How to Win Groundworks Tenders: A Guide for Contractors

Groundworks tenders can offer some real opportunities for construction and civil engineering contractors who want to grow their business. Contracts available range from relatively small excavation and drainage projects right up to major infrastructure works which involve piling, foundations and site preparation, meaning a wide variety of firms, of all shapes and sizes, are in with a real chance of winning.

But, as with all public sector tenders, finding a suitable contract and winning it are two very different things.

Buyers need to know that you can carry out the work safely, manage difficult ground conditions, have the necessary plant and labour and can complete the project to the required standard and programme plan. More importantly, they want evidence that you can do all of this, rather than simply being told that you can.

At Executive Compass, our specialist bid writers can support your organisation in responding to a groundworks tender document. No matter if you are a small business navigating the tendering process for the first time or if you are a larger organisation with existing experience, our team can help you win more work.

What Groundworks Tenders Typically Involve

Groundworks is a very broad term and covers the preparation of land and the construction activities needed before and during, the main construction or infrastructure works.

Depending on the project, groundworks tender contracts can include:

• Site clearance and preparation
• Excavation and earthworks
• Drainage installation and repairs
• Foundations and concrete works
• Piling and ground improvement
• Retaining walls and other below-ground structures
• Utilities installation and diversion
• Roads, footpaths and hardstanding
• Remediation of contaminated land
• Associated civil engineering and enabling works.

The type of the work will affect the tender requirements. For example, a relatively straightforward drainage contract for a housing association may be assessed the same way (in terms of process) but will have very different requirements and emphasise different things from a piling contract involving complex ground conditions, extensive temporary works and lots of interaction with other contractors.

Groundworks are also often included in larger construction and civil engineering frameworks. Local authorities, housing associations, universities, NHS trusts and infrastructure organisations put these services out to tender either as individual contracts or as part of larger programmes.

For you, this means looking beyond opportunities advertised specifically as groundworks tenders because a suitable contract might appear under civil engineering, highway and street lighting, repairs and maintenance, infrastructure or construction works.

However, don’t assume that every opportunity is worth bidding for just because the description includes services your company provides. It may not, and so before committing resources, consider the contract value, geographical location, timescales, technical requirements, previous experience and whether you have the plant, people and financial capacity to deliver the work. It is important to remember that a large contract can look attractive, but it can also create significant commercial and operational risk if it stretches your organisation beyond its capabilities.

Common Evaluation Criteria in Groundworks Tenders

Groundworks tenders generally require much more than a good price. This is because buyers want confidence that you understand the needs of the project, have identified the potential risks and have the resources and experience to manage them effectively. The public sector is all about risk, reduce it where you can by giving them assurance.

Here are some common questions our bid writers get asked when supporting clients with a groundworks tender submission:

Ground conditions, methodology and risk

One of the most important parts of a groundworks tender is explaining how you intend to complete the works.

Even where site investigations have already taken place, ground conditions can provide some unwanted surprises, and unexpected obstructions, groundwater, contamination, buried services and unstable excavations can all affect the programme, cost and safety of a project. That means that the method statements you submit as part of the tender submission need to explain how you will approach the work and manage the risks identified in the specification and beyond. This is where previous examples can really gain marks.

For example, where excavation is required, the buyer may expect information about:

• Site investigations and ground-condition assessments
• Excavation methods and sequencing
• Temporary works and excavation support
• Groundwater management and dewatering
• Identification and protection of buried services
• Management of contaminated materials
• Inspection, testing and quality control
• Contingency arrangements where unexpected conditions are encountered.

Do not simply say that your company will undertake a risk assessment before starting work, because this tells the evaluator nothing. You need to explain how risks are going to be identified, who (named individual) will assess them, the controls you intend to use (and why) and how you will be monitoring their effectiveness.

If you have successfully managed similar conditions on a previous project, include a relevant example. It is great evidence and provides the buyer with the reassurance that your proposed approach is based on experience and can be delivered.

Health and safety

Health and safety is critical in groundworks, particularly where excavation, heavy plant, temporary works and underground services are involved. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) place duties on the organisations involved in construction projects and your tender should demonstrate that you understand the duties relevant to your role and how you will meet them.

Depending on the work, buyers may expect evidence relating to:

• Risk assessments and method statements (RAMS)
• Competence and training of site personnel
• Excavation safety and temporary works
• Plant and pedestrian segregation
• Underground and overhead services
• Confined spaces, where applicable
• Site supervision and inspections
• Emergency arrangements and incident reporting.

Schemes such as CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline or other SSIP-recognised arrangements may also be requested. But remember, having an accreditation is not the same as demonstrating how you will manage safety on a particular contract.

A bidder can have perfectly adequate health and safety systems and still lose marks because the tender response fails to explicitly spell out how those systems will be applied to the actual works. When working on your tender document, you should always remember not to just explain, persuade instead.

Plant, equipment and resources

Groundworks depend heavily on having the right plant, suitably qualified operatives and sufficient resources available. It is natural that buyers need information about excavators, dumpers, compactors, piling equipment and access to additional plant should something fail. But, a long list of equipment is not particularly persuasive, it is just descriptive.

To get full marks, you need to explain how you will allocate resources, make sure equipment is maintained, provide reliable and competent operators and, importantly, deal with breakdowns or unexpected demand. For example, if your programme depends on a particular excavator or piling rig:

• What happens if that machine becomes unavailable?
• Can you provide replacement equipment quickly?
• Do you have established plant-hire arrangements?
• How will delays be prevented or recovered?

These are really important and explaining it can win you the contract.

