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Tender documents on desk
Journal/procurement

Three suppliers. One tender. None of them quoted the same product.

Lina Bukhari27 April 20261 min read

Specification gaps and unclear technical language create different assumptions — and very different costs.

When three compliant bids arrive at three different prices, the problem is rarely the suppliers. It is the specification leaving room for three different products.

Vague performance language — "equal or approved", "fire-rated as required" — transfers the decision to the supplier, and each one reads it through the lens of their own catalogue.

A tight specification names the standard, the rating, the test, and the conditions. It costs an hour to write and saves the variation claim that arrives during installation.

L

Lina Bukhari

COO, Atlantis — writing on construction, specification, and handover.

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