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Ten checks before the scope goes into the price, for buildings and infrastructure alike. A checklist, and an Excel workbook that traces every requirement to its sheet and model element.
Herman B. Smith
CEO & Co-Founder
Updated Oct 27, 2026
Each document in a tender pack is consistent on its own. The specification, the drawings, the model and the client requirements were written by different people at different times, and the gaps sit between them: a concrete grade that differs between clause and drawing, a road level that differs between the long section and the terrain model, an interface each package assumes the other has. Ten checks surface them before a price is built on the scope.
Ten checks before you price the scope
What the pack is made of
Document register and revisions
One register lists every document at its current revision, survey and ground data included, with every addendum applied.
Order of precedence
You know which document governs when the documents disagree, and every conflict is resolved against that order.
Status of the model
The pack says whether each model, building or terrain, is contractual or for information, so you know if its quantities hold.
Referenced standards
Every standard and client document the specification refers to is in hand, in the edition it names.
Where the documents disagree
Requirement coverage
Every clause of the specification and the client requirements sits in a work package, or is logged as a gap.
Specification against drawings
Materials, grades, dimensions and finishes match between specification and drawings, or each conflict is logged with the governing document.
Drawings against the model
Elements, dimensions and quantities in the model match the drawings, compared by element or, on roads and railways, by chainage.
Who carries what
Interfaces and “by others”
Every interface and “by others” item has a responsible party named in the documents, or it goes out as a question.
Design responsibility
Every element you design is listed with its level of detail and its standards, temporary works included.
Clarifications
Every gap and conflict goes out as a question, with its clause or sheet, before the question deadline.
What the workbook adds. The yes/no sheet with what a good answer looks like and what to do on a no, a document register with the order of precedence, a trace sheet that places every requirement against its clause, sheet, model element and package, registers for interfaces and design responsibility, a clarification log, and five checks before you price. Excel, no macros, and it works for buildings, infrastructure and energy projects.
Patterns, not advice. The specification, the drawings and the model in your pack are what matter.
volve
CHECKLIST / EXCEL WORKBOOK
How to check scope across the documents
Ten checks before you price the scope.
For design managers and BIM coordinators