Awarded Construction Contracts: What happens after your tender is awarded?

28 October 2020

If you’re here, it probably means you’re fairly aware of what a tender is, how the process works and how to create your best tender response. 

But what happens after the contract is awarded? As a subbie, you’re going to want to keep an eye on the project you have tendered for across its lifetime (from tender to awarded contract).

At the end of the day, you want to be talking to the head contractor that is in charge of the build, which is where Estimate One is here to help.

What is awarded contract information?

The contract for a construction project will be awarded just a few short weeks after a tender closes. Everything after this can remain a mystery for some. 

At EstimateOne, we give subbies who subscribe to our upgraded options the ability to follow a tender past the awarded phase through our awarded contract information notices.

Why is awarded contract information important to me?

Usually during the final stages of a tender, head contractors will have a team who will package out different trades to look to get roughly 3-5 quotes for each trade. 

Head contractors will use these prices to put together their quote to the client – however, at this point no subbies have been given the job yet. 

Once a project contract is awarded, the head contractor’s estimating team will hand over the project to the contract administrators who will pick from the subbies who tendered for the job.

Your focus here needs to be knocking their socks off with a great quote at tender time with great pricing (competitive pricing – but don’t undersell yourself). Estimators will recommend subbies to the contract administrators, but you’re going to want to follow up with them once the tender is awarded.

Even if they don’t put out a request for quote, if you keep an eye on the project closely, you can reach out to the builder directly and try to get in front of them for consideration. 

If you sign up to EstimateOne you’ll also get alerts (contract notices) when a project is awarded to a builder (less checking in constantly – you have better things to do) plus all the key contacts you could need for head builders. We’re here to help everyone and that includes our subbies in the construction industry!

Sometimes head contractors don’t even consider subbies until they need them 12-24 months down the track, particularly finishing trades like plastering and painting. 

Our Awarded Contract Information system can let you filter contracts that have closed in a certain period of time so that they are more relevant to you for your trade. 

Pro tips:

  • Get your foot in early! It is favourable if you pop up during the tender phase because it shows you’re keen to work with them. 
  • Quote your best but don’t undersell yourself.
  • Keep a regular eye on our Awarded Contracts hub for all the opportunities suited to you.