Procurement
Procurement strategy that holds the supply chain honest.
Strategic procurement advice that empowers best-value selection and avoids the race-to-the-bottom that produces failure.
What this service is
Where waterproofing design meets commercial reality.
A waterproofing procurement strategy is CLW's advisory service on how to structure the procurement of waterproofing works in order to achieve the best commercial and quality outcomes for the client. This encompasses decisions on packages (a stand alone waterproofing package versus a sub-package within the main contract), contractor qualification requirements, tender evaluation methodology, and the potential use of Pre-Construction Services Agreements (PCSAs) to bring specialist contractor expertise into the design development process before the main construction contract is let.
Procurement is where waterproofing design meets commercial reality. The quality of the procurement strategy determines whether the client receives comparable, competitive bids that can be evaluated on merit. Or non-comparable bids based on different assumptions, different scope interpretations, and different levels of risk provision.
When is it needed
RIBA Stage 4. But the foundations are laid earlier.
Procurement strategy advice is needed during RIBA Stage 4 (Technical Design), as the project moves towards tendering. However, the foundations are laid earlier. At RIBA Stage 2, when the design philosophy informs cost planning, and at RIBA Stage 3, when the procurement route begins to take shape alongside the developing specification.
The trigger is any project where waterproofing will form part of the construction works package. This includes all commercial developments with below-ground structures, podium decks, or buried waterproofing elements. The need is amplified on Design and Build contracts, where the allocation of waterproofing design responsibility within the Contractor Design Portion (CDP) requires particular care.
What CLW delivers
Five deliverables across package, qualification and evaluation.
A procurement route recommendation
Advice on whether waterproofing should be a stand alone package (providing the client with a direct contractual relationship with the specialist contractor) or a defined sub-package within the main contract, taking into account programming, contractual framework, complexity, and client risk appetite.
Stand-alone vs sub-package · Risk appetite
Contractor qualification criteria
A definition of the minimum qualifications, experience, and the organisational competence required of tendering contractors. This typically includes PCA membership, NVQ-qualified operatives, a CSSW-qualified technical lead, and demonstrated experience on developments of comparable scale.
PCA · NVQ · CSSW technical lead
PCSA advisory
Where early specialist contractor involvement would benefit the project, CLW advises on the scope and structure of a Pre-Construction Services Agreement to bring a specialist contractor into the design development process before the main contract.
PCSA scope · Early-involvement structure
Tender evaluation
A review of specialist contractor tender returns for technical compliance with the performance specification, assessment of proposed systems and methods, and a technical evaluation report that enables the client to make an informed appointment decision on quality and price.
Technical compliance · Quality-and-price evaluation
Contractor shortlisting
An identification of specialist waterproofing contractors with relevant experience and capability for the specific project, drawing on CLW's knowledge of the specialist contractor market.
Market knowledge · Project-specific shortlist
How it connects
The bridge between design and construction.
Procurement strategy is the bridge between structural waterproofing design (which defines what is needed) and construction monitoring (which verifies what is delivered). It implements the performance specification in commercial terms. Translating technical requirements into a tendering process that produces quality outcomes. And it directly reduces the probability of the scope gaps, liability ambiguities, and contractor competence issues that generate dispute resolution work.
Structure your tender for comparable, competitive bids.
Talk to CLW about how to procure waterproofing on your scheme without losing technical accountability to the lowest bidder.
Contact CLW