What is a Bill of Quantities (BoQ) & a Bill Extract?

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Bill of Quantities (BoQ): According to www.ask.com, “A Bill of quantities is a list of numbered items, each of which describes the work to be done in a civil engineering or a building contract. Each item shows the capacity of work involved. The bill is issued to tenderers, who return it with a price opposing each item.”

Bill Extract: The portion/s of a BoQ which relates to the supplier/vendor/sub-contractors’ trades, i.e. the specific trade/s that a supplier/vendor/sub-contractor does.

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For more information on Leads 2 Business, please visit www.L2B.co.za

About Cecile Van Deventer

I joined the L2Q Team in 2006, as a L2Q Support Assistant and have been the HOD since 2010. I supervise L2Q Bills, Daily Tender Bills, Control Lists and Directory.

What is a Tender?

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What is a Tender?

When I started at Leads 2 Business, it was called Daily Tenders. I didn’t even know what a tender was, until I did some research before my interview. That was 2005. Every day since, has been tender notices, in one form or another. Government tenders, Invited Tenders, Quotations, Bids, Request for Proposals, Expressions of Interest, Pre-qualifications; not to mention Requests for Information and Supplier Database Application notices. Show me a contract number, and I can probably guess which Municipality put it out. Not a trick that goes down well at parties, I admit; but  oh so impress in the office. So what’s the difference in the those I mentioned above? Let me tell you…

 

Government Tenders – Government money, government timing and no one answering the phone at 15:00 on a Friday afternoon.

 

Invited Tenders – Not publicly known, but invariably someone hears about it from their cousin’s wife’s nephew who heard about it in a bar somewhere. All hush hush. But not hush hush enough, if we get to hear of it. And we hear a lot.

 

Quotations – Smaller values, shorter tendering periods; and impressive in the sheer quantities that the Municipalities pump out at any given time.

 

Request for Proposals – “How do we do this?”

 

Expressions of Interest – “Who would be willing to do this?”

 

Prequalifications – “Prove you can do this”.

 

Request for Information – “Tell us why we need this thing, how to use it and for how much”

 

And let us not forget the various incarnations of the Tender Award – “You’re kidding, right?”. “Call back in two weeks”. “It’s already completed” and everyone’s favourite “Who are you? And why do you want this information?”

 

(Disclaimer: Definitions are humorous interpretations, and are not to be taken seriously. Unless you have had anything to do with tenders. Ever. And then you get it).

About Claire Donaldson

I started working at Leads 2 Business in February 2005, and have served as Head of Department of Daily Tenders from 2007 until the present. I oversee both the Daily Tenders South Africa and Africa Departments.

What is a Project?

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What is a Project?

What is a Project?

I googled the definition and got the following: (1) An individual or collaborative enterprise that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim (from www.oxforddictionaries.com) and (2) something that is contemplated, devised, or planned; plan; scheme (from www.dictionary.reference.com).

Well the definition of Project at www.L2B.co.za is OPPORTUNITY. Yes, that’s right, OPPORTUNITY!

We source information on new construction that is planned and add it to our website as a Project. These Projects are potential Leads that can be accessed by our subscribers through the various stages it goes through, namely: Conceptual (idea) Procedural (studies) Design (drawings) Tender (pricing) Awarded (whoo-hoo got the job) Underway (building) and last but not least, Complete (finished).

We are dedicated researchers (my team of ‘investigators’ and I) that are constantly updating our projects with relevant information as we follow the progression of each project.

So, where does my definition of OPPORTUNITY take place?… Everywhere!

At each stage, there is an opportunity depending on what you do. Whether you are interested in the Private Sector or Public Sector, Project Management or only interested in Private construction work, it is worth your time and energy to investigate subscribing to Projects at Leads 2 Business. For example in Conceptual stage, a Professional Team is needed (could that be you?), once the drawings are done in the design stage,  a Quantity Surveyor is needed to draw up the Bill (this can be priced on our L2Q platform – but that is a story for another day), are you the Contractor that is going to be Awarded or are you the Vendor with the beautiful light fittings that you are so keen to install in a new building for everyone to admire? Oh yes, don’t forget about the scaffolding required and security needed on site.

Think about it, I have mentioned so many OPPORTUNITIES already, make sure you are not the one missing them.

About Debbie Wessels

I started at Leads 2 Business in April 2008 in the tenders Department and transferred to the Projects Department during the same year. I was appointed Head of Department for Projects from February 2011 to March 2022. April 2022 I started a new adventure as Content Regulator.

New Year, New Business: How to start it right.

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Business Opportunities

Steps to Success

 

Do you want increased success in business in the coming year or the chance to enjoy the success you’ve achieved more? Maybe last year was not a great year and you want to change your business outlook?

So what are some of the things you can do?

 

1. Get Delegating!

There are so many things you need to do when you are running a business, its very easy to convince ourselves that we need to do all of them. It’s not surprising that at the end of a business day we are exhausted and we have no time for ourselves. Delegation is critical to maintaining that all important work-life balance.

So how can our Lead system help you with that all important time factor, delegation and ultimately money?

We are going to start by sending you targeted information on a daily basis. Straight away you are going to save yourself the time of sifting through newspapers, gazettes and websites as well as the subscription expense to these sources.

You are in control with how much or how little information you receive, as everything you want or need to know is determined via your profile.

As for the art of delegation, you can send Tenders, Projects or Awards to your team and get them to follow up on your behalf.

 

2. Promote your business

Too often the task of marketing and promoting your business slips to the bottom of the to-do list, especially when there are more urgent jobs looming. Why not use some of the time you have created by subscribing to our service & delegating leads to your team to promote your business? It doesn’t take too much time or financial resources to do this on our system. Update your entry on our Platinum Directory and get your name out there so companies can find you, your products and services.

Check out Did you Know #DYK: Why should I subscribe to Leads 2 Business (L2B)? for more information on our products and services.

3. Make planning a weekly event

Planning is vital if you want a blossoming business and there are tools at your finger tips to make this process easier. Earlier we spoke of delegation, now is the opportunity to get feedback on how things are going with your team. Find out which leads have worked for you,which professionals you need to follow up on, who will be attending the next site meeting and where you will be collecting your next set of tender documents from. To assist you in this process we have a handy tool called Leads Management System which will enable you to download reports on your team and begin building an outlook for the year ahead.

 

4. Network

There is a certain amount of buzz that seems to fuel business when you begin interacting, creating a forum for new ideas, refining old ones or creating new contacts. Make use of our Platinum Directory to create points of contact with Professionals or other potential businesses you could set up joint ventures with in future months.

 

5. Set realistic goals & make time for you

Setting goals is a valuable habit, specifically if the goals lead to success as opposed to stress. Resolve to make achievable goals rather than pipe dreams as these only lead to frustration. Part of these goals need to include taking time for yourself. All work and no play is an unhealthy recipe, so please take the time to invest in yourself, if you do not, who will?

 

We understand this aspect of life and have created a business calendar where you can set reminders and synchronise this with your Outlook or Google calendar.

Let us make your life easier. You can see how by clicking here.

About Taryn Duckham

I am a lover of awesome design, customer centricity and the art of influence. Being able to effect this through analysis, written or visual content and front-end design is part of my work, my great love of creatively solving problems that reach across as many parts of Leads 2 Business as I can.

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