Meet the buyer/ awareness raising events BRE

In regions where low energy standards/ Passivhaus are not well established it can often be difficult for clients to find designers, contractors and suppliers that are able to realise their expectations. Conversely, without previous experience of such projects it is difficult for suppliers to develop good tenders and to understand what will be required of them during the delivery of the project.

In such instances it can be useful to hold a ‘meet the buyer’ event where the client, usually supported by early-stage consultants (e.g. Passivhaus consultants or designers) presents their aspirations for the scheme and offer an opportunity for potential contractors and suppliers etc. to ask questions and seek clarification. Benefits of such events include:

• Allowing all potential contractors/ suppliers to have received the same information so they can make the same assumptions about the project
• The ability to inform potential suppliers about the targets that will be set and the assessment process that will need to be followed to achieve Certification (for Passivhaus)
• Giving confidence to suppliers about the clients requirements so (hopefully) they do not feel the need to price for elevated levels of risk as a result of uncertainties
• Allowing different types of supplier to meet up to identify specific skills in order to join together to form consortia on bids/ tenders for the work
• Allow the client to clarify and refine the ‘employers brief’ following queries and feedback received from the event attendees

Overall the event should ensure that the client’s brief is well understood and that the tenders received are realistic and offer relatively good cost certainty.