To analyse a tender dossier, start with the consultation regulations, not the specification: that is where the evaluation criteria and their weighting are to be found. Then, note down every required document and every knockout requirement. If a knockout requirement can be met by neither you nor a partner, the decision is made: do not bid.
In short
- The tender documentation is read first: it explains how your bid will be scored.
- Before drafting, separate what is noted of which eliminates.
- A grid of 5 questions is enough to decide whether to go or not, before having read everything.
What a tender package contains
The tender consultation file (DCE) brings together everything that the buyer makes available to candidates. Most of the time, it can be downloaded from the buyer profile indicated in the contract notice. It most frequently contains:
| Room | What she is telling you |
|---|---|
| IT — Invitation to tender | The rules of the game: judging criteria, weighting, required documents, deadline, variations, site visit. |
| SCC — Special Conditions of Contract | The performance conditions: time limits, penalties, payment, subcontracting. |
| Specification of Particular Technical Clauses | The need and technical requirements. |
| CA — Contractual commitment | The document by which you make your commitment. |
| Pricing documents: BPU, DPGF, DQE | The framework for your costing: unit prices, lump-sum global price, estimated breakdown. |
| Appendices | Plans, technical memorandum framework, studies, reference to the CCAG. |
In the private sector, the tender documentation is often less formalised, but it almost always contains the same core elements: a specification, submission rules and a pricing template.
In what order to read the DCE
The temptation is to open the specification document, because that is what describes the work. Doing it the other way around is what saves time.
- The tender specifications. He states how you will be marked and what will eliminate you. Everything else is read through him.
- The technical method statement template, if it exists. He gives you the expected structure for your response.
- The technical specifications, by first looking for the requirements that match the noted criteria.
- Priceless items, to measure the estimation effort.
- The CCAP, for the penalties, lead times and payment terms that change the economic equation.
Reading in this order means you can stop at step 1 if the file is not for you.
Identify what is recorded: the judgement criteria
The award criteria state what your bid will be compared against: most often price, technical merit, and sometimes environmental, social or delivery time criteria.
In a public contract awarded in formalised procedure, the buyer must indicate these criteria and their weighting, or, if weighting is impossible for objective reasons, their order of importance (Public procurement code, art. R2152-12). It publishes them in the tender notice or in the documents of the consultation (art. R2152-11). Often, the technical value itself is broken down into sub-criteria : methodology, human and material resources, planning, references.
Three reflexes:
- Note the weight of each criterion. He decides where your writing time goes.
- Recopy the sub-criteria as is. They will become the titles of your technical memory.
- Look for the notation method. Some regulations explain how the price note is calculated, or what distinguishes a «very satisfactory» note from a «satisfactory» note.
With Optima Proposal Manager
You submit the DCE: the software sorts the documents and outputs the criteria for judging them, so that you can have them in front of you before reading everything.
Identifying what eliminates: eliminative requirements
An offer can be rejected even before it is recorded. List everything that, if it is missing, will make your application uncompetitive:
- the application documents required (DC1, DC2 or DUME, certificates, references, certificates of competence); ;
- the Qualifications or certifications required; ;
- one Compulsory site visit, and its date; ;
- the format and method of delivery (platform, electronic signature, naming of files); ;
- the date and time limits of a discount; ;
- the prohibition or authorization of variants ;
- the minimum capabilities : turnover, staff, insurance.
Each line in this list must receive a response: I have it, I can have it in time, a partner can bring it, or I wouldn’t have it. In a public tender, you can rely on the capabilities of other companies (in a consortium or with a subcontractor), and the buyer may ask you to complete a missing part of the application. But if a requirement cannot be met by you or a partner, the decision is made.
Deciding: a go/no go grid in 5 questions
Once the regulations have been read and the requirements listed, five questions are enough to decide, before you have stripped everything away.
- Can I meet all the elimination requirements, alone or with a partner? If not, we stop there.
- Do the most demanding criteria correspond to our strengths? A market that is noted primarily on price does not elicit the same response as a market that is noted primarily on technical value.
- Do we have any comparable references to cite? In size, in nature and in context.
- Do we have the time and the people to respond before the deadline? Including the collection of the pieces, not just the writing.
- Is the market worth the cost of the response? In light of the amount, the penalties provided for in the CCAP and your actual chances.
A «yes» to questions 1 and 5, and at least two «yes» to questions 2 to 4: you’re in. Otherwise, giving up early is also a good decision: it’s time saved for the next answer.
It is at this precise moment that Optima Proposal Manager takes over: once the dossier has been analyzed, you are the one who decides whether to proceed with it or not.
Transforming the DCE into a work list
If you go there, reading the DCE directly produces your work plan:
| What needs to be produced | Who owns it | For when |
|---|---|---|
| Each piece of the application | The person who holds it | Before the deadline, with a margin |
| Each technical sub-criterion → a part of the thesis | The editor and the expert concerned | According to the writing schedule |
| Each piece of prize | The calculator | Before the final review |
The part that is easiest to underestimate is not the drafting: it is collecting the documents from the people who hold them.
Analyzing a DCE with Optima Proposal Manager
Classifying the pieces of a case and finding the criteria for judgment is a work of systematic reading. That is what I do. Optima Proposal Manager You submit the DCE, it sorts the documents, points out those it hasn’t been able to sort and comes up with the criteria for judging. On our demonstration file, the analysis took about a minute and a half.
And if you decide to go there, the software continues with you: it writes the technical report with you, based on your own documents and past answers, helps you calculate the DPGF and exports the report, the calculation and the DC1 / DC2.
What no software can do for you: decide if this market is for you. The above grid remains yours.
Frequently asked questions
What is a tender document?
The file for companies to consult: all the documents made available to candidates by the buyer (consultation regulations, CCAP, CCTP, commitment document, price lists, annexes).
Where can I find the tender dossier for a call for tenders?
On the buyer profile (the dematerialization platform) indicated in the tender notice. The download is free.
Which SBC solution to read first?
The consultation regulations. They contain the award criteria, their weighting, the required documents and the submission conditions.
Are the evaluation criteria always weighted?
In public procurement procedures that have been formalized, yes; in those that are not, they are classified in order of importance (Article R2152-12 of the Public Procurement Code). In an adapted procedure (MAPA), the criteria must be announced, but their weighting is not imposed. In a private market, the buyer sets their own rules freely.
How long does it take to analyse a tender dossier?
It depends on the size of the file. By reading the consultation rules first, one often knows right from the first reading whether the file merits further investigation.
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