Incomplete tender information
Tenderers fill the gaps with different assumptions. Prices stop being directly comparable.
Contact Construction specifications, made practical
Write better specifications.In less time, with greater confidence.
Specifications are often assembled under pressure from old documents, manufacturers’ literature and scattered project information. SpecWorks helps UK construction professionals turn that material into clearer, more dependable tender information without starting again each time.
Clear. Practical. Buildable.
01 / The problem
Writing a good specification should not feel like guesswork.
The technical information usually exists. The hard part is finding it, checking it and turning it into clauses that define what is to be priced and built.
When time is short, old wording is carried forward, manufacturers’ literature fills the gaps and important decisions are left for the tenderer. The document may look complete while the scope remains uncertain.
Different assumptionsIncomparable tendersDisputes later
02 / A practical answer
Start with stronger information.Apply it to the project.
SpecWorks provides a dependable technical starting point. The professional preparing the specification selects, adapts and checks what is appropriate. Time is spent on project decisions rather than rebuilding standard requirements from scratch.
03 / Where the problem shows up
The tender deadline is fixed. The information is not.
Specification problems rarely arrive as one obvious omission. They sit between drawings, schedules, surveys and old wording until a tenderer has to make an assumption.
Existing buildings
Retained fabric and concealed interfaces are rarely captured by a brief instruction to “make good”.
Recurring work
Rebuilding standard requirements wastes time. Copying an old clause preserves old assumptions.
04 / The clause library
The work repeats. The specification should not start again.
SpecWorks turns recurring construction operations into focused, editable clause books. Start with a controlled technical baseline, select what applies and adapt it to the project.
Repairs & Refurbishment
Existing fabric, alteration, repair, renewal and making good.
In developmentGroundworks & Substructure
24 clauses covering clearance, excavation, foundations, substructure and ground floors.
24 clausesExternal Walls Above DPC
20 clauses covering masonry, render, openings, interfaces and associated details.
20 clauses05 / A proportionate alternative
06 / What changes
One vague instruction. Several different prices.
When the scope is vague, each tenderer fills the gaps differently. Clearer clauses produce more comparable tenders and fewer disputes later.
Download a sample packTypical wording
“Repoint brickwork where necessary.”
Necessary where?
SPECWORKS CLAUSE EXTRACTR214
- Extent
- Repoint areas identified on the drawings and any additional defective joints agreed following the joint survey.
- Preparation
- Rake out to a consistent depth of at least twice the joint width, or until sound mortar is reached.
- Acceptance
- Complete a trial area and obtain approval before continuing.
07 / Specification services
When the information exists, but the specification does not.
Specification rescue
Turn incomplete schedules and scattered project information into coordinated, tender ready documents.
Project specifications
Bespoke workbooks structured around the project, the drawings and the information contractors need to price.
Document review
A practical review for unclear scope, missing interfaces, contradictions and requirements that cannot be properly priced.
08 / Built from experience
Construction knowledge belongs in the clause, not hidden in the writer’s head.
Practical judgement, not generic content.
SpecWorks is led by a Chartered Builder with more than 40 years of experience across the tools, contracting, consultancy and project delivery. That experience shapes what the clauses ask, what they control and what they leave to the project team to decide.
About SpecWorksStart with the evidence
See how a SpecWorks clause reads.
Judge the structure, detail and practical usefulness for yourself.
Download a sample pack