In brief
- A bid total only means something when the rates, quantities and extensions behind it can be checked line by line.
- Treat a claim of past similar work as a lead to verify, not as evidence of arithmetic competency.
- Set the evidence you want in the tender documents, so checking it at evaluation is normal rather than a confrontation.
Contents
Bid arithmetic competency risks in Borama start when a tender is judged on the total alone. Ask for the priced bills, rates and extensions behind that total, then rework the multiplications and additions yourself before award. A claim of past similar work is a lead to check, not evidence. The arithmetic either reconciles or it does not.
What does a low total in Borama hide?
A total hides where the money sits: a rate times a quantity, extended across many lines.
Insert a digit wrongly in one rate and the extension can move a long way from the real cost of that item. The bidder may never notice, or may notice and still defend the total. Either way the winner carries a commitment the priced lines do not support. On site this can show up as stalled procurement, skipped preparatory work or pressure to cut scope, all before a client has seen a defect.
Do not assume this is deliberate or specific to one firm. Deciding whether an error is a misreading or a choice belongs to the evaluation, using the priced document. Ask the bidder for a corrected bill with their workings shown, and keep both versions on file. If the same arithmetic slip repeats across several lines, ask who prepared the pricing and what checking was done before submission.
How do you test a bid arithmetic claim in Borama?
Test it against the documents: quantities, rates, extensions, the summary page and any corrections.
Pick the five largest-value lines and rework each by hand. Then check the summary against the individual extensions. General practice is to check every line above a threshold you set in advance, and to spot-check the rest. Confirm the threshold against the project's procurement rules or your engineer.
- Ask for the priced bills in a spreadsheet, not only a signed summary page.
- Request the take-off or quantity sheet behind the biggest items.
- Ask where measured quantities came from: drawings, a site visit, or an assumption.
- Compare the proposed rates with the method statement for the same item.
- Walk one recent site the bidder names and look at whether the work matches the claimed scope.
- Ask the municipal engineer's office what records it holds on the plot, where relevant.
What evidence closes the gap for Borama clients?
Put the requirement in the tender documents, so evidence arrives with the bid instead of after it.
State that priced bills come in a usable format with formulas visible, so the structure can be checked. Ask for the names and roles of the people who prepared and checked the pricing, without demanding confidential commercial detail. Ask for one or two recent comparable projects and the tests or records that were kept on them. A diaspora client reviewing from abroad can ask a local quantity surveyor or engineer to rework the bills and report on the totals.
Set a clarification step in the evaluation timetable for arithmetic queries, and record every answer in writing. That keeps the process even between bidders and gives the client a written trail. Where two statements in a bid conflict, ask the bidder to resolve the conflict in writing before scoring. Contract terms matter too: check what the contract allows on quantities and remeasurement before you rely on the total.
What to do next
Before the next award in Borama, take the lowest bid and rework its five largest extensions by hand, then ask the bidder in writing to explain any line that does not reconcile. Send the same arithmetic clarification to every bidder still in the running, and keep each reply on file. If the bill format makes this impossible, fix the format in the next tender.
Frequently asked questions
Does a low bid in Borama always mean bad arithmetic?
No. A low total can come from a genuine cost advantage, a different method or a misreading of the scope. The point is to rework the extensions and ask about lines that do not reconcile, not to reject the bid on price alone.
Can a diaspora client check bid arithmetic without being in Borama?
A diaspora client can appoint a local quantity surveyor or engineer to rework the priced bills and report on the totals, then ask written clarification questions through the same channel used for the tender.
What should procurement ask for with the priced bills?
Ask for the priced bills in a format with visible formulas, the take-off or quantity sheet behind the largest items, and the method statement for the same items, so the rates and quantities can be compared.
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Borama and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.