While many owners and contractors are familiar with pre-bid meetings, pre-bid conferences are less common… but have the potential to be even more important to the ultimate success of a project.
The Pre-bid meeting is held to clarify the scope of work, the details of the project and other requirements presented in the bid documents. They are typically relevant only to the procurement of goods and services, and do not address any consultative-type work. The focus is strictly on explaining what is in the solicitation to interested bidders.
Pre-bid conferences, on the other hand, are more consultative in nature; they are used by owners to solicit input during the preparation of bid solicitation documents. The reason is simple: owners may know what they need in a broad sense – a new boiler plant, for example. But they may not be experts at understanding all the nuances associated with developing a comprehensive RFP/bid package that will optimize the dynamics and realities of the constantly changing market that contractors live in. Soliciting this input can generate valuable feedback regarding schedules, phasing opportunities, technical equipment/system approaches, and potential scope deducts to control project cost.
Engaging a firm like Greenland Enterprises in the pre-bid conference (sometimes referred to as bid development or market feedback meetings) can save the owner valuable time, and potentially reduce costly delays or scope changes. Utilizing expertise during the bid document development process can also help identify preliminary budgets and timelines, along with challenges and specific technology or expertise to seek in successful bidders.
Regardless of where you are in your bid development process, if you’re not already using expert consulting, you could be setting yourself up for costly mistakes during construction. If you’re not sure if you need a pre-bid conference, we invite you to contact Greenland Enterprises today to discuss your project.
