Submitting a tender

Decide whether to apply

Tendering can be expensive, with many hidden costs, for example, having staff away from their regular jobs to respond to an RFx. Sometimes opting not to compete in an RFx can be the right decision.

When deciding whether to apply for an opportunity, consider these kinds of questions:

• Do you think you have everything the buyer is looking for? If not, can you bring in a partner?
• Do you have some knowledge of the buyer and their key priorities?
• Are you on the buyer’s radar?
• If there is an incumbent supplier, do you have a chance of beating them?
• Who are your other competitors? Do you have a unique selling point that will put you above the competition?
• Do you have the time, energy and commitment to put your best foot forward?
• Are the costs involved worth the possibility of winning the tender?
• Are there risks associated with tendering or not tendering?

You can make an unsolicited proposal to an agency, but it must meet strict criteria.

Putting in an unsolicited proposal

Preparing your response

Check you know what's required, get the team together and make sure everyone knows the deadlines.

Plan your response

When putting together your documents, make sure you:

• get the basics right
• highlight your point of difference
• show you've got the right experience
• weight your answers according to the criteria.

What to include in your response

You can ask the buyer any questions about the RFx document during the process.

The buyer will usually include details in the document itself about asking questions, including a contact person, how to contact them and a deadline for submitting questions.

Unless your question includes commercially sensitive information, the buyer will make it and the answer available to all tenderers.

Making a presentation to the buyers

After you’ve submitted your tender response, you might have to meet with and present to the evaluation team. This requirement should be mentioned in the RFx information.

The presentation is a chance for the evaluators to test how you work as a team, how well your team might work with theirs, and how you respond under pressure. It's your opportunity to convince the evaluators you know what you’re doing and can deliver everything you’ve promised.

When you present to a buyer you should select three key facts you want the evaluators to remember, then make everything else relate to those facts. These are the primary reasons to award the contract to you. Keep your presentation relatively short – less than half your allotted time – to leave plenty of time for questions and answers.

Negotiating as the preferred bidder

Be prepared to negotiate on things like price, timeframes and deliverables if you're chosen as preferred bidder.

Think about:

• organising a negotiation team rather than going it alone
• your position in the market and what your competitors might be offering
• your ideal outcome
• the concessions you might be willing to give
• any dealbreakers for your organisation
• your best alternative to a negotiated agreement.

Develop strong and logical explanations for your key positions. Try to move the conversation towards value, not just price. That could mean discussing volume, payment terms, early payment discounts, length of contract or exclusivity.

Make sure you record, in writing, whatever you agree on.

Requesting a debrief

Any bidder can request a debrief after the tender process is finished. Use this to find out what the buyer thinks about your solution, your capabilities, credibility and value-add components.

You can ask about:

• sections of the tender where you might not have provided enough detail, or areas where you scored low in the evaluation
• who won and why they won
• any strengths and weaknesses the buyer perceived in your proposal
• overall perception of your organisation.

Debriefing unsuccessful suppliers

Feedback and complaints

If you have feedback or concerns about a procurement process, raise it with the agency directly, use our supplier feedback service or make a formal complaint.

Feedback and complaints