Start with the brief, not the supplier list
It is tempting to start by listing firms you have heard of. Start instead with what the package actually requires. A clear construction project brief gives you the criteria you will use to screen everyone consistently.
From the brief, separate your requirements into two groups:
- Must-haves are pass/fail. If a supplier does not meet one, they are not a fit, however good they are otherwise. Examples include working in your location, delivering the right type of appointment, or holding a registration your project legally requires.
- Differentiators are the qualities you will compare and weigh, such as depth of comparable experience, technical approach or availability of key people.
Keep the must-have list short. Every extra pass/fail rule removes suppliers, and over-specifying is one of the most common ways capable smaller firms are excluded unnecessarily.
Build a sensible longlist
Useful sources for a longlist of construction suppliers and subcontractors include:
- Firms your team, consultants or other contractors have worked with on comparable projects.
- Recommendations from designers or engineers who know the package well.
- Trade associations and professional bodies relevant to the package.
- Manufacturers' approved or trained installer lists, where a specific product is involved.
- Local networks, where proximity and local labour matter.
- Curated matching services such as BuilderHunt, where you submit a project brief and receive a small number of proposed introductions.
Treat every source as a starting point. Recommendations and listings tell you who to look at, not who to appoint.
Screen suppliers in stages
Asking every supplier on a longlist for detailed information wastes their time and yours. Screening in stages keeps the effort proportionate.
- Desk check against must-haves. Use publicly available information and your brief to rule out clear mismatches: wrong location, wrong specialism, wrong scale.
- Short capability conversation or questionnaire. Share the brief and ask a small number of targeted questions. Note how quickly and clearly each supplier responds.
- Evidence review. For the remaining firms, request examples of comparable work, relevant credentials and insurance details, then verify the most important ones.
- References and, where useful, a meeting or site visit. Reserve the most time-consuming checks for the firms most likely to make the shortlist.
Supplier comparison checklist
Use the table below as a starting point. Remove rows that do not apply to your package and add any that do. The middle column gives example questions; the right column describes what good evidence tends to look like.
| Criterion | What to ask | What good evidence looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and specialism fit | Which parts of this package do you deliver yourselves, and which would you subcontract? | A clear, specific answer that matches your package, with any subcontracted elements named. |
| Comparable experience | Which recent projects are most similar in type, scale and complexity, and what was your role? | Named examples with the supplier's actual scope described, not just a client logo list. |
| Capacity and timing | What else do you have committed in our target window, and who would lead this work? | A realistic view of their workload and a named lead person, rather than an unqualified “yes”. |
| Geographic coverage | Have you worked in this area, and how would you resource the site? | Previous local work, or a credible plan for travel, accommodation and local labour. |
| Technical competence | How would you approach the key technical risks in this package? | Specific, project-relevant comments that show they have read the brief. |
| Design responsibility (if any) | What design can you take on, and how is that design responsibility covered? | A clear statement of design capability and appropriate cover for it. |
| Health, safety and quality | How do you manage safety and quality on site for work like this? | Documented systems relevant to your jurisdiction and examples of how they are applied. |
| Accreditations and compliance | Which registrations, certifications or memberships do you hold that apply here? | Current, verifiable credentials that are relevant to the package, checked with the issuer where possible. |
| Insurance | What insurance cover do you hold and at what levels? | Current certificates that meet your requirements, or confirmation they can be obtained. |
| Financial stability | Can you share recent accounts or allow a credit check? | Information proportionate to the size of the package that does not raise concerns. |
| Commercial approach | How do you typically price, handle variations and structure payments? | A transparent explanation that fits how you intend to contract. |
| Communication | (Observed rather than asked.) | Timely, clear, well-organised responses throughout the early conversations. |
Ask every supplier the same core questions. Consistent questions produce comparable answers, and they make it much easier to explain your decision later.
Weighting and scoring, kept simple
A light scoring approach helps you compare suppliers without pretending to precision you do not have:
- Confirm every remaining supplier passes all must-haves.
- Choose a handful of differentiators that genuinely matter for this package.
- Agree the relative importance of each before you look at the responses.
- Score each supplier on a simple scale against each differentiator, with a short written reason.
- Review the result as a team and sense-check it. The written reasons matter more than the totals.
Reference checks that tell you something useful
Generic references rarely reveal much. Ask the supplier for referees from projects that are genuinely comparable, then ask specific questions:
- What exactly did the supplier deliver on your project, and was it similar to what we need?
- Did the people proposed at the start actually deliver the work?
- How did they handle problems, changes or delays?
- How accurate were their programme and cost expectations?
- How did they work with other trades on site?
- Would you appoint them again for similar work, and is there anything you would do differently?
Red flags to look out for
- Responses that are generic and do not reference your brief.
- Reluctance to name who would lead the work, or to provide comparable references.
- Credentials that cannot be verified with the issuing body.
- Unqualified commitments to start immediately regardless of existing workload.
- Indicative prices far outside the range of other responses without a clear explanation.
- Pressure to commit before you have completed the checks you planned.
None of these is automatically disqualifying, but each deserves a direct question before you move on.
How many suppliers to shortlist
There is no universally correct number. The right size depends on the package, the market and how you intend to contract. As a general principle, the shortlist should be large enough to give you genuine choice and competitive tension, and small enough that every shortlisted supplier has a realistic chance of being appointed.
Suppliers invest real time in pricing and proposals. A very long shortlist discourages the strongest firms from bidding seriously. If you are a public body, the number and the selection method may also be governed by procurement rules that apply to you.
Record your reasoning
Keep a short record of which suppliers you considered, which criteria you used, and why each was included or excluded. It helps you explain decisions to clients or colleagues, give useful feedback to unsuccessful suppliers, and start faster next time.
If you are thinking about bringing shortlisted suppliers into the design process before pricing, read when and how to involve suppliers early.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between shortlisting and prequalification?
The terms overlap. Prequalification usually refers to a formal, documented assessment of suppliers against minimum criteria, often using a standard questionnaire. Shortlisting is the broader act of narrowing down who you will invite to the next stage. In many private projects the two happen together and informally; in public procurement they are often defined steps.
Should I tell suppliers they did not make the shortlist?
Yes, where they have invested time in responding. A brief, courteous note, ideally with a reason, maintains relationships you may want for future projects.