Getting started
Your first public tender, step by step
Ten steps, in the order a bid meets them. Each one says what to do, the mistake first-timers make, and where on Aperlena you do it.
10 steps
-
Decide whether public work is for you
Public buyers pay reliably and publish what they need, but they ask for paperwork and take months to decide. Look at who wins contracts like yours and for how much before you spend a day on a bid. A small company can win: many contracts are split into lots and many stay below the EU thresholds.
The first-timer's mistake Judging the whole market by the largest contracts in the news. Most awards are small, and most go to companies you have never heard of.
-
Find the notices that fit
Search by what you sell, not by the buyer's words: the CPV code is how notices are filed in every language. Narrow by country or region, then save the search so that new notices come to you by email.
The first-timer's mistake Searching once, by keyword, in one language. The notice you wanted was filed under a code and published last week.
-
Read a notice in ten minutes
Start with the deadline, the value, the procedure and the lots; the summary on each notice page gives them in your language. Then read our verdict on how contested the contract is likely to be. The official notice, linked on every page, is what counts.
The first-timer's mistake Reading the title and the value and stopping there. The conditions that exclude you are further down: minimum turnover, references, certificates.
-
Decide: bid or no bid
A bid costs days of work, so most notices deserve a no. Save the notice and answer the bid or no-bid worksheet; on the notice page, "Does it pay off?" sets the cost of bidding against what winning is worth.
The first-timer's mistake Bidding for everything that looks possible. Three careful bids win more than ten hurried ones.
-
Get the documents and the ESPD
Download the full set of procurement documents from the buyer's platform and read the instructions to tenderers first. The ESPD is a self-declaration that you meet the conditions: you fill it in once and reuse it. In another country, the country kit says which portal and which signature to expect.
The first-timer's mistake Opening an account on the buyer's platform on the last day. Some platforms check a new company by hand, and an electronic signature can take a week to obtain.
-
Prove that you are suitable
Buyers ask for references: past contracts of a similar kind and size, usually from the last three or five years. Keep them in one list with their dates and amounts. If you fall short, you may be able to bid with a partner or rely on a subcontractor.
The first-timer's mistake Citing a reference that is too old or too small for the condition, which is checked before anyone reads your offer.
-
Ask questions and watch the deadline
If the documents are unclear, ask the buyer in writing before the time limit for questions; the answer goes to every bidder. Count the time you have in working days on the buyer's calendar, and plan backwards from the deadline.
The first-timer's mistake Guessing what an unclear requirement means. A wrong guess cannot be corrected after the deadline.
-
Write the offer and set the price
Answer every award criterion in the buyer's order and words: the evaluators score what they find where they expect it. Before you set a price, see how it would score under the buyer's formula with the scoring simulator.
The first-timer's mistake Writing about your company rather than about the buyer's criteria, or cutting the price so far that the buyer has to ask whether it is abnormally low.
-
Submit on the platform
The bid goes to the platform the notice names, in the form and with the signature the documents ask for. Upload it hours before the deadline and keep the confirmation. A notice page on Aperlena says how to submit where we know the platform.
The first-timer's mistake Uploading in the last minutes. The platform's clock decides, and a late bid is usually refused.
-
After the award
Won or lost, read the award notice: it names the winner and often the price. If you lost, ask the buyer for its reasons; an awarded notice page gives the usual time limits and a letter to send. What you learn there is the start of the next bid.
The first-timer's mistake Walking away after a loss without asking why. The reasons are free, and the same buyer will tender again.
Bidding in another country? The country kits say what a company from abroad runs into: Country kits for bidders