Posted on 06-06-2011 at 01:00
Tender Writers
Property maintenance tenders and how to be successful
There is a large amount of property maintenance tenders regularly published and it can be a good business to get into.
Tenders cover all types of property maintenance and home improvement programmes
• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Windows
• General home improvement schemes
• Roofing and external works
• Painting
• Electrical works
• Void works
• Boilers and heating
• Cyclical maintenance
Just about anything to do with the home can come out for tender, but how do you give yourself the best chance of success?
Experience is one of the key factors. Good references from past or existing clients will go some way to making your tender writing easier. If you have no direct experience then it really is going to be difficult for you to break in to the market. However, we will assume you have the experience. What other elements are key to winning a tender in this market?
• Resident consultation and on-going involvement and participation- this really is key, you should ensure that you have systems in place for consulting with residents across all of the issues that matter to them. You will need Tenant Liaison Officers, proven systems and formidable communication processes that reach every resident. Do you have systems in place for vulnerable residents? How do you reach everyone in the community? How do you ensure that all residents have a voice?
• Resident support-If the works are a fairly major (such as kitchen and bathroom renewals) how do you support the residents? How do you keep them safe? What systems do you use to ensure the disruption is kept to a minimum?
• Make sure when you write the tender that you include a section on the incentivisation and rewards systems you use for your staff. You must also include your Key Performance Indicators, how you measure them, who measures them and how the information is collected. Some typical KPI may be;
• No. of defects on handover
• Quality of work/tenant satisfaction
• Home improvement programme completion
• Emergency maintenance response times
• Urgent maintenance response times
• Routine maintenance response times
• Time in homes - Target max 10% over time
• Consultation & Choice - Target 95% satisfaction
• Accident statistics - minor & reportable - no set target but monitored
• % saving on completed projects
• Your tender should also contain details of what you will do for the local community. Presumably you will be recruiting local labour and using local suppliers and sub-contractors? When you write your tender make sure it comes out loud and clear exactly what benefits you will bring.
Other elements your tender should contain include
Protecting the Environment and Reducing Project Environmental Impact
Data Generation, Recording
Health, Safety and Wellbeing of Tenants throughout the Home Improvements
Managerial procedures
Detailed method statements with an emphasis on quality
Make sure your tender tells a story, flows well, gives the evaluator what they want and does not contradict itself in the detail. Tender writing can be complex but if you organise your thoughts in advance you have a much better chance of winning than if you approach it only when a tender is due. Prepare well and you will have a much greater chance of success.
Tenders cover all types of property maintenance and home improvement programmes
• Kitchens
• Bathrooms
• Windows
• General home improvement schemes
• Roofing and external works
• Painting
• Electrical works
• Void works
• Boilers and heating
• Cyclical maintenance
Just about anything to do with the home can come out for tender, but how do you give yourself the best chance of success?
Experience is one of the key factors. Good references from past or existing clients will go some way to making your tender writing easier. If you have no direct experience then it really is going to be difficult for you to break in to the market. However, we will assume you have the experience. What other elements are key to winning a tender in this market?
• Resident consultation and on-going involvement and participation- this really is key, you should ensure that you have systems in place for consulting with residents across all of the issues that matter to them. You will need Tenant Liaison Officers, proven systems and formidable communication processes that reach every resident. Do you have systems in place for vulnerable residents? How do you reach everyone in the community? How do you ensure that all residents have a voice?
• Resident support-If the works are a fairly major (such as kitchen and bathroom renewals) how do you support the residents? How do you keep them safe? What systems do you use to ensure the disruption is kept to a minimum?
• Make sure when you write the tender that you include a section on the incentivisation and rewards systems you use for your staff. You must also include your Key Performance Indicators, how you measure them, who measures them and how the information is collected. Some typical KPI may be;
• No. of defects on handover
• Quality of work/tenant satisfaction
• Home improvement programme completion
• Emergency maintenance response times
• Urgent maintenance response times
• Routine maintenance response times
• Time in homes - Target max 10% over time
• Consultation & Choice - Target 95% satisfaction
• Accident statistics - minor & reportable - no set target but monitored
• % saving on completed projects
• Your tender should also contain details of what you will do for the local community. Presumably you will be recruiting local labour and using local suppliers and sub-contractors? When you write your tender make sure it comes out loud and clear exactly what benefits you will bring.
Other elements your tender should contain include
Protecting the Environment and Reducing Project Environmental Impact
Data Generation, Recording
Health, Safety and Wellbeing of Tenants throughout the Home Improvements
Managerial procedures
Detailed method statements with an emphasis on quality
Make sure your tender tells a story, flows well, gives the evaluator what they want and does not contradict itself in the detail. Tender writing can be complex but if you organise your thoughts in advance you have a much better chance of winning than if you approach it only when a tender is due. Prepare well and you will have a much greater chance of success.
