The Contractor’s Technical Proposal – Part 2

In part 1 of this article we will profiled my visit to the construction site, my familiarisation with the tender documents and the strategy i adopted to commence writing the technical proposal.

Part 2 continues below…

2.The method statement

I developed a work methodology for the scope of work in each package. The work methodology also highlighted the key personnel responsible for the direct supervision of work in accordance with the personnel deployment schedule.

Package 1 – Pipelines

The book of drawings provided details of the pipeline routes i.e. the horizontal and vertical alignments. Using a number of descriptive sketches, I mentioned that the contractor would proceed with this package of work as follows;

• Carrying out confirmatory surveys to determine and confirm the actual pipeline routing and the length of pipeline that would be laid. This information would assist the contractor compute the overall requirement for pipeline fixtures. Mindful of the fact that the ground conditions along the pipeline routes were varying, we proposed different work methods to cater for the varying ground conditions at the pipeline sections. This comprised a combination of manual labour and machinery.
• Preparation for excavation works. This would commence after the supervising engineer had approved the pipeline routing, alignment and fixture requirements represented in construction drawings (plans and sectional profiles).
• Inserting pipe bedding material in the pipeline trenches and subsequently the laying of pipes. I proposed to re-use the excavated material as backfill material in cases where the excavated material was found suitable for re-use. All pipelines were proposed to be laid in accordance with the manufacturer’s specifications.
• Prior to backfilling, a final pipeline survey would be conducted by the contractor to assist in the preparation of as-built drawings.
• Backfilling of pipelines and reinstatements would be carried out in order to achieve a standard which existed before excavation.
• Pressure testing and disinfection of the pipelines would be carried out prior to the commissioning of each pipeline section.

Package 2 – The water treatment plant

The site for the water treatment plant had an elevation difference of approximately 15 meters. The main aim of the contractor was to build a system that would be able to treat water to the required standard for consumption while enabling ease of operation and future maintenance. The site comprised an intake structure, water treatment units, staff quarters and other operational buildings.

In brief, the work methodology I proposed at this site commenced with setting up of the site camp and setting out of all the required structures prior to ground clearance and creation of access roads.

It was also pointed out that while setting out all the required structures, special care would be taken in order to ensure proper functionality of the system. A detailed construction sequence for all the reinforced concrete structures (especially the water treatment units); including all the associated electromechanical installations was developed.

One of the critical areas in this package of work was the construction of the intake. This was a water-related activity which involved a number of considerations, namely;

• The intake structure would have to be built to resist distortion from heavy water currents.
• It had to be built such that a sufficient quantity of water is available for abstraction at all times.
• The intake had to be easily operated and maintained.

Siting a number of flaws in the design, I proposed an alternative type of intake to allow for ease of operation and maintenance. However, as was required in the tender documents, the quantity surveyors priced the intake structure which was provided in the book of drawings.

Package 3 – The reservoirs

The reservoirs were designed to be assembled out of hot pressed plates standing on tank towers. The methodology for erection of the tank plates is a standard methodology usually prescribed by the suppliers of the tank plates. The tanks were intended to rest on isolated reinforced concrete pad footings. This scope of works was proposed to be carried out by a sub-contractor.

In preparing the write up, it was explicitly stated that the sub-contractor would be required to abide by the health, safety and environmental management standards set by the main contractor. 

Package 4 – The booster station and associated works

For this package, the methodology for scope of works involved a detailed description for the construction of a booster station, installation of its associated electromechanical components, the, access roads and motor vehicle parking at reservoir 2.

Package 5 – Sanitation

A facility to treat faecal sludge and receive solid waste from the water supply area was to be built in a certain location within the project area. The methodology for the construction works at this site were largely similar to that adopted for the water treatment plant under package 2.

3. The resource mobilisation schedule

I proposed a site mobilisation period of two months and stated that prior to final handover of certain construction sites, the contractor would carry out the following activities;

• Validating the client’s design.
• Preparation of some detailed execution drawings.
• General site clearance and creation of temporary access roads.
• Erection of project sign boars at appropriate locations determined by the client.
• Re-consultation with local and overseas suppliers of material and equipment intended for construction and installation.

