What to send for a construction package quotation in Dubai

Issue a consistent document set

Identify the drawing revision, specification, relevant schedules and quantities that form the pricing basis. Tell the tenderer which information is approved, preliminary or still subject to coordination. A drawing register reduces the risk of different teams pricing different versions.

For shuttering, include the intended system and element types. For steel fixing, provide the current drawings, bar bending schedules or available tonnage information. For masonry, identify wall types, heights and openings. Quantities should use consistent measurement rules and clearly stated assumptions.

Define labour, materials and equipment responsibilities

State whether the enquiry is labour-only or a broader package. Assign supply, unloading, shifting, access equipment, consumables, cutting and bending where relevant, supervision and waste handling. Explain who provides the engineering information and who coordinates interfaces.

Changes to structural or temporary-works design require the appointed engineering process; this guide is about preparing an enquiry, not designing formwork or reinforcement. The quotation should not silently transfer an undefined design responsibility to a trade crew.

• Current drawings, schedules and specification references.
• Scope limits by zone, level, element or work area.
• Quantities and the measurement basis.
• Material, plant, access and consumable responsibilities.
• Available work fronts, site readiness and delivery routes.
• Programme, inspection interfaces and required mobilisation.
• Commercial assumptions, exclusions and change procedure.

Explain the work fronts and sequence

A headline completion date does not describe how a team will work. Show which areas will be released, the expected interfaces with adjacent trades and how inspections will be coordinated. Identify constraints that could interrupt progress so the resource discussion is realistic.

Ask the tenderer to explain its proposed allocation for the package. A company’s total workforce is not the number assigned to every job. Confirm planned resources against the agreed programme and availability.

Keep tender questions in one clarification log

Name the contact and response route in the enquiry. RICS Tendering strategies recommends sharing tender-query answers with all tenderers without identifying the questioner, and retaining the queries and answers. These are general tender-administration principles from UK guidance; use the procedure agreed for your project.

Use the suggested working log below to separate an unanswered question from an issued response. A due date is a follow-up target, not evidence that an answer has been accepted. Retain the original documents and link each answer to its affected scope item.

Example: a revised work front during the quotation period

Hypothetical example: an RFQ describes masonry on two levels as one continuous work front. During tendering, the main contractor confirms that the second level will be released later, after another trade completes its work. A tenderer asks whether its planned team must remain on site between the two releases.

The enquiry owner should identify the revised area-release information and the unresolved resource question. The coordinator can confirm the planned sequence; the commercial team can clarify what arrangement is being requested for the gap. Do not invent a waiting duration or promise uninterrupted access while those inputs remain unknown.

Record the answer and the programme reference in a numbered addendum. Ask tenderers to identify the addendum in their return and state any remaining assumptions about resources, remobilisation or availability. Keep scope information common to the enquiry separate from a tenderer’s confidential rates, methods or proprietary proposal.

At comparison, a proposal referring to the original continuous sequence still needs clarification. Record that difference rather than treating its total as equivalent to one based on the revised releases. This is an illustrative administration example, not a description of an ABA PRIME project or a determination of compensation.

Check the return against the final enquiry issue

Create a return checklist before issuing the RFQ so the requested information is visible to tenderers. Keep the submitted proposal intact and record missing items separately. Ask the authorised procurement lead how late information, amendments or an extension to the return date should be handled under this enquiry’s rules.

Before appointment, assemble the selected proposal, accepted clarifications and final scope references for review by the responsible commercial team. A receipt acknowledgement shows delivery of information; it does not by itself show acceptance of a price, a start instruction or permission to proceed with construction.

• The return identifies the document register and tender addenda used.
• The price breakdown uses the requested quantity and measurement basis.
• Responsibilities, exclusions and unresolved assumptions are stated.
• The resource proposal responds to the actual area-release sequence.
• Alternatives are identified separately from the requested base offer.
• Outstanding decisions have an owner and a recorded next action.

Use relevant project experience to frame the discussion

At The Central Downtown in Arjan, ABA PRIME’s subcontract for ATCON covers shuttering and de-shuttering in areas D2, D3 and D4, with a dedicated workforce of 30. This is a defined subcontract role, not a claim that ABA PRIME is the main contractor for the development.

At SIBRIS in Dubai Industrial City, ABA PRIME is the main contractor for the G+6+R residential development. These examples show why a quotation should distinguish overall project delivery from an individual trade package. The existing project pages provide the corresponding role and scope details.