How To Handle Pre Contract Issues In Construction Marketing

For anything bigger than a simple small business prospect, the stage after the appointment would normally be to agree contractual arrangements for the project so at the conclusion of the appointment, a time frame and lead-in time for the project should be discussed, minuted and actioned. Therefore at the appointment it is important for you to agree working parameters: exactly what is to happen, how it is to be done, whether a cost is attached, an incoming tender date, tender return date, project on site date and scheduling, completion date and the resources needed agreed and applied to the programme of works.

All of the above would normally be undertaken after the appointment.

Therefore, after the appointment you need to make sure that you summarise very concisely the main points of the meeting and the details of what was agreed, particularly focusing on its purpose and outputs, from the prospect's viewpoint. This confirmation must include all necessary parameters to ensure no misunderstandings develop and that the contractor's and prospect's expectations are met.

The document outlining the above parameters should be copied to the relevant people in both organisations.

You may be asked to put together a Budget tender proposal at this stage. This is more likely to happen with a Private Developer and your judgement is crucial. If you assess that the client is a good prospect for reliable future work opportunities, it is worth getting your Estimators to put together a Budget Figure for the project. However, you should proceed with caution because the less 'reliable' characters will simply use your figures as a short cut to getting a deal elsewhere. You will have done all the hard work and may not reap the benefits. Having stated this caution, budget tenders, if handled well, can provide a lucrative sales pipeline resulting in negotiated work which is much preferred to competitive tendering.

During the survey stage you may be required to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire. For a large prospect organisation this survey stage can be protracted and complex. It may be necessary for reviews during the survey process to check understanding and interpretation. Permissions and access may need to be agreed with different sites or locations in the prospect's organisation, and this should all be managed sensitively by the marketing person.

Some sales organisations have dedicated people who write project proposals or quotations. However, the marketing person should have the resources to add weight and substance to this process by supporting with supplementary material relevant to the proposal. This could be putting together material to do with Health & Safety, Equal Opportunities and Quality Assurance. The presentation of the proposal is also crucial and the marketing person should be able to support the estimators in putting together a professionally bound presentation pack which should include an Executive Summary, Index and further material as appropriate such as illustrations of completed projects, endorsements and referee information. In this case the marketing person should ensure that what is written is relevant and concise, factually correct, and outlines the organisational benefits and practical solutions clearly stemming from the product or services being proposed.

Make sure your proposal is properly targeted and relevant to the potential client. There is a great temptation to "cut and paste" standard company information without spending time customising the information specifically for your prospect. If you have done your research well, this should be relatively easy to accomplish.

The time after the initial appointment can often be fragile and you need to treat your prospect with respect, providing additional information required.

And always, the golden rule, is to work hard at building long term relationships that will result in repeat business.