Who this is for
| Role | Main responsibility in this workflow |
|---|---|
| Procurement coordinator | Imports queries and maintains the register |
| Package lead | Assigns owners, monitors due dates, and controls outbound responses |
| Technical responder | Drafts or reviews technical answers |
| Commercial responder | Drafts or reviews commercial answers |
| Designated approver | Approves responses before they are issued |
| Owner reviewer | Reviews open material queries before award |
Anyone with package access can open the query register and read queries. Creating queries, drafting, and editing responses require edit access on the package, and only the query’s designated approver can approve a response for issue.
What you need
| Input | Format | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Bidder queries | Excel (.xlsx), CSV, PDF, Word (.docx, .doc), or manual entry | The query register itself |
| RFP / tender pack | Uploaded package documents | Source context for drafting and consistency checks |
| Prior responses | Built up as you answer queries | Duplicate detection, consistency checks, and knowledge reuse |
What you get
- A package query register with search, filters, and bulk actions
- Import from Excel, CSV, PDF, and Word with duplicate detection
- AI draft responses with an RFP coverage check before drafting
- Consistency checks scoring each response against the RFP and prior answers
- A controlled status flow from Pending to Closed, with a designated approver step
- Amendment flagging and one-click tender circular generation (Word)
- Response documents per query and a multi-sheet Excel report
- A full audit history and comment thread on every query
Before TruBuild
Queries arrive scattered
Bidders send questions by email, through the tender portal, and in pre-bid meeting minutes, often several versions of the same question in different words.
Someone compiles the register
A coordinator copies everything into a master spreadsheet and deduplicates by hand. 1-2 days per batch.
Answers are drafted from memory
Whoever is available drafts a response, often without re-reading the relevant RFP section or checking what was already told to another bidder.
Approval happens in email chains
Draft answers bounce between the technical lead, the QS, and the client until someone declares them final. There is no record of who signed off.
- Queries sit unanswered in inboxes with no due-date tracking
- Contradictory answers go to different bidders (a fairness and audit problem)
- No single source of truth for “what was asked, what was answered, who approved it”
- Amendments implied by answers never make it into a formal circular
With TruBuild
Import the query register
Bring in bidder questions from Excel, CSV, PDF, or Word, or add them manually. TruBuild parses the file, previews the rows, and flags duplicates.
Draft with context
Use RFP context, prior response history, and AI drafting to prepare a controlled response, then run a consistency check.
Step-by-step inside the app
1. Open the package query register
From the package, open the tender queries area. The register is package-scoped, so queries stay tied to the contractor list, package documents, and award record. The dashboard at the top shows Total Queries, Pending, Approved, Sent, Closed, Overdue, and At Risk counts. Below the cards you get volume by category and status, an expandable workload-by-assignee breakdown, a knowledge base match rate, and average and maximum response times in hours.2. Import or create queries
Upload the source files
Upload Excel, CSV, PDF, or Word files containing bidder questions. You can upload batches of files at once.
Review the parsed rows
TruBuild detects the format and extracts the queries. For spreadsheets, it auto-detects column headers and maps them to query text, tenderer name, category, priority, and due date. Confirm or adjust the mappings, and edit any row before confirming the import.
3. Categorize and assign
Each query carries:- Tenderer name: the bidder asking the question
- Query number: sequential, auto-assigned or from your import
- Category: Technical, Commercial, Contractual, or General
- Priority: Low, Medium, or High
- Assigned to: the responder who owns the answer
- Designated approver: who signs off before issue
- Due date: the response deadline from your tender timetable
- RFP section, drawing, and circular references: optional, but they make audit review far easier
4. Draft and check the response
Generate or write a draft
Write the response yourself, or click Generate response for an AI draft. Before drafting, TruBuild shows a pre-draft check covering RFP coverage, matching prior responses, and consistency notes, so the responder starts from the right basis. Edit the draft freely; the AI text is a starting point, not the answer.
Check RFP coverage
The RFP coverage result shows whether the topic is covered in the tender documents (found, partial, or not found), including the matching section, source document, and excerpt when found. If the RFP does not cover the topic, the answer may need to become an amendment rather than a simple clarification.
Check consistency
Click Check consistency to validate the draft against the RFP and prior answers. You get a 0-100 score labelled Good (80 and above), Needs Review (50-80), or Issues Found (below 50), with a list of specific gaps or contradictions. If a prior response to a similar query exists, TruBuild flags it with a preview so you do not contradict an answer already issued.
5. Approve, send, and close
Submit for approval
Click Submit for approval. The query moves to Pending Approval and the designated approver is notified.
Approve
The approver confirms the response is technically, commercially, and contractually safe to issue, then clicks Approve. The response is locked from further edits. If changes are needed, the approver can send it back to the responder instead.
Mark as sent
Issue the response through your tender portal, email, or circular process, then click Mark as sent. The issue timestamp is recorded. Use Download Response to generate the Word response document for a single query.
