Defensible tender recommendations — what RICS expects

A tender recommendation is a professional judgement, and like any professional judgement it can be challenged. Defensibility comes from method and documentation, not confidence.

Base it on a normalised comparison

A recommendation built on a like-for-like comparison of normalised line items is far stronger than one built on headline totals. Show that you compared equivalent scope.

Document your adjustments

Wherever you adjusted, excluded or normalised an item, record why. The reasoning is what makes the conclusion reproducible by someone else.

Account for qualifications

State how each contractor's qualifications and exclusions were treated commercially. A recommendation that ignores them is incomplete.

Keep an audit trail

Every figure should trace back to a source tender. If you can show the chain from raw bid to recommendation, you can answer any challenge.

This is professional judgement, and the qualified surveyor remains responsible for the final advice. Tools should support that judgement with structure and traceability — not replace it.