A mobilisation schedule for the key personnel, drivers, machine operators, technical support staff and casual labourers who would be deployed to sites was developed. This clearly represented the total number of workers that would be deployed during each month of the construction period.

An equipment mobilisation schedule was also included in the technical proposal. It indicated the type of equipment to be mobilised, the purpose for which it was intended and the periods when the equipment will be deployed.

4. The construction schedule

Developed using Microsoft Projects, the construction schedule was intended to inform the client of the contractor’s general work plan. It contained important information such as;

• The expected start date, duration and completion dates for each package of work.
• The relationship between the contractor’s procurement plan and the various packages of work.
• The relationship between the pre-construction activities stated in (iii) above and commencement of physical construction works.
• The proposed dates for testing and commissioning of each package of work.
• The proposed dates for training of facility operators and eventual handover of the project to the client.

NB: The construction schedule was prepared in such a way that the dates could be changed automatically in case the bid submission date was extended.

5. Key construction equipment

The instruction to bidders contained a list of equipment which the contractor was required to have in their possession as a minimum. Fortunately, the contractor was in possession of all this equipment. My role was simply to assemble the information as required in the tender. As a minimum, the client required the contractor to state the following;

• Quantity available.
• Capacity of the equipment.
• Year and name of manufacturer.
• Current location of the equipment.
• Details of current commitments.
• Whether the equipment is owned by the contractor, rented, leased or specially manufactured.

To strengthen the technical proposal, I included pictorial evidence for each of the equipment owned by the contractor.

6. Quality assurance

The contractor possessed the environmental management system standard structured to 14001:2004, the operational health and safety standard structured to 18001:2007 and a quality management system standard structured to ISO 9001:2008. A valid copy of each of these documents was inserted in the technical proposal as objective evidence.

The direct relationship between the key attributes of each standard mentioned above and the construction project for which a bid was being prepared were elaborated. The key attributes centered around general site organisation, the role of sub-contractors, the deployment and management of human resources, record keeping, management of time lines, risk management and the management of modifications on site.

To mitigate any non-conformity in the contractor’s quality assurance system, the contractor’s representative (the key personnel in charge of the entire construction project) would be required to keep in close contact with their head office at all times.

7. Environmental management, occupational health and safety

Most of the quality assurance standards in (vi) above referred to general construction works which the contractor engages in.

Mindful of the requirements of each standard and the scope of works in each package, I highlighted the contractor’s main areas of focus. These were;

• Disposal of construction waste.
• Provision of medical facilities on site.
• Provision of protective wear for all workers.
• Obtaining all the required approvals from the local environment authorities.
• Traffic control management.
• Safety of workers while working on water, in deep excavations and at high points above ground.
• Servicing of all plant and equipment.
• Flood management while constructing the water treatment plant.

8. Key personnel

The contractor provided CVs for all the key personnel as required by the client. My role was purely to check them for completeness and consistency with the minimum requirements set out in the tender documents.

9. Procurement of local items and imports

In a tabular form, I provided a list of all materials that would be sourced both locally and internationally. For those to be purchased from abroad, we stated their country of origin.

 10. Lessons  learnt

1. Before preparing your technical proposal, it is important to visit the proposed construction sites and to try and get into the mind of the client in order to understand their needs.The client’s needs can be picked up during a pre-bid meeting. Pre-bid meetings are usually held a few weeks after the tenders have been announced. Contractors are usually advised to send experienced personnel for the pre-bid meetings to assist in the preparation of a good technical proposal. If you are a contractor bidding to construct a water or waste-water treatment facility, a road, or power transmission lines through a built up urban area, it helps when you actually visit and possibly drive through the routes before preparing your technical proposal. During the evaluation of bids, it is very obvious to detect that a contractor has not visited the construction site or is not knowledgeable about the scope of work that will be involved.