Status model
| Status | Meaning | Typical next action |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | Imported or created, not yet picked up | Assign an owner |
| Assigned | A responder owns the query | Draft the response |
| Draft Response | A draft exists and is being worked | Check consistency, submit for approval |
| Pending Approval | Waiting for the designated approver | Approve or send back for changes |
| Approved | Signed off and ready to issue | Mark as sent, generate documents |
| Sent | Issued to the bidder | Close when resolved |
| Closed | Finalized with a close reason | View history |
Amendments and tender circulars
Some answers do more than clarify: they change the tender basis. When a bidder-specific answer affects scope, pricing basis, or contract terms, procurement teams normally issue it to all tenderers as a circular or addendum to preserve fairness and equal treatment. TruBuild tracks this inside the query workflow:Flag the amendment
Mark the query as Requires Amendment and add an amendment note describing what changes. Amendment status is tracked as not required, pending, or issued.
Generate the tender circular
Click Generate tender circular. TruBuild compiles all pending amendments into a Word document and downloads it automatically. Generation can take a minute; the app shows progress while it runs.
Reporting and exports
| Export | Format | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Single query response | Word (.docx) | Query text plus the approved response, via Download Response |
| Tender circular | Word (.docx) | All pending amendments compiled for issue to tenderers |
| Query report | Excel (.xlsx) | Multi-sheet analytics workbook, via Export Report on the reports tab |
Audit history and comments
Every query keeps a timestamped audit trail: creation, assignment, drafts saved, AI drafts generated, consistency checks, submission, approval, sending, closure, amendment flags, and document uploads, each with the acting user. A threaded comment section on each query keeps internal discussion attached to the record instead of scattered across email. This matters at award: when a committee or auditor asks why a response was worded a certain way, the query record shows who drafted, who checked, who approved, and when it went out.Working with technical evaluation
RFP documents uploaded to tender queries can be reused when setting up a technical evaluation in the same package. During evaluation setup, TruBuild offers to import the RFP documents already held in tender queries, so you upload the tender pack once. See Technical evaluation and Rounds and clarifications for how post-tender clarifications feed evaluation rounds.How queries fit into construction procurement
Tender queries usually run throughout the whole procurement timetable, not only after evaluation starts.| Stage | Common query activity |
|---|---|
| Pre-bid period | Tenderers ask about drawings, specifications, BOQ descriptions, site access, contract instructions, submission requirements, and ambiguities |
| Bid return review | Procurement checks missing documents, unsigned forms, invalid assumptions, and obvious compliance gaps |
| Commercial evaluation | QS/commercial team raises PTCs on exclusions, unpriced items, abnormal rates, and arithmetic issues |
| Technical evaluation | Technical team raises PTCs on methodology, programme, resourcing, design compliance, QA/QC, HSE, logistics, and commissioning |
| Revised submission | Responses are assessed for impact on score, price, compliance, and residual risk |
| Award recommendation | Open material queries are closed, accepted as residual risk, or escalated before award |
Query categories
Use categories consistently so the right team owns the answer:| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Technical | Design compliance, method statements, programme, HSE, QA/QC, logistics, commissioning |
| Commercial | Rates, quantities, provisional sums, exclusions, qualifications, arithmetic checks, price validity |
| Contractual | Instructions to tenderers, bonds, warranties, liquidated damages, insurance requirements |
| General | Submission format, site visit, deadline, portal process, administrative clarification |
Best practices
Import queries as soon as they arrive
Import queries as soon as they arrive
Do not let questions sit in email while evaluators work from partial information. Import them early so ownership, due dates, and the Overdue and At Risk counters reflect reality.
Set the designated approver before drafting starts
Set the designated approver before drafting starts
An approval step invented at issue time is a bottleneck. Set the approver when you assign the query so the workflow is agreed up front.
Run the consistency check before every submission
Run the consistency check before every submission
Prior-answer conflicts are cheap to fix in draft and expensive to fix after issue. Make Check consistency part of the drafting routine, not an occasional extra.
Flag amendments the moment an answer changes the tender basis
Flag amendments the moment an answer changes the tender basis
If an answer changes scope, pricing basis, or contract terms for one bidder, all bidders need it. Flag it immediately so it lands in the next tender circular rather than being remembered later.
Close the loop before the next bid round
Close the loop before the next bid round
Do not rescore or re-price until high-priority queries are closed. Otherwise the next evaluation round is built on partial information.
Reuse prior responses carefully
Reuse prior responses carefully
Prior response history is useful, but check every reused answer against the current RFP and package context. The RFP coverage check does the first pass for you.
Impact
On a typical tender of 5 bidders and 30-60 queries:| Phase | Before TruBuild | With TruBuild |
|---|---|---|
| Compile queries | 1-2 days | 1-2 hours with import and duplicate detection |
| Track status | 1 day of chasing | Live dashboard with overdue and at-risk counters |
| Draft responses | Written from memory of the RFP | Drafted with RFP context and consistency-checked |
| Issue amendments | Tracked in a side spreadsheet | Flagged per query, compiled into one circular |
| Prep for next round | 1 day re-reading emails | Answers linked to their source queries with full history |