If you have applied for government tenders in India, you know that you have to strategize and prepare a tender response and attach a list of tender documents. This stage of preparing the documents required for government tender application in India is both tedious and complex, and requires absolute accuracy, consistency and thoroughness. Any errors in this, whether in filling in technical or financial bid document details, or submitting images in the right format and size, could result in the rejection of your tender application. In the end, it is the tender response supported by the right documents that will convince the tender authority on your competence and increase your chances of winning the tender bid.

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Documents required for government tender applications are used to check the authenticity and track record of a company, and whether or not the bidder has the expertise and experience to execute the project. So, let’s take a look at the standard tender documents that you need when applying for government tenders in India.

List of documents required for government tenders

Before looking at specific details about the tendering process and how to submit tender documents, let’s take a look at the tender documents list that businesses/bidders are required to submit during the application process:

• Details about the company: Company address proof, business incorporation certificate, MSME certificate (if applicable) or any other relevant certificates (e.g., Registration and Authorized Dealer/Registered Supplier Certificate, Partnership deed etc.), etc.
• GST and PAN details: Scanned copy of PAN card and GST returns, ITR for the period specified, etc.
• Financial details: Turnover details for the period specified, specific financial statements, tender price quote (this should be as per the BOQ or any other format specified), banking details, insurance details (if applicable), etc.
• Technical details: Work experience details (e.g., scanned copy of relevant previous work/projects completed,), details on team qualification and expertise/experience, additional technical certifications acquired (e.g. quality certificate), drawings, specifications, etc., list of sub-contractors, details on equipment and machinery, site/facility and factory plans, etc.
• Payment details: Scanned copies of tender fees, Earnest Money Deposit (Note – Micro and small enterprises are usually exempted from paying EMD fees unless specified), tender security deposit, etc.
• Other project specific details: Scanned copy of OEM certificate (if application), ISO certificate (if applicable), project plan with details on material quantity and quality, appendix and data sheet, details on current work-in-progress projects (for timelines, credibility), etc.
• Tender forms: Specific forms that the bidder has to fill in and submit along with the documents

Also read: Benefits of having ISO certificate during government tendering

These are some of the common documents required for government tenders. You will also need to have a Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) of the authorised signatory to sign the tender documents during application.

Also, the list of tender documents varies depending on the nature and scope of the tender and the requirements of the tendering authority. For instance, tender documents for civil works and tender documents in construction will have specific requirements (especially on team skills, certifications, quality standards, etc.).

In all instances, read the tender notice in detail and prepare the tender documents accordingly. You can also study tender documents samples to understand its requirements.

What is a tender document?

Today, government tendering is carried out online, usually through the Central Public Procurement portal (or CPPP portal) and the GeM portal. In both cases, you can view the latest tender notices, but will need to register and login to the portals to apply for relevant tenders. In several cases, states have their own tender portals through which you can apply for tenders in the respective states.

Tender document PDF vs list of tender documents:

Tender notice:

This is the invitation to the tender – i.e., the government inviting eligible suppliers/bidders to bid for specific requirements for the procurement of goods and services that the government has. This can be viewed by anyone on the CPPP portal and/or GeM portal or state tender portals.

Tender document PDF:

When you go through a tender invitation or tender notice on the CPPP or any other portal, you can download the tender document PDF (also available as a zip file). This PDF file, though called ‘Tender documents PDF’ is the detailed tender notice and mentions end-to-end information on the tender requirements. It mentions the tender title, opening and closing dates, information on payments, type of tender and works, documents required for technical and financial bid submission, evaluation criteria and all information pertaining to the specific tender.

List of tender documents:

The list of tender documents is a part of this Tender Document PDF that highlights what documents require to be submitted during the application process, the file size and format.

These demonstrate the company/bidders work experience, industry reputation, general performance, financial health and more.

Note: In many cases, the tender response is also known as the tender response document or tender proposal document.

Since these are essential and play a pivotal role in bidder evaluation, preparation of tender documents is a key step in the e-tendering process.

