Pricing · All sectors
Tender pricing assumptions and exclusions: how to state them clearly
Prepared by TenderChecker. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. General guidance only — every buyer's own instructions and criteria take priority.
Short answer
Check whether the buyer allows qualifications or assumptions — some treat them as non-compliant. Follow the instructions.
Where allowed, state each assumption plainly and make sure your staffing, hours and scope match your written answers.
What the buyer might be asking
- (Pricing instructions are buyer-specific — check the documents.)
Worked example (fictional)
Everything in this example — company, people and numbers — is invented for illustration.
Example question: Complete the pricing schedule and state any assumptions. (Where permitted.)
Fictional context: Fictional bidder: Brightway Cleaning Ltd. Supplied fictional notes: price assumes consumables supplied by buyer; method statement says Brightway supplies them.
Weak draft (fictional)
Price excludes consumables. (Method statement: 'We will supply all consumables.')
What the draft misses
- The assumption contradicts the method statement, creating doubt about what's offered.
A better version (using only the fictional facts above)
[Confirm who supplies consumables.] Pricing schedule and method statement both state: [insert consistent position]. Other assumptions (where permitted): [insert each assumption in one plain sentence].
Bracketed text marks facts the bidder still needs to supply. Never fill these with invented figures.
Evidence checklist
- ☐ Buyer's rules on assumptions
- ☐ Consistency with answers
- ☐ Staffing/hours match
- ☐ No contradictions with spec
Common mistakes
- Assumptions the buyer forbids
- Contradicting your own answers
- Hidden exclusions