Mid-tender interview for construction contract

Mid-tender interviews may be offered to tenderers after they have been invited to tender and they have had time to consider the tender documentation, but before their tender has been submitted. Pre-tender interviews may have already been held, however on large or complex projects, mid-tender interviews can be beneficial both to the client and to the tenderer. This is because they not only allow for clarification of matters that might otherwise lead to an inaccurate tender being submitted, they can also give the client insights into potential problems or opportunities on the project as it is described by the tender documentation.

Issues that emerge during mid-tender interviews may be dealt with by issuing clarification notes or amendments. However, if significant changes are made to the tender documentation, it may be necessary to extend the tender period to ensure that accurate tenders can be prepared. Where clarification or additional information is provided, it should be in writing and made available to all tenderers. However this should not give away a particular tenderer’s proposed methodology, commercial proposals or programming advantages, which may have been divulged in interviews. Such information must be treated as confidential.

Mid-tender interviews should be carefully managed so that tenderers are not made aware of who the other tenderers are, as this may impact on the competitiveness of the tenders they submit. This may require making arrangements in relation to timing, car parking, waiting rooms and signing-in books, as well as the removal of any materials left at the interviews by tenderers.