The Tender programme is a master overview or illustration of the project showing the key milestones and timelines of the major stages of the project, condensed onto one or two pages and identifying expected start and finish dates.  It is the first stage of the comprehensive programme and given that detailed design may not yet be complete, sets the programme of works based on the information known at the time of Tender. 

It forms the baseline programme for the project and as further information is finalised, or the contract proceeds, it will be revised and updated monthly to reflect the live information and events which occur during construction. 

As such the Tender programme is a living breathing part of the job which evolves with the project, not a separate document.  At the start it is merely a detailed summary of the parts, similar to the contents page in a book.  However, do not underestimate its importance.

We can make sure that the story gets told correctly from the start, which makes it easier to win your arguments later.