The Indian procurement market is gaining momentum in the realm of government tenders, which has a significant impact on the GDP. However, if you make one mistake, there can be a catastrophic failure and loss of money, and your reputation can be damaged forever. It is estimated that 30% of tenders will turn out to be disqualified because of errors made in the submission process that were unavoidable. To win a tender, you need to be more aware and focused on this process, the documents, and the deposit money.
In this eye-opening world, we will speak about the major tendering mistakes to avoid when applying for a tender and how to deal with them. Tendering is not easy, and there are a lot of requests and suppliers that are hard to deal with, and there is a large amount of procurement terminology that is complicated. However, by learning about these, you can help achieve that next big win in India's trillion-dollar tender market.
In order to avoid these typical tendering errors, important details to keep in mind include tracking procurement requests, dealing with tricky suppliers, and deciphering procurement jargon. When you're able to tackle these typical errors, you'll be ready to unlock your next big win! India is a trillion-dollar tender market.
Mistakes You Need to Avoid While Tendering
Confusion of Tender Requirement: Among tender application defects, one of the broadest reasons for not being successful in a tender is not reading and understanding the tender documents in detail. Even if a long response is written to the tender, there is no guarantee that it will win a bid. Some may still not fully understand the evaluation process for each tender, which will probably make them not as serious and can lead to a loss of the tender period. Businesses must ask enough questions and consider the nature of the project involved being a more difficult and complex mixture of probabilities when tendering. Philosophically, assume nothing about the project, or it would need to be the narrowest of probabilities to win the contract. For example, if a business miscalculates the amount of raw materials they should need to provide a service to the buyer, it will make them look inconsistent and incompetent to the buyer when writing a bid. Asking enough questions and existing assumptions on the project is all very important in deciding correctly in a tender process.
Incomplete or inaccurate information: Incomplete or incorrect information can cause application disqualification in both private and public tenders; uploading incorrect documents can lead to legal action and disqualification on future tenders. Be sure to check all documentation beforehand. It is important to note all buyers make a number of essential documents, like Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), and Request for Tender (RFT), as these are the core documents to give yourself a good opportunity of winning a tender. These requests are Request for Information (RFI), Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), and Request for Tender (RFT). It is important that you read and understand all requests the buyer is making and prepare and attend accordingly because it gives you a better chance of winning a tender.
Late Submissions: Late submissions may risk disqualification from the process altogether, as well as give bidders further reasons for a negative impression of being a volunteer. It is very important to submit applications on time to qualify for consideration, or even notice. To complete the submission process, it needs to be done prior to the time of 72 hours, which is around 3 days. Many companies usually miss the window of opportunity because they either do not finish the necessary documents in time or forget to submit the proper documentation in the process. It is always an important practice to never leave work until the last minute, because after all, you do not just submit something without work being put into it! The other reason why you should never wait until the last minute is that late submissions are almost never accepted, so don't waste your hard work and basically not even show up to the finish line of an application completed before the deadline.
Unrealistic Pricing: Finding the balance between cost and allowing an evaluator to understand things in their own terms is necessary for being a success - you have major players in this market and when you are competing against major players (if your are choosing to be no-bid then be cognizant of the no-bid process - budget) your evaluator is going to wonder why you have chosen not to bid or there is some kind of hesitation in regard to believing your capability or capacity; the financial or technical support to perform the work, especially in significant capital works; consequently, put your best foot forward in presenting your bid so that evaluators can assess and value your bid to make their own interpretations within their framework of understanding.
Writing Errors: Mistakes in the tender documents happen, and that is why it is critical to methodically check and proofread the documents prior to submitting them to your client. Some mistakes, such as writing mistakes, grammar, and negative language can result in being disqualified and overstated answers. To avoid these mistakes, tender documents must be methodically checked and proofread before being sent to the client.
There are some people that may fail to answer questions on the tender response forms, allowing them to compare their work with other bids. If you want to be noticed for your work and tender, then it is necessary to answer all the questions clearly and use experts with previous knowledge for any questions that are unclear.
In today's world, which relies on information, it is important to ensure the content you write is original and the language is simple and that you write everything according to the suggestions and guidelines that tenders have outlined and expected. Trust and convincing clients are vital for tendering, so it is important you write original content, and it is important you communicate clearly with clients and the destinations you submit content to. You can create a positive impression and gain trusting relationships with clients.
Forgetting Earnest Money Deposit: Many tenders required an earnest money deposit, or EMD, and please remember this means serious business for tenders. EMD is a refundable money deposit, and if you do not win the bid, this money will be returned to you. In cases where the tender asks for some amount of EMD and does not provide the funds to you, your application will be disqualified, and you lose all your anger and hope for the award.
Avoiding Common Bid Preparation Issues
• Double-check or triple-check all documents.
• Involve multiple people in the process to minimize careless mistakes.
• Use software solutions like Grammarly to detect and correct grammatical errors.
• Break down the preparation process into smaller tasks and set a timeline.
• Mark the submission date on your calendar to avoid missed opportunities.
• Avoid basic writing errors to show professionalism and avoid disqualifications.
• Check and proofread tender documents before sending them to the client.
• Answer all tender response forms clearly and ask experts for clarification if needed.
• Write original content in easy language and express everything according to tender guidelines and expectations.
• Gain trust and convince clients by writing original content and communicating clearly.
Conclusion
Mistakes in the tendering process are frequent and can lead to disqualification from tendering and associated losses for small and medium enterprises. With procurement rapidly expanding in India and international bidders coming into the Indian procurement complex, it is difficult to successfully win tenders for big projects for small and medium enterprises. Tenders are evaluated based on technical capacity and prices submitted by the bidders. In India, 70% is assigned to technical capability and 30% assigned to quoted prices. Even simple errors can lead to disqualification and ultimately costs.
To minimize making errors one should read the tender documents multiple times along with the eligibility criteria and application deadlines. In addition, completed application documents should be submitted on time with the final documents checked by yourself multiple times for accuracy, making sure the application is all completed and submitted by the last date. If there is a requirement to submit an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD), it should be done. Your bid should be thoroughly proofed. Originality is important and should not normally contain editing from others or plagiarized copy; although it can be reassuring to copy, the goal is to develop original content that highlights your complete capability and professionalism. Taking the time to implement these principles while submitting a bid, everyone understands the competitive likeliness of all Indian procurement making every bid process worthwhile.
