Phase 05 - Procurement

Tendering: Finalizing construction costs

TIMELINE 6-12 WEEKS (administered by the general contractor)

Procurement is the process by which construction services are sourced and contracted. While there are several approaches depending on the project's scale, complexity, and goals, we typically recommend the Design-Bid-Build method, which involves issuing the full technical package for competitive tendering. This method provides transparency, pricing clarity, and allows for more control over quality and design integrity. Polyform Architecture assumes that the construction contract will be a CCDC 2 - Stipulated Price Contract with firm tender opening and closing dates.  The client needs to inform Polyform if the type of bid process differs from this as the resources needed to support alternate means is more substantial.  For example, phased bidding will require resources over an extended period or multiple bid packages which are considered above and beyond the basic services / deliverables.

During this phase, selected contractors are invited to review the documentation and submit their pricing, usually over a 6–8 week period. Once tenders are received, we guide you through a detailed review and comparison of the bids (provided by the general contractor). We may hold clarification meetings with contractors to address any questions or discuss construction methodologies.

This is also the time when negotiation may occur to refine pricing, align expectations, and ultimately select the most suitable contractor. The stage concludes with the signing of the construction contract, paving the way for the build to begin.

If the client intends to enter into an alternate form of construction contract, this needs to be discussed with Polyform Architecture at the onset of the project and included in the Client-architect agreement.  There are considerable differences in the scope of services required to administer different types of contracts and these need to be captured in the fees for these services.

During this phase, the general contractor will submit Requests for Information (RFI) with questions from the sub-trades or Requests for Alternates (RFA) with alternate proposals for items that differ from the contract documents but may be adequate to meet the design intent.

Polyform will coordinate these RFIs + RFAs with the required consultants and issue responses.  If the responses elicit a change to the bid package, an Addendum will be issued during the tender period and before execution of the contract.

After the Tender phase is closed, we will assemble the IFT documents and all addendum issued during the tender, and compile the final Issued for Construction (IFC) documents.  The construction contract is finalized and construction can begin.  For convenience but not part of the contract documents, Polyform will issue a full 3D BIMx model to be viewed at anytime by the general contractor.  This is an interactive 3D model viewed on an IPAD or desktop that helps communicate the design intent of the project.  The general contractor can use this model in conjunction with the IFC documents to communicate clearly with the sub-trades.