Tender evaluation for retail schemes must weigh price, programme, and technical capability together. A structured evaluation grid is what separates a defensible award from a costly mistake.
Retail schemes carry unique programme risk: an opening date missed by four weeks can wipe out a full quarter of rent from anchor tenants. Evaluation must weight programme confidence, not just headline price.
Use a documented scoring grid — commonly 60% commercial, 30% technical, 10% programme confidence — with named evaluators and signed conflict-of-interest declarations for each round.
Always interview the top two bidders and stress-test the programme, the cash-flow requirement, and the proposed site team. The cheapest bid with a weak site manager is almost always more expensive by month six.
- Weight programme confidence explicitly in the scoring
- Interview the top two bidders — never award on paper alone
- Require named site team and reject substitutions post-award