The seven stages
They follow a logic of dependency, not of preference. Each step produces what the next one needs.
| Stage | What is decided |
|---|---|
| 1. Framing | regime, form of contract, division into packages |
| 2. General documents | which standards to refer to, in which version |
| 3. Particular clauses | what departs, what supplements |
| 4. Technical description | what is specific to the project |
| 5. Schedule | items, units, quantities |
| 6. Checking | the six checks |
| 7. Assembly and issue | hierarchy, annexes, programme |
Stage 1 conditions all the others, since the form of contract determines the level of description required.
What is decided at each stage
At framing, the applicable regime, covered in the article on public and private contracts, and the form of contract, covered in the article on measured and lump sum.
At the general documents, which standards apply and in which version, with the rule of the authoritative text recalled in the article on why the base is standardised.
At the particular clauses, the express departures and the hierarchy of documents, covered in the article on general and particular.
At the technical description, what is specific to the project, without copying the general.
At the schedule, the items on the method set out in the article on what an item must contain.
At checking, the six checks described in the article on checking a schedule.
At assembly, the declared hierarchy, the qualified annexes and the fixed programme.
The decisions not to defer
Five decisions that cost dearly if they arrive late. They concern the form of contract and the division into lots.
The form of contract, determining the level of description.
The measurement rule, which must be the same at measurement and at final account.
The regime for variants, admitted or not and on what conditions.
The selection criteria, to be fixed before bids are received.
How additional works are instructed, which will protect throughout the works.
The last two are systematically put off, and they are the ones that produce disputes.
The final read-through
Four passes, each with a distinct aim.
The internal consistency pass, verifying that the schedule, the description and the drawings say the same thing.
The completeness pass, verifying that the scope announced is entirely covered.
The readability pass, carried out by someone who did not draft, the only effective way to detect ambiguity.
The programme pass, verifying that the dates announced are workable for everyone.
The third pass is the most often skipped, and it is the one that catches the most defects.
The documents to keep
Three items, beyond the package itself.
The note of measurement assumptions, documenting positions taken where the project does not decide.
The list of points left open, with the decisions awaited from the client.
The register of queries and answers, compiled during the tender.
These three serve in any dispute, and also on the next tender, by showing what caused difficulty.
What this means for a professional
Four rules.
Decide the form of contract first, everything else following from it.
Write the measurement rule into the package, so as to apply it at the final account.
Have it read by a third party, without exception.
Keep the assumptions and the queries, which document the work and improve the next one.
This article sets out a method of professional orientation. It reproduces no content from normative documents.