Tender Programme Development and Bid Support

Tender programme development is the preparation of the schedule and supporting evidence behind a construction or mining bid. A compliant, logic-linked programme shows the client the work can be delivered in the time available. A strong one goes further: it proves the resourcing is feasible, the method is sound, and the commercial position stacks up. Project Scheduling develops complete tender programmes and the full bid-support package for contractors across Australia.

More Than a Bar Chart

Most bids include a programme because the tender demands one. Few use it to strengthen the submission. If your programme only satisfies a checklist, it tells the client nothing about whether you can deliver. Built properly, it demonstrates a defensible critical path, credible durations, realistic resourcing and a clear method, and it gives your estimators the cost and cashflow shape to price with confidence. That is the difference between a bar chart and a bid you can stand behind.

What a Tender Programme Includes

Your tender programme is the anchor. Around it sits everything that makes the bid deliverable:

• Compliant tender programme in Primavera P6, or Microsoft Project where preferred, structured to the bill of quantities trade sections, with full activity logic and a defensible critical path

• Quality schedule assessed against the DCMA 14-point metrics, logic, float, constraints and critical path integrity, and corrected before submission, so it holds up to client and third-party scrutiny

• Draft estimate and benchmark-based resourcing, built from Australian mining and civil norms and comparable project data where your own figures are not yet available

• Resource histograms and S-curves identifying peak crew and equipment demand, so resourcing feasibility is visible before you commit

• Cost and claim forecast showing the approval, budget and cash position across the job, so you can see cash peaks, working-capital exposure and claim opportunities before you commit

• Constructability review and methodology statement supporting the programme sequence

• Project-specific calendars reflecting the working week, site hours and any seasonal allowances

• Interfaces to works by others shown in the programme

• Basis of Schedule setting out calendars, sequence logic, assumptions and the critical path

• Native programme file for you to run and update in-house, plus a submission-ready PDF Gantt

Built to Your Tender Deadlines

Tenders close on a fixed date. You get the package well ahead of it, with time to review and secure management sign-off. An early draft comes first, built on proven benchmarks and your own figures where you have them, to confirm the approach. On your verification, the final submission-ready package is prepared well ahead of the deadline.

Independent and Sector-Specific

Project Scheduling works across mining, heavy industrial, civil, infrastructure and commercial construction tenders. The work is independent and delivered directly, so your programme reflects your method and your market, not a generic template.

Know your exposure before the tender goes in, and bid on a programme you can stand behind. Let us look at your next tender together.

Discuss Your Next Tender

Common Questions on Tender Programme Development

What is a tender programme?

A tender programme is the schedule submitted with a construction or mining bid that shows how the work will be delivered in the time available. A compliant one satisfies the tender requirement; a strong one proves the resourcing is feasible, the method is sound and the critical path is defensible, giving your estimators the cost and cashflow shape to price with confidence.

What makes a tender programme credible to a client?

A defensible critical path, durations that reflect real productivity, resourcing shown to be feasible through histograms and S-curves, a clear construction method, and a schedule that passes recognised quality checks such as the DCMA 14-point metrics. A programme built only to satisfy a checklist tells the client nothing about deliverability; one built from realistic logic and resourcing demonstrates it.

Should a tender programme be built in Primavera P6?

Primavera P6 is the standard for infrastructure, mining and heavy industrial tenders and is preferred where the client will scrutinise the schedule; Microsoft Project is used where the tender calls for it. Either way the programme should be fully logic-linked with a defensible critical path and structured to the bill of quantities trade sections.

How long before the deadline should the tender programme be ready?

Well ahead of it. An early draft built on proven benchmarks and your own figures confirms the approach, then the submission-ready package is prepared with time left for your review and management sign-off, rather than finished at the deadline.