Timing of the workshops

The workshops will commence after the RFP is released and are spread over the bid preparation period. The mix and timing of these sessions are for the project team to determine. However, technical workshops are typically scheduled early in the bid preparation period, so that the clarity and understanding gained by bidders can influence their bids.

The timing of the workshops is critical and should generally match tender development to maximise benefit. For example, bidders generally do a lot of work on the design early in the tender period so design and service specification workshops should begin early in the tender period. The designs are then costed and commercial issues addressed so commercial workshops will generally commence later in the process. As the tender period progresses, any workshops held towards the submission date, are more likely to be of a clarification nature rather than addressing substantive issues.

The timing or stages of workshops is a factor in determining the total tender period. A short period may adversely affect bidders' capacity to adequately assess various concept options and design solutions.