How do you read a landscape tender scope?

What is a scope of works in a landscape tender?

A scope of works is the written description of the work a trade package includes. In a commercial landscape tender it usually lists the elements you are pricing, such as soft landscaping, irrigation, paving or furniture, and often names what is excluded or supplied by others.

The scope is not the whole picture. It sits alongside the drawings, the specification, the trade breakdown or letter of invitation, and the conditions of contract. Each of those documents can add work, remove work or change how work is done, so reading the scope alone is how items get missed.

A scope gap is work the project needs that no document clearly gives to any trade, or that two documents describe differently. Scope gaps are rarely dramatic. They are usually one line or one drawing note, and they cost money because nobody priced them and somebody still has to build them.

What does each tender document tell you?

Each document in a tender package answers a different question. The table below sets out what each one tells you and what to look for when you read it against the scope. For a fuller list of what should be in the package, see what documents you need to price a landscape tender.

What happens when tender documents conflict?

Order of precedence is the ranking that decides which document wins when two documents say different things. It is usually set out in the conditions of contract, and it matters because a conflict you did not spot at tender will be resolved by that ranking after award, not by what you assumed.

Suppose the drawings show a planting bed with a particular mulch depth and the specification calls for a different depth. If the specification ranks higher, that is what you will be held to, whatever you priced. Check the precedence clause early so you know which document to price from when you find a conflict.

If there is no precedence clause, or it is unclear, do not choose one yourself. Raise the conflict as a clarification and, if it is not answered, state in your submission which document you priced from.

How do you read a landscape scope step by step?

A reliable scope read follows the same order every time. The steps below work for most commercial landscape packages and are best done before the quantity takeoff, so the takeoff measures the right things.

1. Read the invitation and trade package description first. These set the boundaries the head contractor has in mind. Note the deadline, the return format and any required pricing schedule, then read everything else against that description.
2. List what is in and what is out. Write two plain lists from the scope: items you are pricing and items marked as by others or excluded. Anything you cannot place on either list is a question.
3. Check interfaces with other trades. Landscape work meets civil (bulk earthworks, subgrade levels, stormwater), hydraulic (irrigation water supply and backflow), electrical (garden and feature lighting, controller power), concrete (kerbs, footings, mowing strips) and fencing. For each interface, confirm who supplies, who installs and at what level your work starts.
4. Compare the drawings with the scope, both ways. Go through the drawings and find items that are drawn but not in the scope, such as edging, tree pits, root barriers or bollards. Then go through the scope and find items listed but not drawn, which you cannot measure without asking.
5. Find the maintenance and establishment period. A maintenance or establishment period is a set time after practical completion during which you keep the landscape alive and in condition. Note its length, what it includes, such as watering, weeding and replacements, and what counts as successful handover.
6. Identify provisional sums and prime cost items. A provisional sum is an allowance for work that cannot yet be defined, and a prime cost item is an allowance for supplying a selected product. Both are usually adjusted later, so confirm whether your margin and installation are included in the allowance or priced separately.
7. Confirm attendances and who supplies what. Attendances are the services the head contractor provides to trades, such as cranage, scaffolding, water, power, waste bins and amenities. Check which are provided and which you must allow for, and whether any materials are supplied free issue.
8. Check site access and staging. Look for construction staging, access routes, laydown areas, working hours and whether work will be released in separable portions. Staged handover can mean several mobilisations and separate maintenance periods, which affects your preliminaries.

How do you turn scope gaps into clarifications?

A tender clarification, often lodged as an RFI, is a written question sent to the head contractor during the tender period to resolve a gap, conflict or missing detail. It is the cheapest point at which to close a gap, because the answer usually goes to every bidder and the price can still change.

Keep each clarification specific. Name the document, drawing or clause, describe the conflict or gap in one or two sentences, and ask a question with a clear answer, such as who supplies the irrigation controller power, or which mulch depth applies. Lodge them early, because late questions often go unanswered.

When a gap is still open at the deadline, it belongs in your submission as a qualification or an exclusion. An exclusion is an item you state you have not priced. A qualification is an assumption your price depends on, such as a stated access route or a subgrade level set by others.

Write qualifications and exclusions in plain language and link each one to the document it relates to. A clear list protects you after award, because a change to an assumption you stated in writing is far easier to raise as a variation than one you only assumed.

Which scope phrases are red flags?

Some phrases move open-ended risk onto your package without saying so. None of them is unusual, but each one needs a closer read and often a clarification or a qualification.

• "Including but not limited to" turns a list into a set of examples. The work is whatever is needed to complete the package, not just the listed items, so check the drawings for anything the list does not name.
• "All works necessary" or "all work required for a complete installation" makes you responsible for incidental work nobody described. Ask where the boundary sits at each interface, and qualify your price to the documents you were given.
• "Make good" means repairing or reinstating anything disturbed, but the scope rarely says what, to what standard, or who caused the damage. Qualify it to damage caused by your own works.
• "By others" with no named trade leaves an item that may not be in anyone's package. Ask which package it sits in.
• "Allow for" with no quantity or detail asks you to carry an undefined cost. Ask for the extent, or state what you allowed.

If a scope carries several of these, or the conditions of contract add heavy risk on top, a second read before you sign is worth it. Tendr's scope and contract review reads the scope against the drawings and the commercial clauses and reports where the gaps and risk sit.

Frequently asked questions

What is a scope gap in a landscape tender?

A scope gap is work the project needs that no document clearly gives to any trade, or that two documents describe differently. Common examples are edging shown on drawings but missing from the scope, and subgrade preparation that falls between the civil and landscape packages.

What should you read first in a landscape tender?

Read the letter of invitation and the trade package description first. They tell you what the head contractor thinks you are pricing, the tender deadline and the return format. Everything else is then read against that description, so gaps and contradictions stand out as you go.

What does order of precedence mean in a tender?

Order of precedence is the ranking that decides which document wins when two documents conflict. It is usually set out in the conditions of contract. If there is no clause, do not assume one: raise the conflict as a clarification before you price it.

Should you price a scope gap or exclude it?

Ask first. Send the gap as a clarification during the tender period. If there is no answer before the deadline, either price your stated assumption or exclude the item in writing. What matters is that your submission says clearly which one you did.

Why is make good a red flag in a landscape scope?

Make good means repairing or reinstating anything disturbed, but the scope rarely says what, to what standard, or who caused the damage. Without limits it can cover damage by other trades. Ask what it applies to, or qualify it to damage caused by your own works.

What is the difference between a qualification and an exclusion?

An exclusion is an item you state you have not priced and will not supply. A qualification is a condition or assumption your price depends on, such as a particular access route or subgrade level. Both belong in writing in your tender submission.

Key takeaways

• Read the scope against the drawings, specification, invitation and conditions of contract, never on its own.
• Check the order of precedence early so you know which document wins a conflict.
• List what is in and out, then check every interface with civil, hydraulic, electrical, concrete and fencing.
• Compare drawings and scope both ways, and note maintenance periods, provisional sums, attendances and staging.
• Turn gaps into clarifications early, and put anything unresolved in writing as a qualification or exclusion.
• Treat "including but not limited to", "all works necessary" and "make good" as prompts for a question.