A new-build block, a programme and a deadline
A main contractor sends an enquiry: scaffold package for a four-storey block, drawings, a programme and preliminaries. The scaffold goes up in phases as the frame rises, gets adapted for cladding and windows, and comes down in sections. Hire runs for different periods on different elevations. Loading bays, hoist ties and temporary roofs appear in the preliminaries.
The estimator works through it over a few evenings. The price goes in. Months into the job, it turns out the programme had an extra adaptation stage nobody priced, and the hire on one elevation runs much longer than allowed.
Why commercial packages are hard
A domestic scaffold is priced once. A commercial package is priced as a sequence of scaffolds over time, tied to someone else's programme. The information is spread across drawings, programmes and documents that were not written with the scaffolder in mind.
- Scaffold requirements are scattered through preliminaries and specifications.
- Phasing depends on the programme, which is read by hand.
- Hire periods differ by elevation and phase.
- Adaptations for other trades are easy to miss.
- Qualifications and assumptions are written up at the end in a rush.
What mispriced packages cost
Unpriced adaptations and underestimated hire are paid for by you, for the length of the job. Over-cautious pricing loses the tender. Disputes about what was included drag on. And estimators spend evenings on tenders, which is not sustainable.
Phased work also ties up kit for longer than a domestic job. If hire periods are underestimated, the scaffold stays on site for months you did not price, and the kit on it is not available for the domestic work that would have paid better.
The package pricing tools we build
- The tender documents are uploaded and read. An AI step lists every mention of scaffolding, access, loading bays, hoists, temporary roofs, protection and adaptations, with page references.
- The programme is read for activities that affect the scaffold: frame, envelope, roofing, cladding, windows, and when each finishes.
- The estimator sets out phases by elevation against those activities, with erect, adapt and strike points.
- Each phase is priced from your rates: erect and dismantle, adaptations, extras, and hire for the period the programme implies.
- The estimator adjusts quantities, rates and periods as they see fit.
- Qualifications are drafted from the flags, such as programme assumptions, hire basis and exclusions, for the estimator to edit.
- The priced package is produced in the format the tender asks for and stored, so won jobs can be compared with the tender later.
| Tender document | Tool does | Estimator does |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminaries and specifications | Lists scaffold-related clauses | Reads and decides |
| Programme | Extracts relevant activities | Sets phases |
| Drawings | Holds quantities per phase | Measures and checks |
| Pricing | Applies your rates and hire | Adjusts |
| Qualifications | Drafts from flags | Edits and approves |
The estimator prices the package. The tools make sure nothing in the documents is overlooked.
What tendering looks like with it
The estimator starts from an organised list of requirements and a phased programme. Adaptations and hire periods are priced explicitly. Qualifications reflect the actual assumptions. And more packages can be priced properly, so you can choose which to pursue.
When the job is won, the phased pricing becomes the basis for applications and hire tracking, so the way you priced it and the way you invoice it are the same structure from the start.
Is commercial pricing like this for you?
- Packages are priced in the evenings.
- Adaptations have been missed from prices.
- Hire periods are estimated roughly.
- Qualifications are written at the last minute.