Going to tender

[Blue62]

I will shortly be inviting 4 or 5 builders to tender for my new home build in Devon. All the detailed design has been done, surveys, ground conditions et al and I've appointed a QS to manage the costs and prepare a bill of materials.

I'd like some advice on what sort of questions I should be asking and what to look for when selecting a builder for the project. I specifically want to put time penalties into the contract and would appreciate any input on what is reasonable.

[elanfan]

I reckon many builders can slap up a house to a designated cost and within a particular time period but than you'll get the disputes about quality and snagging etc. Surely your QS should be able to give you an all in build cost. You'd be better off I'd have thought finding a builder that takes pride in his work and has good reviews/feedback/recommendations.


On which subject speak to the local building control officer and ask him who he would use in his area.

[davepoth]

Blue62 said:

I'd like some advice on what sort of questions I should be asking and what to look for when selecting a builder for the project. I specifically want to put time penalties into the contract and would appreciate any input on what is reasonable.

Names of previous customers who would be willing to talk to you would be a good start I reckon. Judging by what the other guys have said the cost shouldn't be a major issue (especially since you've done all the quantity surveying already) but the quality will be.

[hairyben]

Yes, a builder whose previous clients are happy to recommend.

You'll probably have to wait, but its worth it - I spend a lot of my time (sparky) putting right /finishing off the work done by the guy who could do it promptly after hes fked off. Same old story, again and again, everything done half assed.

[Blue62]

Thanks for the replies. Cost is not really he issue at this stage, it's more about how I decide which builder to go with and the selection criteria (of which cost will be the easiest to assess). I will look for referrals and have already started that process, so questions about similar sized projects, number of permanent employees and their financial health are pretty clear to me, just wondered if there's anything else I should cover and whether a penalty clause for running over time is a good/fair idea.

[Johnnytheboy]

I'd want to know how much of the work they were doing in house and how much they were subcontracting.

[Little Lofty]

Adding a time penalty may just get you a rushed job near the end, then 6 months of snagging. Far better get it done correctly in the first place.

[ClaphamGT3]

Five is too long a tender list to get competitive returns; you need to whittle it down to three or four.

Previous work as others have said and also CVs for the contract manager and key guy on site

[kurt535]

+1 for the last three contributors

[V8RX7]

Whilst I agree in theory with penalty clauses they can have the following effects:

Marking you out as unreasonable so no tender is submitted
They add a large contingency in case they go over time
They rush to make the date

In the case of hotel refurbs it is the norm not so for homes.

Perhaps a better tack is ask them to tender and when they'd finish it.

Then add 2 months and see if they will agree to say £1k off per week if they haven't.