Win the workWin the work: Tender · week four…
The plug number
Nobody builds up the information price. Tom, the bid manager, puts in a percentage somebody used on another job three years ago.
Stage 2 · Win the work · Stop 7 of 11
Pricing the information work
The back alley's bill so far: 35 weeks · See the bill
The information · The price of the information work
Looking after me costs money. If nobody prices me properly, somebody pays later, usually double.
The wrong way
Bid review
The price is too high. Helen, the divisional director, looks for something to cut.
Helen: What's this line for?
Tom: Not sure. Cut it.
We won
The bid wins. Everyone cheers. Nobody looks at the line.
Get readyGet ready: Three weeks before site opens…
Nobody's paid
Nobody's paid to set up and test the Site Office. So it's tested on live drawings.
Week one
In week one, real work goes missing. Drawings turn up in inboxes, on desktops, and under a sandwich in site manager Dave's van.
Five weeks
Five weeks of untangling, paid from the job's contingency: twice what the line would have cost. Kofi, the commercial manager, does the sum.
Helen: How much did we save?
Kofi: Minus half.
Cut at bid review to save a little. Paid back on site, double.
+5 weeks on the back alley's bill: The information work cut to win: nobody paid to test the Site Office, and five weeks untangling it.