Engineering & IFT That Takes the Project to Tender
Basis of Design, Stage C: the selected route engineered to issue-for-tender level, around plus or minus 10 percent, so suppliers can price it, contractors can scope it, and you can make a serious delivery decision on a like-for-like basis.
- Engineers the chosen design to issue-for-bid level, around plus or minus 10 percent
- Process flow diagrams, system-level P&IDs and issued-for-bid schedules
- A full tender of vendors across every major discipline
- A package tight enough to compare bids like for like and protect the scope
- Part of SHV Energy
- ISO 50001
What This Service Is
Engineering and IFT, or Basis of Design Stage C, is the stage where EM3 takes a developed project and prepares it to go to the market for pricing and contractor selection. It sits after BoD-A and BoD-B as the issue-for-tender and engineering stage, with a design accuracy level around plus or minus 10 percent.
This is a very different stage from feasibility or concept design. At BoD-C the project is no longer being explored to see whether it might work. The selected route is now being engineered to a level where suppliers can price it, contractors can understand the scope, and you can make a serious delivery decision. The work moves from the estimates and assumptions of the earlier stages into design estimates focused on vendor engagement and quotation evaluation, and a key part of the stage is a full tender of vendors across all major categories. The deliverables are at issue-for-bid level: a finalised system basis of design, equipment selection and sizing, process and mechanical design sufficient for contractor pricing, and a live project schedule.
Governing standardBasis of Design (BoD-C)
The Challenge It Solves
Right before BoD-C, the client usually has a defined concept and an emerging preferred solution, but they still do not have a package tight enough to get reliable prices from the market or to protect themselves against scope drift, missing items and weak contractor interpretation. They may know what they want to build, but they are not yet in a position to issue the project properly and compare bids on a like-for-like basis.
This stage is most productive when the client already has a solid solution and significant concept changes are no longer expected. In other words, the problem is no longer uncertainty about concept direction. The problem is getting from we know what we want to we can now go and procure this properly, with a package the market can price accurately.
- A defined solution, but nothing tight enough to tender from
- No protection against scope drift, missing items or weak interpretation
- Not able to compare bids on a like-for-like basis yet
- Knowing what to build, but not yet able to procure it properly
How EM3 Delivers It
Gather and validate to tender level
We review the available site drawings, documentation and utility data, identify any utility upgrades or enabling works required, and check the design against the real conditions of the site before it is packaged for the market.
Finalise the basis of design
We finalise the basis of design narrative, defining technology selection, operating temperatures, control philosophy, redundancy and integration with existing systems, and confirm the design criteria, ambient conditions and utility assumptions.
Refine the engineering and modelling
We refine the energy modelling to roughly plus or minus 10 percent, refine the annual savings and carbon estimates, and refine the equipment sizing and selection, so the numbers the market responds to are accurate.
Produce issue-for-bid engineering
We produce the process and mechanical design: process flow diagrams, system-level P&IDs, issued-for-bid equipment performance requirements and technical schedules sufficient for contractor pricing, plus the tie-in strategies to your existing systems.
Run the full tender
We run a full tender of all vendors across the major categories, civil and structural, equipment, electrical, mechanical and automation, generating the tender packages, shortlisting vendors and analysing the bids against a defined scope.
Hand over a tender-ready package
You receive the engineering package for bid issue and contractor pricing, with a live project schedule created at the start of the stage and updated throughout, ready to take toward contract.
What You Receive
A tender-ready engineering package
An issue-for-bid package developed to roughly plus or minus 10 percent, meant for bid issue and contractor pricing, not just internal discussion.
A finalised Basis of Design
The finalised basis of design narrative: technology selection, operating temperatures, control philosophy, redundancy and integration with your existing systems.
Issue-for-bid drawings and schedules
Process flow diagrams, system-level P&IDs, issued-for-bid equipment performance requirements, technical schedules, single-line diagrams, controls architecture and equipment, instrument and I/O lists.
Refined modelling and cost
Refined energy modelling, refined annual energy and carbon estimates, and refined equipment sizing and selection.
A completed tender
A full tender across all the major categories, with vendor shortlisting and tender analysis against a defined engineering scope.
A live project schedule
A live project schedule created at the start of the stage and updated throughout, ready to carry into contract and delivery.
Proven Outcome
On a heat-electrification project, the BoD-C outcome for the client was a tender-ready project definition, not just a recommendation. It included a finalised basis of design, energy modelling refined to roughly plus or minus 10 percent accuracy, annual energy-consumption and carbon-abatement estimates, refined equipment sizing and vendor shortlisting, issued-for-bid technical schedules, and process and mechanical design sufficient for contractor pricing.
That is what BoD-C delivers: a developed project turned into something the market can price accurately and the business can take to contract, with the scope defined tightly enough that bids can be compared on a like-for-like basis.
Why EM3
A controlled transition to procurement
We treat BoD-C as a controlled transition from engineering into procurement, not a handoff of incomplete design intent. The design is pushed to issue-for-bid level, vendor engagement happens properly, and contractor pricing is compared against a structured engineering scope.
Continuity into delivery
The tender package is developed by a team that is already thinking about installation, commissioning and delivery reality, not by a team producing design drawings in isolation. That continuity is what keeps the tender realistic.
Independent under pressure
By the time a project reaches BoD-C, commercial pressure from vendors is high. We stay vendor-agnostic and structure the project so you evaluate the market against a defined scope, rather than against inconsistent vendor-led offers.
Bids you can actually compare
The package is tight enough to get reliable prices and compare bids on a like-for-like basis, which protects you against scope drift, missing items and weak contractor interpretation.
How We Engage
Frequently Asked Questions
What does BoD-C / IFT mean?
It is the issue-for-tender engineering stage, around plus or minus 10 percent accuracy, where the developed project is engineered to a level suppliers can price, contractors can scope, and you can make a serious delivery decision. The selected route is no longer being explored, it is being prepared for the market.
How is it different from the earlier BoD stages?
BoD-A defines the concept (around plus or minus 30 percent) and BoD-B develops it (around plus or minus 20 percent). BoD-C engineers the chosen route to issue-for-bid level (around plus or minus 10 percent), with full tendering, P&IDs and contractor-pricing detail. It is significantly heavier and sits at the edge of detailed design.
When are we ready for BoD-C?
When you have a solid solution and significant concept changes are no longer expected. The question is no longer what do we build, but how do we procure this properly.
What do we get at the end?
A tender-ready package: a finalised basis of design, refined modelling, process flow diagrams and system-level P&IDs, issued-for-bid equipment requirements and technical schedules, a completed tender across all major categories, and a live project schedule.
How long does it take?
Typically around four to six months from the first site visit, with a live project schedule created at the start of the stage and updated throughout.
Do you run the tender for us?
Yes. A full tender of all vendors across the major categories: civil and structural, equipment, electrical, mechanical and automation, structured so you can compare bids on a like-for-like basis against a defined scope rather than inconsistent vendor-led offers.
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