Win the workWin the work: Friday, 11.40am…
The master
One master copy, in one place. Three people editing different sections, one person controlling the versions.
Stage 2 · Win the work · Stop 10 of 11 · The right way
What we sent
The back alley's bill so far: 40 weeks · See the bill
The right way
Noon
The bid goes in at 11.52. The submitted set is saved exactly as sent, with the date: the sealed envelope.
Win the workWin the work: Six weeks later…
Page 34
The client asks what the bid said about handover. Tom opens the sealed envelope and shows them in a minute.
Tom: Page 34. Word for word.
Five finalsNobody knows what went, or what was promised.
The sealed envelopeExactly what was sent, found in a minute.
Now there is: The sealed envelope: the submitted bid, kept exactly as sent.
What's going on here
What was submitted is what was promised. Keeping one master while writing, and the exact submitted set afterwards, means the team can always show what it said.
In the town See it in the town: which version did we actually send?
At noon the bid room sends its answer back to Client Town: the promise, the price and everything that goes with it. Whatever leaves now is what the firm has promised, so the firm needs a copy exactly as sent, the sealed envelope. Client Town will keep its copy; without one of its own, the firm can only argue about what it said.
Fix it No copy of what was sent? Get one back.
- Ask the client for a copy of the bid exactly as received.
- Save it, unedited, with the submission date in its name.
- From now on, keep one master and one person controlling versions.
A note for the information manager: What was submitted is what was promised, so the sent copy is worth keeping more carefully than the drafts.
ISO 19650 From five finals to the sealed envelope
| ISO 19650 says | Means | In the town |
|---|---|---|
| Tender response | Everything a bidding team sends back to the client, including how it will manage and deliver information | What went in at 11.52 |
| BIM execution plan, before appointment (BEP) | The bidding team's account of how it will deliver the information asked for | The promise inside the envelope, word for word on page 34 |
| Not from ISO 19650: keeping the bid as submitted | Ordinary bid practice: holding an exact, dated copy of what was sent | Lets Tom find the promise in a minute, not five windows |
Based on the ISO 19650 series: the ideas come from the standard; the plain-English wording, examples and advice are InfoTown's. ISO 19650 and its UK National Annex are © ISO and BSI. You'll hear the same language across the industry. Read more for free in the Information Management Initiative (IMI) Framework guidance from BSI and nima. For the full requirements, use the standard itself.