Process · 7 min read
How to write a construction RFQ in the UAE
A complete RFQ helps a contractor return a qualified proposal sooner. This is the checklist to run through before a package is sent.
By the Beavcon engineering team Published Updated Reviewed by the Commercial & QS Estimating, variations and documented cost control
A construction RFQ in the UAE is not a short email with a floor plan attached. Contractors price what they can measure and they qualify what they cannot. The more gaps in the pack, the more provisional sums, exclusions and “to be confirmed” items come back — or the enquiry sits until someone chases drawings.
A complete construction RFQ in the UAE states the job in one paragraph, issues drawings that match the site, includes a BOQ or says there is none, lists exclusions, describes access and hours, gives dates and a budget band, and names one technical and one commercial contact. This is the pack to prepare when a developer, consultant or owner sends work through BuildScope.
1. Say what the job is, in one paragraph
State the asset, the floor or villa, the current condition and the outcome you want. “Fit-out of Level 5, occupied commercial tower, Abu Dhabi — strip-out of previous tenant, new partitions, MEP tie-in to landlord services, Civil Defence close-out” is enough. “Office renovation, quote please” is not.
Name the client type if it affects access: landlord, government occupier, live residential community, or vacant shell.
2. Issue a drawing set that matches the site
Send the latest consultant or in-house set, not a marketing layout. At minimum:
- Floor plan with demolition and proposed
- Reflected ceiling plan if ceilings change
- Furniture or joinery layouts if they are in the contract
- MEP schematic or load schedule if you already have one
- Landlord fit-out guide or house rules
If the drawings do not match the site — a common problem in occupied towers — say so. We will treat a site visit as part of the scope freeze, not as a surprise after the offer.
3. A BOQ, or an honest note that there is none
A measured bill of quantities is the cleanest way to compare contractors. If you have one, send the native file (Excel) plus PDF. We check quantities line by line and flag gaps before we price.
If there is no BOQ, say so. We will measure from drawings and the site and issue a scoped offer instead of inventing a bill you never asked for. That is slower than pricing a complete BOQ, and it should be.
4. Write the exclusions, not just the inclusions
Disputes on small and mid-size UAE packages often trace back to the exclusions. State who owns:
- Authority and Civil Defence submissions
- Landlord or consultant approval fees
- Firefighting and fire-alarm tie-ins
- BMS, access control and extra-low-voltage
- Furniture, appliances and IT
- Making good corridors, lifts and loading bays
- Out-of-hours working and goods-lift bookings
- Testing, commissioning and as-built drawings
If you want a single contractor to hold some of those items, say which ones. Beavcon delivers commercial fit-out and villa renovation packages under one contract, and the scope freeze writes down which items sit inside it and which stay with you or the landlord.
5. Access, hours and the live building
In Dubai and Abu Dhabi the programme is often decided by the building, not the contractor. Tell us:
- Occupied or vacant
- Working hours allowed (and noisy-works hours)
- Goods-lift booking rules
- Loading-bay hours
- Whether the fire system can be isolated, and for how long
- Permit-to-work or landlord induction requirements
We have fitted out consecutive floors inside an operating tower at ADNEC Tower. The RFQ for that kind of job should state the occupancy. If it does not, the first programme you receive may not hold.
6. Dates and a budget band — even if both are soft
A required start and a required completion let us say whether the package is realistic. A budget band (under AED 50k, 50–250k, 250k–1m, 1–2m, over 2m) lets us tell you early if the scope and the number are unlikely to meet.
Neither figure is a commitment. Both help avoid wasted estimating time.
7. Who will answer questions
Name one technical contact and one commercial contact. Attach the files as PDF, DWG, XLSX, DOCX, JPG or ZIP. Executables are rejected.
What happens when the pack is complete
On a standard package — a frozen scope, a readable drawing set and access that can be confirmed — Beavcon targets a qualified technical-commercial proposal within 48 hours. Larger or consultant-led scopes are typically given a proposal date at the site assessment. The 48-hour figure is a target, not a guarantee.
Upload the RFQ through BuildScope. A reference is issued immediately and an engineer reviews the files before anything is priced.
General guidance; confirm requirements with the relevant authority or your consultant.
