What we tendered, against what we have built
A line-by-line comparison of Cathedral Quarter's accepted tender scope and recorded works. It identifies unclaimed change for commercial review; package allocations remain unreconciled and the net-margin effect is not established.
- Contract
- Cathedral Quarter Fitout · CATH-Q
- Client
- ISG · for Meridian M&E Ltd
- Tender ref
- MER-CQ-T001 · 14 Nov 2025
- Reference
- MER-SCR-P7
- Period
- To 30 April 2026 · Weeks 10-14
- Status
- Margin at risk
Illustrative example: fictional project and parties.
Eight items over scope, two under
Comparing the accepted tender against the works recorded to the end of April finds ten of the 24 scope items running at a variance. Eight are over scope, worth £90.2k of additional work, of which only £22.4k has been raised as a variation. The remaining £67.8k is work Meridian is delivering and paying for but has not yet claimed. Two items are under scope, worth £8.2k, which should be tracked as client credits.
Cathedral Quarter is 2.6 points below the 22.0% target, at 19.4%. The unclaimed £67.8k is reported additional work, not agreed recovery or net margin. Its contribution to the shortfall needs costs and a margin denominator; applicable notices and entitlement require commercial review.
The scope variance register
The ten items running at a variance, by package, with the evidence behind each. Fourteen further items are being delivered on scope and are not shown. Values are the additional or reduced work against the tendered allowance.
| Ref | Item and package | Value | Status | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-04 | Cable tray 150mm, additional runs L3-5 · Containment | £11.4k | Claimed | Wk 12 report, photos |
| D-02 | Additional fire-stopping, Level 4 · Fire & life safety | £11.0k | Claimed | Instruction, photos |
| A-07 | Cable tray 300mm, additional riser runs · Containment | £14.2k | Unclaimed | Wk 13 report, marked drawings |
| B-05 | Additional final circuits, Level 5 · Electrical distribution | £12.6k | Unclaimed | Progress photos, as-builts |
| D-06 | Fire damper additions, revised layout · Fire & life safety | £11.6k | Unclaimed | Instruction on site, photos |
| E-03 | Additional BMS I/O points · BMS & controls | £10.4k | Unclaimed | Revised points schedule |
| C-08 | Additional pipework insulation · Mechanical / HVAC | £9.8k | Unclaimed | Wk 14 report, photos |
| C-11 | Extended commissioning attendance · Mechanical / HVAC | £9.2k | Unclaimed | Site diary, timesheets |
| B-09 | Reduced small power, descoped Level 6 · Electrical distribution | −£5.4k | Under scope | ISG design change |
| E-07 | Removed graphics package · BMS & controls | −£2.8k | Under scope | ISG design change |
| Net variance against tender | £82.0k | 10 of 24 items | ||
Closing the gap
The retained £42.6k and £25.2k summary allocations are unreconciled. The item rows give £25.8k of unclaimed containment/fire and £42.0k elsewhere; the Unclaimed register labels the same £67.8k differently. No readiness or package allocation is accepted until the owner reconciles those records.
Reconcile the £42.6k/£25.2k summaries to the item register before setting submission priorities. Review evidence, notices, entitlement and valuation; retain the £8.2k client credits. The prior 2.2-point recovery estimate is not validated: costs and the margin denominator are not supplied, so no closure of the 2.6-point gap is established.
Variance by package
| Package | Items | Over scope | Under scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · Containment & cabling | 2 | £25.6k | - |
| B · Electrical distribution | 2 | £12.6k | −£5.4k |
| C · Mechanical / HVAC | 2 | £19.0k | - |
| D · Fire & life safety | 2 | £22.6k | - |
| E · BMS & controls | 2 | £10.4k | −£2.8k |
| F · Prelims & attendance | 14 | on scope | - |
| 10 variance items of 24 | 24 | £90.2k | −£8.2k |