What is E-Tender?

An offer to supply goods or services at a fixed rate. In the early stages of the tendering process, contractors are invited to submit the tender bids for the manufacturing and production of the specific product on a decided timeframe. 

Under E-Tendering all the procedure is done online. From finding the tender to submitting the required documents. 

E-Tendering is becoming the primary choice of the clients for transparency. 

The E-Tender process is a transparent way to monitor all the work done for the government or client justified way. 

Different Types of E-Tendering

The process of any tender requires to follow certain procedures before initiating the work online e-Procurement software. A buyer should have a team with all the required documents for the particular contract. The documents should have both sources of funding and financing of the project in one place.

It should be done to make the employer believe that all the things will go right with online tendering. The type of tendering to choose by any prospect depends on different factors such as the nature of the project, construction, expertise, submission, and others. 

All the government projects are mostly open tenders to make sure all the work and procurement did in a justified manner. The different types of tenders are open tender, selective tender, negotiated, and more. 

Open Tender

It is the primary tender process used by both government and private companies. Under Open Tender, the client publishes an advertisement in local newspapers with all the information and invitation. 

It is the most common tender for engineers and the manufacturing industry. Open tenders have the highest competition among clients and offer a chance to local companies to secure a good bid. 

Selective Tendering

Clients with invitations can only apply for such tenders. The invitation is sent to the selected candidates by looking at their work history. The objective of this tender is to receive the most appropriate and high-quality bids from employers. 

Selective Tender helps the contractor to get the best bidders without wasting time. This makes the e tendering process more promising. 

This tender reduces the chances for local employers to submit applications. Small businesses should not invest their time in finding these tenders on tender websites. 

Negotiation Tendering

This tendering is exclusively used in the engineering and construction sector. However, under this tender, a client invites a single contractor to work on the project. Negotiation can be done if both parties agree. 

Term Tender

This type of tender demands huge maintenance. For example, contract to work for different buildings. This tender usually has a fixed timeline but can be extended as per client requirements. 

Process of E-Tendering 

Check out the seven steps of e-Tendering:

Find the Type of Tender

The client will describe the type of tender as per the requirement. One should determine the tender before initiating the process. 

  • Expression of Interest (EOI) - To filter the most appropriate suppliers before going for a detailed discussion.
  • Request for Information (RFI) - Used to define the project.
  • Request for Proposal (RFP) - Used when the project requirement is already defined and also needs innovative solutions for the same. 
  • Request for Quotation (RFQ) - Invitation to businesses to quote their terms and provision for a particular product. 
  • Request for Tender - This is open for all suppliers. 

Request for Tender

This includes all the requirements, terms, and conditions of the tender. It’s an invitation for all the suppliers to provide the best services and bid to win the contract. The documents might vary for different clients such as b2b tenders, construction companies, etc. Check out the required documents:

  • Description of the services: All the details like the technical specification, work requirement, or results of the project. 
  • Condition - All the terms and conditions of the specific tender. 
  • Criteria - Under this everything is mentioned, how your tender will be evaluated by the client. You can use it as a guide while filling the tender. 
  • Format of Submission - It includes the format to submit the tender. For example, length of the document, photos, presentations, etc. 
  • Rules and Information - Time deadline, place of submission, etc.
  • Conditions - Includes standard terms and conditions of the client and contract which need to be followed by the contractor. 

Invitation to the Tenders

It is a part of the tendering process. The first step is to find out the government and private organizations that need your services. You can find them on the government contracts finder portal like TendersPedia. There are numerous online tender sites that provide information about private and government tenders. 

For Government contracts, you can find several government tender portals. 

Response of Supplier

Before submitting the response go for:

  • Attend different briefing sessions
  • Clear the uncertainties
  • Prepare your response 
  • Submit your response with all the required documents and format. 

Estimation and Selection

Each submission will be checked and evaluated by the client. The contractor with the best services and low cost wins the tender. 

  • Complies with all the conditions 
  • Submitted on time
  • Documents are signed as per requirement
  • Should have all the mandatory documents. 

If the tender doesn’t fulfil the requirement, it will be eliminated. One should fulfil all the requirements to win the contract. Standing out from the rest competitors will help you to win the trend. 

Notification

The contract winner will be notified in writing of the outcome. 

Contract Management

After getting the tender it’s the contractor’s job to fulfil all the contract requirements. Communication with the organization is important to build a healthy relationship with the client.

If you will offer the best services on time, the company would like to work with you in future. All the clients like to go for familiar contractors for better results. Besides this, they can even refer you to other clients for your service and accountability. 

Few tips for Successful Tendering

  • Learn from the previous tenders 
  • Invest time smartly
  • Challenge Yourself
  • Stand out from the crowd
  • Be loyal to the clients

Final thoughts

Hence, E-tendering is better than the traditional method. As, it is easy for both the clients and contractors. Contractors can get all the details about tender on different portals like funding and tenders’ portal, government tender portal and private tender portal, etc. Hope the above information will help you to get the best bid.