2. Prior to the bid submission deadline, we received a geotechnical report which had been carried out as part of the design for the scope of works under tender. This report provided us with detailed information relating to the nature of the ground conditions at each of the construction sites. The report provided vital information for the team that was pricing the bills of quantities and for us who were prescribing the work methods to be adopted on site. The lesson here is that during the tender period, new information that can potentially alter your technical proposal could become available.

3. Even though a well written technical proposal will not necessarily guarantee you a construction contract, it places your document way above the rest in ranking. It is a known fact that first impressions matter a lot. There are many chances that your bid will be looked at with much less scrutiny than the rest simply because it has a logical flow and is generally consistent with the client’s requirements. There are certain cases where construction works require specialised skills. In case competition is cut throat, your firm might be the lucky contractor if you have demonstrated that you understand the complexity of the assignment and have laid out a clear description of how you intend to go about the construction works better than all the rest. It is not enough to state that the construction works will be carried out in accordance with the technical specifications. What is actually required is the detailed work methodology which you will adopt in order to achieve the final standard of works as required in the specifications. 

   It is not enough to state that the construction works will be carried out in accordance with the technical specifications. What is actually required is the detailed work methodology which you will adopt in order to achieve the final standard of works as required in the specifications. 

4. Preparing any technical proposal is a team effort. As I wrote the proposal, I kept in close contact with the client’s quantity surveyors (pricing specialists). I eventually realised that it does not make sense to propose a method of work whose costs of execution have not (will not be) been taken into consideration when the quantity surveyors are pricing the bills of quantities. Sometimes you may have to compromise on the work method to be adopted in order for the bid to be competitively priced. 

5. It is only after taking part in this assignment that I realised the importance of quality assurance and why bids are sometimes submitted to a client with obvious errors. From my experience, you can try as much as possible to perfect your final submission but time eventually runs out when the bid submission date is due. The team involved in assembling the technical proposal needs to sit together to assemble the documents. Sometimes the client requests for a soft copy submission of the entire bid. Scanning an entire bid and checking the soft copy submission prior to bid submission requires a lot of patience, discipline and team work.

6. If you are on the client’s end and you are frequently involved in the evaluation of technical proposals, there will be times when you are faced with a scenario where you have received a number of competitively priced bids and yet none of them has a well written technical proposal. For instance, it is not surprising to find that a contractor who is preparing a technical proposal to construct a hydro power dam instead provides a work methodology for the construction of a water supply and sanitation system, a landfill site or a swimming pool. In principle, the scope of work and hence the work methodology should ideally be different. Sometimes, in order to avoid a fresh tendering process, a compromise might be made to pick a contractor to carry out the construction works. The risk here is that during construction works, the contractor will most likely have challenges executing the works to the required engineering specifications resulting in poor workmanship and perennial delays.

7. Lastly, when you take a decision to be that contractor that always has well written technical proposals, you have to try to be consistent with all your future submissions. Should the quality of your submissions deteriorate, the market might interpret this negatively.

Conclusion

Some construction sites can be very challenging. They could be water logged, spanning massive water bodies, exist at extremely high points above ground, adjacent to built-up structures, in the vicinity of vehicular and human traffic or even in very confined spaces. It is in such challenging sites that your work methodology has got to be very convincing.

Some construction sites can be very challenging. They could be water logged, spanning massive water bodies, exist at extremely high points above ground, adjacent to built-up structures, in the vicinity of vehicular and human traffic or even in very confined spaces. It is in such challenging sites that your work methodology has got to be very convincing.

Some people could argue that writing a good technical proposal for construction works is an art which cannot be taught in any engineering school, whereas others insist that it can only be written by someone with a blend of theoretical knowledge and hands on technical skills acquired through practical experience. I lean towards the latter sentiment but I am also convinced that no single individual can fully comprehend all the minute detail of a large scope of work without team work.

At the time of this writing, The Builders’ Garage has been contacted to provide  technical input to a client who is preparing a bid for the construction of a gravity flow scheme somewhere in East Africa.

Thank you for sparing some time to read this article and feel free to contact us for any technical support in this regard.

© The Builders’ Garage 2016. Permission to use this article or quotations from it is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to thebuildersgarage.com as the source.