Most project managers in the capital will recognise this situation. Three tenders sit on the desk. Two are within a few percentage points of each other. The third arrives 20% lower, and someone around the table asks the obvious question: why not simply take it?
The question deserves a proper answer, because the instinct behind it is entirely reasonable. Budgets are under pressure, margins matter, and a saving is a saving. A substantially lower tender is not automatically a problem; it may reflect genuine efficiencies in plant ownership, disposal arrangements, methodology, or commercial strategy.
It should, however, always prompt closer examination, because it can just as easily point to exclusions, optimistic assumptions, or an incomplete reading of the works. Our experience in pricing and delivering demolition work across London has taught us where the differences between tenders typically lie and how to distinguish a genuinely competitive bid from an incomplete one.
A Tender Is Not Just a Price — It Reflects the Contractor’s Understanding
The most useful way to read a commercial demolition quotation is to treat it as more than a number. It is a record of how thoroughly the contractor has understood your site.
A contractor who has walked the building, studied the structural drawings, considered the neighbours and the party walls, priced the temporary works properly, reviewed the asbestos information, and assessed the waste requirements in full will produce a figure shaped by the realities of the project. A contractor who has not worked to that level of detail may well produce a lower one — not through greater efficiency, but because the number contains less of the job.
So when quotes from London demolition contractors differ dramatically on an identical scope, the gap itself is the finding. Something may have been missed, excluded, underpriced, or built on assumptions the site will not support. A structured demolition tender comparison exists to establish which one.
Where the Differences Usually Sit
Review enough tenders and the areas worth examining become predictable.
Temporary works: Propping, shoring, and façade retention are engineering-led costs, and they are among the most commonly underestimated items in an aggressively priced bid. On a tight terraced street or a live commercial frontage, temporary works can account for a substantial share of what genuinely costs. Where they are underpriced at the tender stage, the shortfall tends to resurface later — as a variation, a delay, or an unresolved safety and programme risk.
Asbestos: Buildings constructed before 2000 may contain asbestos-containing materials. Before demolition begins, the client should hold an appropriate refurbishment or demolition survey completed by a competent surveyor, and every tender should state clearly whether identified removal works are included, excluded, or covered by a separately priced specialist package. Unidentified asbestos remains a programme, cost, and safety issue whether or not anyone is priced for it — which is why the survey, rather than a general allowance, is the correct foundation for this part of any quotation.
Waste: Every tonne of a demolished building must go somewhere, with documentation to prove it. Contractors who take waste seriously — and, where possible, crush and reuse material on site, as we do — can account for exactly where their arisings end up. Where waste costs sit well below market expectations, it is worth asking for clarification on disposal routes, reuse assumptions, carrier registration, and supporting paperwork.
Clients and other organisations that produce or control construction waste may carry legal duty-of-care responsibilities of their own, so confirming that waste passes to authorised parties with correct documentation is a matter of direct self-interest, not mere diligence.
The programme: Optimistic tenders sometimes assume ideal conditions: prompt permits, immediate utility disconnections, and no allowance for any applicable Section 80 demolition-notice period or party wall procedures. When those requirements arise, the programme stretches to absorb them – and on a financed development, even a short delay can reduce or entirely erase the saving the low bid appeared to offer.
Insurance and people: Adequate insurance cover, trained operatives, and assessed management systems are all genuine, recurring demolition project costs. A tender priced far below the market should be able to demonstrate where its economies honestly come from, which makes these areas essential checkpoints in any tender evaluation.
The Question That Actually Matters
At award stage, the decisive question is not which figure is lowest. It is which of the competing London demolition contractors has priced the entire job.
A complete tender explains how its price was built. For an office demolition or a strip-out to shell and core, this means itemised temporary works, asbestos priced from the survey findings, transparent waste arrangements, a programme incorporating all applicable statutory notices, and current evidence of insurance and competency. A contractor willing to show that level of working is offering something beyond demolition: programme certainty — the quality that ultimately protects follow-on trades, funding arrangements, and completion dates.
That is the standard behind every tender Phase One Works submits. Each figure follows a genuine assessment of the site and its constraints, and each is one we are prepared to stand behind.
Five Checks Before Awarding a Demolition Package
Before finalising an award, a simple contractor due diligence exercise — testing every tender against five questions — repays the hour it takes:
- Has the contractor visited the site in person?
- Are temporary works itemised, rather than absorbed into a single round figure?
- Is the tender based on an appropriate asbestos survey, with identified removal works clearly included or excluded?
- Does the programme reflect all applicable statutory notices, approvals, and utility-disconnection periods?
- Can the contractor evidence a current SSIP-recognised health and safety assessment, such as CHAS, together with any relevant Constructionline membership or client-specific prequalification, alongside adequate insurance?
A tender that cannot answer two or more of these questions deserves scrutiny before it is awarded because tender exclusions that surface after appointment invariably cost more than they would have at pricing stage.
For a demolition tender built on the actual conditions of your site, contact Phase One Works on 020 8050 6806. We price the complete job and present the detail behind the figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why do demolition quotes vary so significantly between contractors?
A: This is because each quotation rests on its own assumptions about scope, temporary works, asbestos requirements, waste handling, plant, access, and programme. A significant price difference is best examined against a consistent tender schedule, so every bid is compared on the same basis.
Q: What should a complete demolition tender contain?
A: A complete tender clearly identifies the scope and exclusions, itemises temporary works, sets out waste arrangements and programme assumptions, reflects applicable statutory notices, and provides current evidence of insurance and relevant competency or accreditation. Any asbestos-related work should be based on an appropriate survey.
Q: Can the lowest tender actually end up costing the most?
It can. Excluded or underestimated items have a way of returning as variations, delays, or additional professional costs — which is why comparing the assumptions behind each quotation matters as much as comparing the headline figures.
Q: Who may be responsible if demolition waste is handled unlawfully?
A: Responsibility can extend beyond the waste contractor. Any organisation that produces, carries, keeps, transfers, or otherwise controls the waste may carry duty-of-care obligations, depending on the circumstances – making it prudent to verify disposal routes and documentation before award rather than after.
Q: How does Phase One Works approach tender pricing?
A: Every tender follows a genuine assessment of the site and its constraints, covering temporary works, asbestos information, waste, and programme. The figure we submit reflects the actual conditions of the project, and we stand behind it throughout delivery.