In brief
- A testing allowance split into sampling, laboratory tests and retests shows whether the estimator has priced quality control or only guessed at it.
- A thin allowance turns laboratory work into a variable the site pays for out of contingency, and contingency runs out before defects appear.
- Ask for the allowance line by line, the test list behind it and one record of tests actually done on a recent job.
Contents
A testing allowance is the money and time set aside in a tender for sampling, laboratory tests and retests on a Hargeisa build. A gap in that allowance usually shows up as an unexplained single lump sum carried over from another bid. The allowance covers nothing specific, so the site pays for tests from contingency until the money runs out.
What should a testing allowance actually contain?
A workable allowance lists each test, its frequency, who takes the sample and who pays the laboratory. Concrete cubes, compaction tests on fill, grading and salinity checks on sand and aggregate, and cube retests after a failed set each sit as separate lines with a quantity. The required cube-testing frequency and the other test frequencies are whatever the project specification and design engineer state for the site's conditions. General practice is to test each concrete grade at a set frequency and to keep cubes cured and delivered on schedule, but the specification sets the numbers. To check what applies, ask the municipal engineer's office or the design engineer which tests the drawings and specification name, and at what frequency.
How does a thin allowance become an execution risk?
Once a bid wins on a thin allowance, the first failed test empties it. Retests, extra cubes and repeat compaction checks then compete with labour, cement and transport for whatever contingency is left. The usual result is fewer samples, late cube breaks and fill placed before results arrive. Supervision loses the evidence it needs to accept or reject work, and the defect appears after handover, when the same contractor is already on another job. Ask the laboratory directly how many samples it handles in a month and how fast it returns results, and ask the contractor which laboratory it used on its last completed job.
How do you test a bid's testing allowance before award?
Give two or three bidders the same test list and ask each to price it line by line, with the laboratory's written rate attached. Compare the total against the rest of the bid and against the specification's frequency. Ask what happens if a test fails, who pays the retest and how many retests the price includes. Then walk a recent site by the same contractor and ask to see test records, not certificates of training. If the records are missing or the retest question has no answer, the allowance is cosmetic. Confirm every technical frequency against the project's specification and engineer rather than treating any figure here as local practice.
What to do next
Give every bidder the same written test list and ask for a line-by-line price with the laboratory's rate attached. Ask each one who pays a retest and how many are included. Compare the totals, then request test records from one recent completed site before you sign.
Frequently asked questions
Who pays for a failed concrete test in Hargeisa?
It depends on the contract. Check what your contract says about retests and responsibility, and ask the engineer how the specification treats a failed set before you sign.
Which tests should be in a Hargeisa testing allowance?
Ask the design engineer which tests the specification names and at what frequency. Typical lists cover concrete cubes, fill compaction, aggregate grading and salinity for the relevant elements.
Can I check a laboratory before awarding the work?
Yes. Ask the laboratory for its rate in writing, its typical turnaround and a sample of its report format, then confirm the contractor has used it before.
Local reporting: this article is written for building work in Hargeisa and Somaliland. Ground conditions, prices and rules differ between places; confirm the details for your own site.