These are the practical questions that matter to the buyer. Explaining your answers within the response will get you the marks you need to win. A bid writing expert from Executive Compass can support you through this process.

The same principle applies to your workforce. Stating that you employ experienced groundworkers will not score highly. You need to highlight their relevant experience, qualifications, supervision and how the workforce will be organised to effectively and reliably deliver the programme.

Programme management and quality

Groundworks are usually among the first activities on a construction project, and delays can have consequences for every trade that follows.

You will need to provide reassurance that you understand the programme, dependencies and interfaces with other contractors and that you can manage the works in such a way to minimise delays. Your tender document may need to explain how progress will be monitored, how materials will be ordered and delivered, how inspections will be arranged and what happens when work falls behind schedule.

Quality is equally important, so give details of your inspection and test arrangements, including how completed work will be checked against specifications and how defects will be identified and rectified.

Where relevant, explain how you will manage testing and records for concrete, compaction, drainage or other technical requirements.

The point is to demonstrate that your systems will produce the required results, not simply to tell the buyer that you have systems in place.

Working as a Sub-Contractor vs. Principal Contractor

There is a world of difference between bidding to deliver groundworks as a specialist subcontractor and taking responsibility for a project as the principal contractor.

As a subcontractor, you will be tendering to a main contractor for a specific package of works which will depend on your specific services, and the emphasis will usually be on your technical expertise, price, programme, labour and plant availability, compliance and ability to work alongside other trades. Do not underestimate this last one: main contractors do not like being involved in poor communication or squabbles between trades.

However, if you are a principal contractor, your responsibilities are much wider and carry more risk for both you and the buyer.

You will need to clearly show how you will manage the entire construction phase, coordinate subcontractors and different trades, implement site-wide health and safety arrangements, manage interfaces and take responsibility for overall programme delivery and deal with things when they go wrong.

Being a main (or principle) contractor makes a considerable difference to the evidence required in a tender. For example, a contractor with extensive experience delivering excavation packages, but under the supervision of a main contractor, cannot automatically assume that this demonstrates its ability to act as principal contractor on a complex scheme.

If you are moving into larger or more demanding contracts, look carefully at the additional responsibilities before deciding to bid or it could be problematic for you when the contract is awarded.

How to Strengthen a Groundworks Bid

Check the qualification requirements before you start

It is easy to spend considerable time preparing a tender only to discover that your organisation does not meet an essential qualification requirement.

Construction procurement has traditionally made extensive use of Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs), Selection Questionnaires (SQs) and PAS 91.

PAS 91 has since been withdrawn, with the Common Assessment Standard now used for construction pre-qualification in relevant procurements but you may still encounter older terminology or buyer-specific qualification documents.

Whatever the format, check the requirements carefully.

These can include financial standing, previous contract experience, insurance, health and safety arrangements, management systems, technical competence and other mandatory conditions.

If you are missing a key qualification, it may be better to walk away than pursue an opportunity you have little realistic chance of securing.

Choose relevant contract examples

Your previous experience is one of the strongest forms of evidence you can provide, but it needs to be relevant.

If the buyer is procuring groundworks involving difficult ground conditions, complex drainage or extensive temporary works, a general example of routine excavation may not be sufficient. You must choose projects that demonstrate comparable technical challenges, value, scale or working environments.

Explain what you delivered, the problems encountered, how you managed them (this shows honesty and experience) and whether the programme, quality and safety requirements were achieved.

Actual results are far more persuasive than general claims about your experience.

Make your responses specific to the contract

One of the most common weaknesses in tender submissions is the use of generic method statements that could apply to almost any project.

You may have excellent processes, experienced employees and a strong track record, but the evaluator needs to understand how you will apply them to the contract being procured. Therefore, answer the question directly, address the published scoring criteria and explain the benefits of your approach.

For example, if the buyer is concerned about disruption to an occupied site, explain how you will manage access, noise, dust, deliveries and public safety.

If the project involves a demanding programme, explain your sequencing, resource allocation and contingency arrangements.

It really is key to avoid making the evaluator work out why your approach is better than the competition. Tell them, and support your answer with evidence, and then tell them again.

Review the bid before submission

Ensuring quality in your bids before submission is essential.

A final bid review should do so much more than identify spelling mistakes or missing documents. It must assess whether your response answers every element of the question, demonstrates sufficient evidence and gives the evaluator good reasons to award high marks. Remember to check the administration requirement too where necessary, including word count and font.

Check that your commitments are realistic and consistent with your pricing and delivery programme, and don’t promise resources, response times or programme improvements simply because they sound impressive. You may win the tender, but you will still have to deliver what you have promised.

An independent bid review from Executive Compass can be particularly useful because someone who has not been involved in writing the submission can identify gaps, assumptions and weaknesses that the original bid writer may overlook.

Winning Groundworks Tenders: Preparation Matters

Groundworks tenders can provide some great opportunities for contractors of all sizes, from specialist excavation and drainage companies through to businesses delivering major civil engineering works. But technical ability alone will not win the contract.

You need to choose opportunities that suit your business, understand what the buyer wants and demonstrate, with evidence, why your organisation should be selected ahead of its competitors.

Remember, this is a competition and being capable of carrying out the work is only the starting point.

Executive Compass has supported construction and civil engineering contractors with bids and tenders since 2009, including groundworks, drainage, highways and wider infrastructure contracts.

If you have identified an opportunity, visit our Construction Tender Writers page or our specialist Civil Engineering Tender Writing page to see how we can help.

Whether you need a complete tender submission, support with individual questions or an independent bid review, send us your tender documents and we can discuss the most appropriate approach.