PRICING DROP-IN — ESTIMATE REVIEW

YOU'VE BUILT THE PRICE.
NOW LET'S MAKE SURE
IT'S RIGHT.

An expert, independent review of your estimate or tender before it goes in — identifying risk, surfacing opportunities and giving you the confidence to submit.

YOU'VE PUT THE WORK IN.

You've measured the job, built your rates, checked your figures and put together what you believe is a competitive price. But before you hit submit, there's a question in the back of your mind: have I missed something?

That question is worth listening to.

The CBA Pricing Drop-In is a focused, one-to-one advisory session where David Clark FCInstCES MCIOB sits down with you, with your estimate in front of you and goes through it properly. Not a cursory glance. A rigorous, methodical review by a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors and Chartered Construction Manager, with decades of experience pricing, scrutinising and winning complex construction and civil engineering work.

This is not a correction service. David does not take over your estimate, or make the changes for you. Every decision and every amendment remains yours. What you get is an expert pair of eyes, a structured analysis, and a clear plan to strengthen your submission before it leaves your hands.

WHAT WE GO THROUGH TOGETHER

Every estimate is different, so every session is tailored to what's in front of us. A typical Pricing Drop-In covers:

◆ Rate & Cost Review;
Are your labour, plant and material rates realistic and defensible? Are there gaps, assumptions or allowances that need to be revisited?

◆ Risk Identification;
What are the commercial, programme and scope risks in this job, and have they been adequately priced? What could go wrong, and are you covered if it does?

◆ Opportunity Assessment;
Are there areas where your price could be strengthened, better presented or more competitive without compromising your margin?

◆ Scope & Specification Check;
Have you priced what's actually been asked for? Gaps in scope are one of the most common and costly mistakes in tendering.

◆ Preliminary & Overhead Review;
Are your prelims and overheads properly structured and proportionate to the job?

◆ Submission Plan;
Before you leave, we agree a clear, prioritised list of actions, what to revisit, what to strengthen and what to leave as it is.

WHAT YOU LEAVE WITH

AT THE END OF EVERY PRICING DROP-IN SESSION YOU WILL HAVE:

✓  A clear verbal debrief on the key findings from the review

✓  A written action plan — risk areas flagged, opportunities noted, and a prioritised checklist for your final pre-submission review

✓  Confidence that your estimate has been stress-tested by someone who has been on both sides of the table

The Pricing Drop-In is an advisory service. David reviews and analyses your estimate with you, he does not amend, complete or take responsibility for your submission. All final decisions, changes and sign-off remain entirely with you. This service does not constitute professional indemnity cover for your tender.

WHO SHOULD BOOK A DROP-IN?

The Pricing Drop-In is suitable for any contractor or civil engineering firm that is preparing a bid and wants independent expert scrutiny before submission.

It is particularly valuable for:

◆ SME and micro contractors pricing work above their usual contract value, or outside of their comfort zone

◆ Businesses tendering for a new type of work, or entering a new market

◆ Contractors who have lost bids repeatedly and want to understand why

◆ Contractors who consistently win work, but are not making money

◆ Anyone preparing a price for a tier one contractor, or public sector client for the first time

◆ Business owners without an in-house commercial or estimating function who want senior-level input on a specific job

There is no minimum or maximum contract value. If the job matters to you, the review is worth having.

HOW IT WORKS

◆ Sessions are charged at an hourly rate, pricing available on application

◆ Bring your estimate, drawings, specification and any tender documents

◆ Sessions can be held at Pippingford Park, East Sussex or conducted remotely, agreed at the time of booking

◆ Bookings are subject to availability; early enquiry is recommended ahead of tender deadlines

BOOK A DROP-IN SESSION

ENQUIRE ABOUT PRICING

To book or enquire, use the form below. Please include a brief description of the project and your tender return date so we can confirm availability and book the right amount of time.

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This is a Fellow of CICES reviewing your price, someone who has spent decades building, scrutinising and winning construction tenders at the highest level. You are not getting a second opinion from a generalist. You are getting expert commercial scrutiny from someone who has sat on both sides of the table.

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If you find yourself using the Drop-In regularly, or if the review surfaces wider commercial questions about your business, our 1-to-1 Professional Mentoring offers an ongoing working relationship built around exactly those challenges.