Pre-contract decisions define the commercial outcome of a project. Inaccurate pricing, unclear scope, or unmanaged assumptions at this stage often lead to margin erosion, disputes, and difficult conversations later.
CNJ supports contractors before contracts are signed, providing clear cost insight, structured pricing, and tender support that reduces risk and strengthens your commercial position from the outset.
Our pre-contract services are designed to support contractors at each critical decision point before pricing is committed or tenders are submitted.
High-level pricing used to sense-check feasibility. Not suitable for tendering or commercial commitment.
Detailed, itemised cost breakdowns that provide a clear, defensible commercial position for tendering and client review.
Commercial review and cost clarification to strengthen tender submissions and reduce post-award risk.
Not every project needs a full cost report at the outset. An Initial Pricing Review provides contractors with an early sense-check of scope, assumptions, and headline figures before committing time, resources, or pricing strategy to a tender.
This service is designed to quickly identify commercial risks, pricing pressure points, and areas requiring clarification, allowing you to decide whether to proceed, refine scope, or escalate to more detailed cost support.
An Initial Pricing Review helps ensure early decisions are informed, proportionate, and commercially sound.
Early estimates provide direction, but they are not designed to carry commercial risk. A Detailed Cost Report gives contractors the clarity required to price accurately, reduce assumptions, and commit to tenders with confidence.
Our Detailed Cost Reports provide contractors with a clear, structured commercial position before pricing is committed or tenders are submitted. Each report is prepared using measured take-offs and benchmarked against current market rates, ensuring figures are accurate, transparent, and defensible.
Reports are designed to support tender submissions, internal commercial review, and discussions with clients or consultants.
Without a structured cost report, assumptions are often carried forward unnoticed, increasing exposure once contracts are awarded. Gaps in scope, unclear inclusions, or misaligned pricing are common causes of margin erosion and post-award disputes.
A Detailed Cost Report brings clarity at the point where decisions matter most, allowing contractors to commit to figures with greater confidence and reduced commercial risk.
Discuss your project scope, programme, and pricing objectives. We identify key risks, assumptions, and the most appropriate level of pre-contract cost support before numbers are committed.
We prepare a structured, itemised cost report based on measured take-offs and current market rates, providing a clear commercial position suitable for tender and internal review.
We review the report with you and define the next stage, whether that is tender package support, scope clarification, or preparation for post-contract cost control.
No obligation, just clear, professional advice.
Once your Detailed Cost Report is complete, we provide Tender Package Support to help contractors submit clearer, more defensible tenders and reduce commercial risk before contracts are awarded. This service is typically used by developers and larger contractors managing multiple trade packages.
Our Tender Package Support includes:
Commercial review of cost reports and pricing
Clarification of scope, assumptions, and exclusions
Alignment with tender and contract requirements
Identification of pricing and risk exposure
Reduced likelihood of post-award disputes
This allows contractors to tender with confidence, knowing their pricing is informed, consistent, and commercially sound.