Early Bid Packages

Facade Early Bid Packages (‘EBPs) are now key to facade procurement

Lead times for aluminum, glass & steel have been lengthening for years.   

The facade is thus invariably on the building’s critical path & design teams have to prepare a facade EBP.

The EBP facilitates facade subcontractor appointment early enough to place orders for long lead items.

According to facade subcontractors, our EBPs “contain exactly the information we needed to fully understand the facade.“

Example of facade Early Bid Package sketches and narrative.

Example of Facade Early Bid Package Sketches & Narrative

The shading system on the green glass and orange brick facade of the CA DMV HQ in Sacramento, CA.

California Department of Motor Vehicles HQ

The EBP challenge

EBPs are often now issued during SD and the key challenge is to ensure the owner receives multiple compliant bids even though the rest of the building is still being designed. 

The EBP needs sufficient information so that all relevant items are priced & enough clarity so that the bids can be made & assessed on an apples-to-apples basis. 

Our approach

We focus on fleshing out the bid package by:

  • Developing hand-sketches for system designation & detailing to clearly indicate design intent to the bidders,
  • Generating sample details for all atypical areas both as an indication of how to achieve the desired aesthetic & to indicate those areas on which the bidders need to devote additional attention,
  • Providing narrative descriptions of not yet fully defined items like site testing & visual or performance mock-ups to enable bidders to provide allowances,
  • Creating bidder’s instructions on material sourcing location requirements (e.g., North America sourcing) & documentation requirements (schedule implications as well as cost) for alternates.

Interior view of the white, space-frame facade support of the Moscone Convention Center West in San Francisco.

Moscone Convention Center West

Shading devices on the concrete facade of Kolligian Library Building at UC Merced.

California Department of Motor Vehicles HQ

Typical scope of work

  • Finalize system characterization & sketch details
  • Develop critical interface details
  • Create a facade systems basis of design document
  • Generate a narrative for components, materials & finishes
  • Assist with outline specification development
  • Coordinate EBP drawings & narratives

Image credits:

  • CA DMV HQ: Coolcaesar at en.wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
  • Kolligian Library Building: MichelletheLibrarian (CC BY 2.5)