Getting Experience - Part 3 | How To Win a Construction Tender

Last Updated on March 22, 2024 by admin

Getting Experience

It is risky to employ a construction firm with no building experience and it is risky to employ a contractor with a sketchy track record. One of the reasons for advertising a Tender is to get a pool of experienced contractors and choose the best contractor who will do the job efficiently, economically and on time. A risk assessment of hiring each contractor is done during tender evaluation. If you have little or no experience, your chances of winning a tender are very slim. In most cases, if the right candidate is not available, the Tender Evaluator will not choose anybody, the tender is cancelled and re-advertised.

In order to increase your chances of winning a tender, you have to get experience in a wide range of projects. There are many ways to get experience if you are just starting out as a building contractor. Here are some of your options:

Advertise Your Services

Contractors have the liberty of advertising themselves in various media channels such as local newspapers, TV, billboards and online platforms. A lot of small contractors will put aside a sum of money in their monthly budget to advertise in local classifieds. It’s a good idea to start with your town or city because clients prefer a company with local offices.

Tell Your Friends and Relatives

Most of the times, friends and relatives know somebody who is looking for a building contractor. If they are not looking for a building contractor, they might be planning to build a house or do some renovations in the future. Just tell your friends and family to let you know if there is somebody who needs a builder.

Join Community Groups

Joining a community group, organization or fraternity allows you to make a lot of friends and acquaintances. You can get building leads and referrals from community members. As a plus, community organizations are rarely short of projects, they have one or two projects going on. This might be maintenance works, renovations or construction of a community facility. There are a lot of community groups that you can join in your town. These include church, charity organizations, clubs, volunteer organizations and government-sponsored projects and initiatives.

Social Gatherings and Events

Social gatherings and events present you with opportunities to meet influential people. It’s an opportunity to meet new people and make friends with people of high social status to make business connections.Workshops, conferences, seminars, trade fairs, business conventions, expos, demo shows, fundraising parties, end of year functions, sponsor awards, hotel dinners and business award ceremonies are some of the events which will give you a chance of mingling with affluent people and get leads.

Start with Accessible Jobs

When you are starting your business as a building contractor, you should look for jobs that are easy to get. These are usually small jobs which will give you an opening to start operations. The following types of jobs are accessible for starters:

Building Renovations and Upgrading

A lot of home owners are undertaking renovation projects to improve their existing homes and properties. These include extensions, alterations, and uplifting of existing structures.

Extensions: These are additions to existing property. New brickwalls are constructed to create additional rooms and space. Care should be taken when excavating trenches close to existing foundations and underground drainage pipes. Existing openings which are affected by the extensions may need to be closed or moved to comply with building regulations.

Alterations: These are modifications to an existing building. In this project, a portion of existing walls is broken down and openings are made where new windows and doors are to be installed. Where windows and doors are removed, the openings may need to be closed with new brickwork, plaster and wall covering. Dividing walls may need to be removed to create space or they may be constructed to create new rooms.

Uplifting and Renewal: This work is done to uplift an existing property as part of a long term maintenance plan. Old interior and external covering is removed and replaced with new covering. Upgrading is done to walls, floors, ceilings, doors, windows, built-in kitchen cupboards, bedroom cupboards, bathroom cabinets, sanitary fittings, roof covering, eaves, drainage and plumbing.

Middle Class Homes

In an economy where there is a strong middle class, there are plenty of opportunities to find home building leads for small and big families. A lot of banks and financial institutions provide borrowing opportunities and credit plans for people earning a middle-class salary. A majority of middle-class families will use bank loans to build a nice suburban home that provides comfort and permanent accommodation. If you are going to get a client in this category, you should know that they are looking to build something that neighbours and passersby would be proud of, something that blends or adds beauty to the streets. Building an impressive middle-class home is your gateway to high-class and bigger projects, so you should put in high quality work.

Low-Cost Homes

Low cost homes are in demand among both the working class and middle class. Most of the times they are small homes which can be done and completed by a small building contractor. While some residents will opt for government housing schemes, a lot of people with enough money in the bank will choose to have their own custom-designed home made of brickwork, stone or prefabricated timber. If you want to gain experience as a new contractor, you should focus on brickwork and stonework structures. This class of work needs more expertise, skill, time and labor than simple modular homes. Various types of cheap building projects that you can get include tiny houses, bungalows, chalets, villas, guesthouse, duplex house, rondavels, cottages, cabins and tumbleweed house.

Perimeter Walls

Building boundary brickwalls, stonewalls, palisade fencing and precast walls is something that can keep you busy if you are struggling to find work. The more brickwalls and stone walls you do, the better your skills.

Warehouse

Building a warehouse is much easier than building a full house. A warehouse is designed to provide maximum storage space, hence it’s simpler in design. There are many types of warehouses which are differentiated by the type of fabric used in walling and roofing. They include structural steel frames, prefabricated concrete units, normal brickwork and timber frames. The cladding might be corrugated iron sheets, aluminium panels, brickwork, precast concrete panels, timber board and PVC.

Garages

Home owners who have recently bought a car need to build a garage to keep their car in a secure and safe place. Most people opt to buy a house than build one from scratch because it’s much easier and sometimes economical. In such cases, the house might not have a garage or the garage might be too small to accommodate two cars. A building contractor must look for such opportunities to get work. A garage can be built much faster within a couple of days if materials are available.

Hostels

Budget hostels for tourists, vulnerable groups and students are often not complicated in design and in most cases, the owners are looking to build the accommodation facility at a low price. A new construction company that is looking for a major project should offer a reasonable price because such opportunities are hard to come by. Budget hostels consist of a basic plan which include dorm rooms, common kitchen, living room and shared bathrooms. The type of investor that would build budget hostels includes individuals, businessmen, charity groups, religious organizations, NGOs, volunteer organizations and social welfare groups.

Backyard Living Quarters

Some big homes in affluent suburbs have backyard living quarters for maids, nannies and helping hands. These are economical rooms for single occupants who have to work and stay there. The single quarters normally include a bedroom, shared kitchen and bathroom. Undertaking a project like this is similar to building a small home, which is quite helpful for building your experience.

Miscellaneous Construction Work

These are minor works such as outdoor shelters, brick flower beds, monuments, garden tool room, outdoor kitchen, free standing chimney, pavings, kerbs, water fountains, retaining walls, manholes, septic tanks and braai stand.