How we work: procurement routes and contract forms
Est. 1991.
Flexible procurement experience across NEC, JCT, Design & Build and traditional contracting.
Every project comes with its own procurement structure. We are experienced across all of them, and if you are at an early stage, we are happy to review your options, explain the routes available and recommend the approach that best suits your project.
Whatever stage you are at, our job is to make the procurement process work as well as it possibly can for you.
Design & Build
Sinden has extensive design and build experience across London and the South East, with the capability to be appointed at any RIBA stage. We have delivered projects from initial outline brief stage, though in practice most design and build appointments come at RIBA Stage 4.
We are equally comfortable appointing our own design team, accepting a novation of the client's incumbent designers, or directly appointing consultants where the client prefers not to novate. Where novated consultants are involved, we work closely with them from the point of transfer to ensure continuity of design intent and a clear path to delivery.
We maintain strong relationships with a broad range of consultants across our core sectors — giving clients confidence in the quality of the design team we can assemble around any project.
Where the procurement route allows, we advocate for two-stage design and build. It is the model that consistently produces the best outcomes — for programme, for cost certainty and for the working relationship between contractor and design team.
Engaging us at Stage 1 means we can shape buildability, procurement strategy and programme before key decisions are locked in. By the time Stage 2 is reached, the project is better defined, the risks are understood and the team is already working well together. For clients where programme and budget certainty matter most, two-stage is the approach we recommend.
Traditional Contracting
Under traditional procurement, where the client retains their own design team, we take on projects both with and without Contractor Design Portions. Where specialist subcontractor input is needed to support Contractor Design Portions, our supply chain provides the technical capability required.
Although the client retains ownership of the design development process under a traditional route, we take a proactive approach to buildability, providing early input to support the client's designers and working with all parties to establish a clear information requirement schedule from the outset, so everyone knows what is needed, from whom and when.
New Engineering Contract (NEC)
Sinden is experienced across the full NEC suite and works under NEC contracts for public sector, education, healthcare and infrastructure-adjacent projects. Our capability spans all options:
NEC Option A — Priced contract with activity schedule
A lump-sum contract in which you pay us upon completion of agreed activities. Well suited to projects with a clearly defined scope.
NEC Option B — Priced contract with bill of quantities
Similar in principle to Option A but priced against a bill of quantities. Often preferred for projects where measurement is a key requirement.
NEC Option C — Target contract with activity schedule
A target cost contract with a pain/gain share mechanism. We are paid our defined cost plus a fee, with any savings or overspend shared between us — an approach that aligns incentives and encourages collaborative problem-solving.
NEC Option D — Target contract with bill of quantities
The same target cost and pain/gain share principles as Option C, priced against a bill of quantities rather than an activity schedule.
NEC Option E — Cost reimbursable contract
An open-book contract in which we are paid our incurred defined cost plus a fee. Particularly well suited to projects where the full scope is not yet defined at the point of appointment.
NEC Option F — Management contract
Used where we act as management contractor, overseeing works packages delivered by specialist subcontractors. Suited to complex projects requiring a high degree of coordination across multiple trade packages.
JCT Contract
Sinden is fluent across the complete JCT family of contracts, working with whichever form best suits your project, risk appetite and procurement route:
JCT Minor Works Building Contract (MW)
Well suited to smaller, straightforward projects where simplicity of contract administration is a priority.
JCT Intermediate Building Contract (IC)
Appropriate for medium-sized projects with moderate complexity, providing a proportionate level of contract detail without the full weight of the Standard Building Contract.
JCT Standard Building Contract (SBC)
Designed for larger, more complex projects procured via traditional methods. Available with quantities, without quantities or as a measurement contract. We have experience across all three variants.
JCT Design and Build Contract (DB)
Used where we carry responsibility for both design and construction. Suited to larger projects where single-point responsibility and contractor design risk are part of the procurement strategy.
JCT Major Project Construction Contract (MP)
Tailored for large, complex projects where a higher level of contractor risk and responsibility is appropriate. We have the technical and commercial capability to work confidently within this form.
JCT Management Contract
Suited to projects where we take on the role of management contractor, coordinating and overseeing multiple trade packages on your behalf.
Pre-Construction Services Agreements (PCSA)
We are regularly engaged under pre-construction services agreements ahead of entering into a full building contract, and we see this as one of the most valuable stages of any project.
A PCSA allows us to add real value before the full contract is committed, working with you through the period when key decisions are still being shaped. This typically covers design development and cost planning, Building Safety Regulator Gateway 2 processes for higher-risk buildings, securing third-party permissions including planning and Network Rail consents, and progressing early works where funding commitments are still being finalised.