It can often be daunting considering to pursue a high level contract in the public sector. The sheer size and complexity of such contracts, combined with the consideration of a significant amount of paperwork, can deter companies who could otherwise succeed in this challenging arena. What needs to be kept in mind is that European level tendering has a clearly defined, structured sales process:

Before a contract is advertised the procurement strategy is defined by the particular organisation involved. What product or service is the body hoping to purchase? How can the product or service contribute towards improved service delivery?

An Invitation to Tender is publicised. Sometimes pre-qualification is necessary in order to compete for the tender, and so companies must satisfactorily complete a questionaire about their business, its predigree, and its financial status, etc.

The next stage is the Receipt of Tenders. Once interested parties have qualified, received and completed the tender documents, the tender documents are assessed and refined. Purchasing officers then analyse the tenders according to predefined criteria such as value for money, quality of after-sales service, environmental standards, and any other measure which determines the best solution to that particular contract opportunity.

The final stage as far as winning the business is concerned is the Award of the Tender. The successful supplier (or suppliers) is contacted and informed of the reason for its success, and the same occurs to those that have proved unsuccessful, which are accordingly informed of why they have failed on the present occasion.

The contract will then be managed and reviewed on a regular basis.

Timescales can vary with regard to the length of the tender process, but it is reasonable to say that a typical tender will leave 6 weeks to respond to the advertisement of the contract, and then a further 6 weeks will be taken to assess the contract. All subscribers to the Government Online Tender Information Service will receive the contracts within 24-36 hours of publication, and will know clearly when applications for participation must be sent, when tenders must be received, and at what date the contract will be awarded.

How, then, can your company win the business?

Next: The Sales Process