In brief
- A low bid is a risk only when the priced scope is thinner than the drawings, specification and bill of quantities.
- Line-by-line comparison against the drawings and bill of quantities, not the bottom-line total, is what exposes exclusions and unrealistic allowances.
- Every clarification agreed during evaluation belongs in writing in the contract before award.
Contents
A low bid in Qardho is not proof of underbidding by itself. Tender exclusions underbidding risks appear when thin allowances or missing lines remove work that the drawings, specification and bill of quantities still require. Compare scope line by line before you compare totals, then ask the bidder to price the missing items and state the method and materials behind them in writing.
Which exclusions and thin allowances should you hunt for?
The gap usually sits in lines that were left out or priced so tightly that they cannot cover the work. Take the shortfall items from the project's own documents: work through the drawings, the specification and the bill of quantities line by line, and list every item the bidder marked excluded, provisional or subject to later agreement. Confirm that list against the tender documents before you raise it, because the bill, the specification and the drawings can disagree with each other, and the tender documents say which one governs.
Allowances matter as much as exclusions. A bidder who allows one day of a machine that the programme needs for a week, or a plain cement finish where the specification calls for a screed, has created an unrecognized scope gap. Ask the project's engineer to state the exposure and ground conditions the specification assumes, and check every thin line against them, because drying shrinkage, dust and wet spells can push an allowance built for mild conditions past its limit. Ask the municipal engineer's office which approvals and inspections apply to the plot, and put that list beside the priced lines.
What does the gap do to the work once it starts?
An unpriced item does not disappear. It becomes a variation, a stopped trade, or work done with too little material. If excavation support is excluded and the ground needs it, the crew either stops until a variation is agreed or digs unsupported. If curing water is excluded, slabs can dry too fast and crack. If making good is excluded, tiling, painting and fittings wait for someone to accept the cost.
Where supervision is thin, the effect runs slower. Thin allowances get stretched rather than corrected, and the defect appears later as hollow render, loose tiles, damp walls or a drain that cannot carry storm flow. The client pays twice: once for the low bid, once for the fix. The mechanism is financial before it is technical, so treat a thin line as a signal to check the work that line covers, and walk a recent site with the same trades to see how those lines were handled.
How do you detect it during tender review?
Score every bid against the same scope, not against its own total. Build a single comparison sheet with one row per bill item and one column per bidder, and mark each row as priced, excluded or unclear. For the unclear rows, send a written clarification and set a deadline. Ask for method statements for excavation support, concrete curing and waterproofing, and ask which tests the bidder will pay for and when they will book them.
Check the programme too. A bid that prices the right items but compresses them into an impossible sequence carries the same risk as an exclusion. Ask each bidder to name the plant, the crew size and the materials source behind the main lines, and to confirm that the rates hold for the stated duration. For any doubtful ground or water question, ask the municipal engineer's office whether it holds borehole logs for the plot, and ask local laboratories for their rate and turnaround so you can verify test records once work starts.
What to do next
Take the lowest bid and one mid-priced bid, and compare them line by line against the bill of quantities and specification. Mark each missing or thin item, then send one written clarification listing every gap and asking for a price, a method and a date. Check what the tender and contract allow before you use that reply, and do not award until the answers are in writing.
Frequently asked questions
Does a low bid in Qardho always mean underbidding?
No. A bid can be low because the bidder owns plant, has a crew already in the area or buys materials well. Check the scope line by line first. Only treat it as underbidding when priced lines are missing or too thin to cover the work in the drawings and specification.
What is the quickest way to compare bids fairly?
Use one comparison sheet with one row per bill item and one column per bidder, and mark every row as priced, excluded or unclear. Send the same written clarification to every bidder with unclear rows and the same deadline, so no one gains an advantage from a private answer.
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Qardho and Puntland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.