The site visit before you bid: what to look at, what to ask and what goes into the price
The drywall estimator arrives with a floor plan and a quantity takeoff. The building is occupied, the loading bay is shared and the manager mentions evening restrictions. None of those conditions has a visible line in the draft price.
Walk the permitted areas with a fixed logistics and conditions list, then turn each relevant finding into a supported cost assumption or written bid question. Record what you observed separately from what a site contact said. A visit helps price known conditions; it does not establish everything concealed inside an existing building. Follow the tender's question process so material clarifications reach the appropriate decision maker.
Connect the visit record to the price
- Prepare the questions before arrival. Read the tender's visit and clarification requirements, identify missing logistics information and confirm the authorized access. Bring the relevant plans and arrange photography permission. Do not plan exploratory opening or equipment testing as part of an ordinary walkthrough.
- Trace the route for materials and people. Note loading, parking, storage and the path to the workface. Record restrictions and dimensions that need confirmation. Ask who books shared facilities and obtains any required review, rather than assuming a visible route is suitable for every load.
- Check the working conditions with the responsible contact. Ask about occupied areas, permitted hours, noisy tasks, access control and other contractors. Identify where temporary services are expected and who provides them. Distinguish a confirmed project requirement from an informal suggestion.
- Record the visible existing condition. Use location references and permitted photographs for obstructions, finishes and areas you could not inspect. Keep unknown conditions marked unknown. Refer suspected hazards or technical suitability questions to the appropriate project process instead of investigating them yourself.
- Write the visit record promptly. Include date, people present, source of each answer and document references. Submit unresolved material questions through the bid channel. A private conversation should not quietly become an assumed amendment to the tender.
- Translate findings into the estimate. Identify the affected labour, handling, equipment or schedule allowance and its basis. Where information remains open, write a clear assumption or clarification consistent with the tender rules. Retain the visit reference beside the price line for review.
Common mistakes
- Recording a verbal answer without its source or confirmation status.
- Pricing unrestricted access because the route was clear during the visit.
- Leaving an inaccessible room out of the uncertainty list.
Checklist
Attach to the estimate review
- Visit date, contacts and permitted areas.
- Material route and storage assumptions.
- Confirmed work restrictions.
- Visible condition and inaccessible locations.
- Tender questions still open.
- Price lines linked to the visit findings.
Check your understanding
A site contact says evening work is required, but the tender is silent. Should you price it as a confirmed amendment?
