How is a fire protection tender structured?

By system: sprinklers, wet or dry risers, hose reels, fire alarm, gas suppression and fire pumps and tanks, each with its own equipment, pipework or cabling, supports, testing and commissioning. Preliminaries, submissions and builder's work sit on top.

What do estimators most often miss on fire protection tenders?

Supports and hangers, pipework in plant rooms and risers, flushing and testing, authority inspection and fees, drawings and calculations for submission, temporary protection during construction, interfaces with other trades and the defects liability period.

Should the hydraulic calculation be done before pricing?

On a design-and-build tender, a preliminary calculation is worth doing: it confirms the pipe sizes and pump duty you price. On a tender with a consultant's design, check the design looks complete and raise a query if pipe sizes or pump duties are missing.

Can I outsource the fire protection BOQ?

Yes. Newham's estimators prepare take-offs and priced BOQs for fire protection and other M&E trades, using your rates and supplier prices where you want them. Your team reviews and signs off before submission.

How long does a fire protection take-off take?

It depends on the size of the drawing set and the systems in scope. Plan it backwards from the closing date, leaving time for supplier quotes and internal review.

Fire protection tender estimation in Singapore: how to price an FP tender

To price a fire protection tender in Singapore, break the scope down system by system: sprinklers, risers, hose reels, fire alarm, gas suppression, and pumps and tanks. Take off each system from the drawings and specification, price materials from supplier quotes and your rate library, then add labour, supports, testing and commissioning, the submission drawings and calculations, and preliminaries. Most losses on fire protection jobs come from what was left out, not from the rates. The checklist at the end covers the usual misses.

This guide is about pricing. For what the systems must achieve, see the guides on hazard classification, risers, hose reels and fire alarm design. For the overall tender sequence, see the MEP tender submission checklist.

Typical BOQ sections

Section	What goes in it
Preliminaries	Site staff, insurances, temporary works, attendance, programme and reporting
Sprinkler system	Control valve sets, sprinkler heads by type, mains and branch pipework by size and material, fittings, supports, flow switches and test valves
Wet and dry risers	Riser pipework, landing valves, breeching inlets, standby hoses and cabinets
Hose reels	Hose reels and cabinets, pipework, valves and signage
Fire pumps and tanks	Duty and standby pumps, jockey pumps, controllers, tanks, pump room pipework and valves
Fire alarm	Panels, detectors, manual call points, sounders and visual alarms, interface modules, cabling and containment
Gas suppression	Agent cylinders, pipework, nozzles, detection and control, room integrity testing
Interfaces	Connections to ACMV, lifts, access control and the building management system, listed in the cause-and-effect matrix
Testing and commissioning	Flushing, pressure testing, system testing, witness tests and documentation
Submissions and documentation	Shop drawings, hydraulic calculations, submission drawings, as-builts and O&M manuals

Pricing each system

Read the specification by system. Note the code edition, approved brands, pipe materials, and anything the specification adds beyond the code.
Confirm what is in your scope. Fire alarm, gas suppression, pumps or tanks are sometimes under another package. Write down every exclusion.
Take off by area. Count heads, devices and valves, and measure pipework by size and material, by building and floor, so variations can be priced later.
Get supplier quotes for major equipment. Pumps, controllers, valve sets, panels and suppression systems change with the specification; price them from current quotes.
Build up the labour. Installation, supports, testing and commissioning, at your own productivity rates.
Add submissions and testing. Drawings, calculations, PE coordination where needed, and authority inspections.
Review and sign off. Compare the cost per square metre with similar past jobs, and check every exclusion and assumption is written into the tender.

Common misses on fire protection tenders

Supports, hangers and seismic or vibration bracing where specified
Pipework inside plant rooms, risers and above ceilings in back-of-house areas
Flushing, hydrostatic testing and retesting after defects
Temporary fire protection during construction, including rising mains that must work as the building goes up
Submission drawings, hydraulic calculations and PE endorsement fees
Interfaces and cause-and-effect testing with other trades
Access equipment for high-level work
Defects liability period attendance and spare heads
Provisional sums the client asks you to price separately

Common mistakes

Pricing from the BOQ alone. On a remeasurable tender the BOQ quantities may be provisional; check the drawings.
One rate for all pipework. Price by size, material and location; risers and plant rooms take longer.
No query on missing design. If pipe sizes or pump duties are missing, raise a tender query instead of guessing.
Exclusions not written down. An exclusion that isn't in the tender letter becomes your cost.
Late supplier quotes. Leave time for suppliers; equipment is a large share of an FP tender.

Related guides

How Newham can help

Newham's BOQ and estimation services cover fire protection and the other M&E trades: take-offs, priced BOQs with rate build-ups from your price lists and supplier quotes, tender queries and the compiled tender submission. Your team reviews and signs off before anything is submitted. Need the design too? Newham also prepares fire protection design and hydraulic calculations. Book a call and send us a tender to scope.