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Description

Maintenance and Works Specifications: Writing, Costing and Decision-Making

Write a specification that delivers comparable bids and a works programme free of scope drift

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

An imprecise specification first produces bids that cannot be compared, then a stream of variation orders. Requirements are written as solutions rather than needs, interfaces with existing installations are overlooked, and acceptance criteria appear nowhere. Negotiation then shifts onto the site itself.

Two full days devoted to the document itself: expressing the functional need, describing existing installations and site constraints, drafting verifiable requirements and defining acceptance criteria. The session addresses the specification document, not works supervision or the legal form of the contract.

Learning objectives

  • Express a need in functional terms before describing a solution
  • Describe existing installations and site operating constraints
  • Draft verifiable and prioritised requirements
  • Define acceptance criteria and the tests expected
  • Structure the tender dossier and its bid comparison grid

What makes this programme different

Each participant drafts the specification for an operation they genuinely have to launch
Written requirements are reviewed by another participant acting as the tendering contractor
A bid comparison grid is built in parallel with the specification

Programme

1Starting from the Need

Describing an expected outcome rather than a solution

  • Formulating the expected function and the associated performance levels
  • Distinguishing a mandatory requirement from a simple preference
  • Gathering the expectations of operating teams and end users
  • Avoiding wording that implicitly designates one supplier

2Describing Existing Installations and the Site

What an external contractor cannot be expected to guess

  • Documenting the installations and interfaces concerned
  • Specifying access, nuisance and operating constraints
  • Setting out the safety rules applicable on site
  • Defining the works that remain the client's responsibility

3Writing Verifiable Requirements

Every requirement must be capable of being checked

  • Drafting a requirement together with its verification criterion
  • Prioritising requirements and flagging permitted variants
  • Specifying the documents expected with the service
  • Reviewing the document from the tendering contractor's viewpoint

4Acceptance and Bid Comparison

Planning the end of the job while drafting

  • Defining the tests and acceptance criteria
  • Specifying the expected content of the as-built documentation
  • Building the bid comparison grid
  • Organising bidders' questions during the tender period

Who is it for

Maintenance and new-build works technicians and managers, together with technical buyers responsible for inviting contractors to tender.

Prerequisites

Prior involvement in the preparation of works or technical services.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.