01Building regulations
A tender package so builders price the same job
Three builders, three quotes, three different jobs: that is what happens when the brief is a sketch. A tender package gives each of them the same drawings, specification and schedule, so the prices can be compared on the work and not the guesses. From £1,095, fixed before we start.
From £1,095
- MCIAT chartered architectural technologists
- £2m professional indemnity insurance
- LABC Partnered
- ICO registered
02The fee
One fixed fee, published
What you get
- A coordinated set: architectural, structural and building regulations drawings in one issue
- A specification of materials and finishes, written clause by clause
- A schedule of works the builders price against, in the same order
- A tender letter with the rules: dates, questions, what must be priced and what is excluded
- A comparison of returned tenders, with queries raised, so the choice is yours with the facts
The package is a stand-alone fee and carries no VAT to add. Builders' prices are theirs; we do not take a commission and we do not guess their figures.
03How it runs
From drawings to a builder on site
Single contractor
On a one-contractor job, a domestic client's duties pass to the contractor, in addition to their own. Source: hse.gov.uk
04Building regulations
Why quotes from a sketch cannot be compared
A builder pricing a sketch has to guess the thickness of the insulation, the make of the windows and the standard of the joinery. A cautious builder allows for a lot, a hopeful builder for little, and the cheaper quote becomes the dearer job once the extras arrive.
A tender package removes the guessing. Every builder is told the same things, in the same order, with the same drawings, and the schedule of works leaves them no room to leave an item out. The price differences left are real ones.
05Building regulations
What the client's role is, and who takes it on
Even a householder is a client under the construction regulations, but a domestic client's legal duties pass to the contractor on a single-contractor job, or to the principal contractor where several firms work. A designer can take the duties on instead by written agreement, as principal designer.
If nobody is appointed, the duties fall to the principal contractor by default. We say at tender who will take the role, write it into the letter and, where it is us, put it in a written agreement, so the point is settled before the first trade arrives.
06Building regulations
After the tender: the start on site
Once a builder is chosen, building control must be told: notice of intention to start, and a commencement notice within five days of work starting. We prepare both from your tender documents and keep the dates on the project diary, so the dates stay true.
We also coordinate the structural sizes and the energy calculation onto the drawings before issue, so nothing in the pack is added after the price is agreed. See building regulations drawings and structural calculations for those parts.
07The record
Figures that shape the job
Single contractor
On a one-contractor job, a domestic client's duties pass to the contractor, in addition to their own.
Source: HSE, Construction Design and Management 2015: domestic clients, checked 25 Oct 2026
Principal designer
A designer can take on the client duties by written agreement, as principal designer.
Source: HSE, Construction Design and Management 2015: domestic clients, checked 25 Oct 2026
Default
Without that written agreement, the client duties pass automatically to the principal contractor.
Source: HSE, Construction Design and Management 2015: domestic clients, checked 25 Oct 2026
5 days
Longest wait after work starts before telling building control that it has commenced.
Source: Building Regulations 2010, regulation 16, checked 15 Oct 2026
2 days
The wait between giving notice of intention to start and starting work.
Source: Building Regulations 2010, regulation 16, checked 15 Oct 2026
Competence
Anyone designing or doing building work must have the skills, knowledge and experience for it.
Source: Building Regulations 2010, regulation 11F, checked 15 Oct 2026
08Questions
What clients ask before they instruct us
Do I need a tender package for a small extension?
Not always. The bigger and more detailed the job, the more it pays: a refurbishment with several trades, or a basement, where the gaps in a brief cost the most.
Will you recommend builders?
We can tell you what to look for and send the pack to those you choose. We do not take a fee from any builder, so the comparison stays honest.
What does the package cost?
From £1,095 with no VAT to add. If your drawings came from us it is a short addition; if from elsewhere we read them first and quote.
Does it include the contract?
It includes the tender documents and our advice on the form to use. The contract itself is between you and the builder, and a solicitor should read it.
Can you manage the build as well?
We can act as principal designer and answer the builder's queries. We do not run the site; see building regulations drawings for the technical set you hand to them.
09Related
Related services and guides
Send us the address of your house.
We look up the conservation area, listing and Article 4 position, then reply with a fixed fee. A message before 3pm is answered the same working day.