Bid document:

This refers to the Request for Proposal document or RFP, that is, a proposal when there is an idea/requirement but there’s no strategy or plan yet for execution. (Read more on the differences between RFP, RFT, RFQ and RFI in tendering).

Checklist for standard tender documents

Always check for the checklist for tender response. Some tendering authorities have a checklist of tender documents in place to ensure that you do not miss submitting any requested document.

In some cases, this is the final stage of the e-tendering process where you will have to check the box confirming that the required documents have been submitted. This helps the tendering authority to know whether all the requested documents have been submitted.

Do note that an incomplete tender bid will not qualify for evaluation and will be rejected. There might also be a sample tender document pdf that is published by certain departments to help you with the process further.

How to write a tender document?

Before applying for a tender, you must check the tender eligibility criteria. The tender notice will contain all details on standard tender documents required. However, ask yourself these questions before you begin:

• Does your business have documents on its work experience? That is, project completion certificates in the last 2-3 years
• Does your company have a strong financial health? That is, minimum debt, audited financial and accounting details for the last 2-4 years, no previous defaulter records, etc.
• Do you have the necessary industry specific certifications? Is the team qualified academically and professionally to undertake such a project?
• What are the other projects you are currently engaged in? Do you have the funds and bandwidth to take up new work as per the prescribed timelines? Or do you need to borrow funds and hire a team for undertaking the contract?

Having answered these questions, here’s a quick overview of how to write a tender document for your response to a tender invitation.

Preparing tender documents list for submission:

• Read the tender notice thoroughly to identify (a) if you are eligible (b) if you have the capabilities, qualifications and resources to complete the contract in time (c) if it will be a profitable option for your business
• Create a list of documents required and check to ensure if you have all the documents requested in the specified format and file size
• Check the format given for uploading the documents (for example: PDF, png, jpeg, xls)
• Make a folder on your computer and paste all the required documents in the folder (Alternatively, on the CPPP you can also have the commonly asked for documents stored in the My Documents section)
• Check whether all the documents pasted in the folder are in the prescribed format; if not convert them into the given format
• Ensure that you attach all receipts, drawings, tender forms, etc.
• Upload the documents on the tender portal (also in most cases, the documents have to be attached as a single file)

Pro-tip:

• Check to see if the tender application is in the form of an online form where you will have to fill in every field and attach the documents alongside
• Ensure you have not modified the BOQ spreadsheet and have attached the quotation from your end, i.e., an estimated price or bid for the tender

Who writes tender documents?

The tender document response should be written by an expert and reviewed internally to ensure that there are no inconsistent, incorrect or inaccurate information. It should ideally be written by:

• An expert bid writer internally who understands the style and nuances of furnishing the right information in the tender application, that highlights the company’s achievements, excellence and experience, and illustrates how they would be able to fulfil the project requirements efficiently
• Services of a bid consultant (external) who can write competently and illustrate how the company will add value to the project

In either case, writing a tender response is a collaborative work as details and data from different departments will be required as per the requested list of tender documents.

Things to keep in mind while applying for government tenders

To win a government tender bid it is necessary to prepare a tender response that can beat the tenders bids of your competitors. You can either study the tender bidding process thoroughly and do it yourself or hire bid consultants who are experts at preparing bid proposals.

There are a few things to keep in mind before applying for government tenders:

• Keep a check on new tender notifications from relevant cities, industries, work categories etc. to have time to filter the relevant ones, collate the requested list of tender documents, and prepare a compliant tender proposal
• The tender form must be error free and therefore should be filled with great care
• Download tender document and carefully study all the requirements posed
• Perform a complete cost analysis of the project before quoting a price
• If you are beginner at applying for tenders start with small projects

Author: Sohini Banerjee

Sohini is a seasoned content writer with 12 years’ experience in developing marketing and business content across multiple formats. At Tata nexarc, she leverages her skills in crafting curated content on the Indian MSME sector, steel procurement, and logistics. In her personal time, she enjoys reading fiction and being up-to-date on trends in digital marketing and the Indian business ecosystem.