scores higher. Evaluators want to see the Principal Designer duties turned into specific actions on this project, in the order they would happen.
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