Meeting the tender specification

Finding a tender opportunity that fits with your core business is an amazing experience, especially if you are a small or medium sized organisation. Most contracts that are put out to tender tend to be too big, too niche or conversely, too wide in scope. Discovering a tender notice that seems directed at your company can feel like striking gold – until you read through the contract specification.
There can be few things more frustrating than feeling perfectly suited and able to fulfil a contract but having to self-exclude where you cannot or do not meet all of the areas of the specification. The specification usually forms part of the tender documentation and, as per its title, tends to be very specific about what the contract requirements are.

So what options do you have if you faill to meet all of the criteria in the specification? If you must write a tender-

Never tell lies - If you can’t offer some essential requirement of the contract, then never pretend that you can – you will be found out. Sometimes it is tempting to convince ourselves that while we don’t possess a particular skill or ability now, we can quickly learn or acquire it. We rarely do to the required standard.

Sell alternatives – While you should never pretend you can do or offer something that you can’t, if you have a better or alternative but equal solution to an element of the specification, then use the opportunity to say so. If you can fulfil the contract, just not as laid out in the specification, then tell the purchaser. It may be of interest and may help you win the contract – especially if it’s a better or cheaper way of doing things that perhaps the buyer had not considered.

Find a subbie – If you can’t comply with the tender specification in full but can fulfil the contract, why not find someone who can comply? Finding a subcontractor who can comply with the specification could be the difference between being able to win and fulfil the contract and having to withdraw altogether.

Withdraw from the process – At the earliest possible opportunity and preferably prior to investing time and resources at PQQ stage. It should be quite clear early on if you can meet the contract requirements and sometimes it can be cheaper, easier and more admirable to walk away than to invest in a process that you can’t win or begin a contract in the knowledge that you fall short of the essential requirements.