Reading a tender in full: 31 files, 75 requirements, no surprises

Thirty-one files, read to the end

A tender in Iraq arrives as a folder of documents. The live tender we use as our working example held 31 files: the instructions to bidders, the scope of work, the technical schedules, the forms to be completed, the draft contract and the annexes.

The rules that end a bid are rarely in the scope of work. They sit in the instructions to bidders and in the annexes, one line each. A company that reads only the scope and the price schedule can write a strong technical answer and still be rejected at the opening.

We read every file. The tender engine we built reads them first and produces the requirement list. A partner then checks that list against the source documents. Nothing enters the bid on the engine's word alone.

Seventy-five requirements, each matched to the document that proves it

The reading produces a numbered list. This tender produced 75 requirements. Each one carries its number, the file and page it came from, and the name of the document that proves it. The requirements fall into three groups.

• Eligibility: commercial registration, a current Erbil Chamber of Commerce certificate, tax clearance and audited financial statements
• Technical: completed projects, staff and equipment, management system and HSE certificates from a body the buyer recognises
• Commercial: the priced schedule, the bid validity period, the bid guarantee and the payment terms

A requirement with no proving document behind it is a gap. The list makes every gap countable on the first day of work.

Gaps listed before a word is written

The gap list is finished before drafting starts. Each gap gets one of three answers. Obtain the document. Ask the buyer inside the clarification window. Or leave the tender alone.

One requirement in this tender asked for two completed contracts above USD 150,000, each with a person the buyer can call. A company holding one qualifying reference cannot write its way past that line. Finding it in the first week is worth more than a polished submission that fails the eligibility check.

English and Arabic bids answer the same numbered list

The bid is written in English and Arabic. Both versions answer the same numbered list in the same order, so an evaluator can move between them without hunting. The engine drafts both languages from the requirement list. The partners edit the text and approve every technical claim before it is used.

Scored the way the evaluator will score it

Evaluation follows a sheet. Requirements are checked, points are assigned, and that sheet is the only thing the committee reads the bid against. We score the draft against the same sheet before submission. Anything scoring zero goes back for rewriting while there is still time to fix it.

The format rules that decide the opening

This tender carried four rules that end a bid before its content is read.

• The financial bid goes in a separate file. A price left inside the technical file is a disqualification.
• Attachments are PDF only. The forms are issued as Excel and have to be returned as PDF.
• Two references above USD 150,000, each with a named person who can be contacted.
• Prices are quoted in USD and paid in Iraqi dinars at the Central Bank rate.

An expired Erbil Chamber of Commerce certificate belongs in the same group. It is a named reason for disqualification and it is checked at the opening.

What it costs, and which tenders we say to skip

Fees are fixed. We never take a percentage of an award, because a percentage would pay us to file bids that should never be filed. Price is set on the call, once we know how often you bid.

Part of the work is saying no. When the eligibility list cannot be met, or the reference threshold is out of reach, we say so early and the company keeps its preparation budget for the next tender.

What a bid engagement covers

• Every file read, every requirement numbered and matched to the document that proves it, and the gaps listed before drafting starts
• The bid written in English and Arabic, scored against the evaluator's sheet, and submitted in the required format before the deadline
• A clear no on the tenders you should leave alone, before the preparation budget is spent