If you have bid for government tenders, then you know that it is a long and arduous process of preparing a tender response that requires submitting a list of tender documents and filling in the specified forms. Not to mention battling the staunch competition from other companies for winning the tender.  Winning a tender bid depends on a convincing response to the tender and all documents attached in order. Documents required for government tenders are used to check a company’s track record in the industry.

All documents mentioned in the tender request need to be attached along with your tender response. Tender documents vary with the project requirements. For example, a construction project tender will ask for a design plan while a railway department tender will ask for documents proving your production capacity. Some government departments even include a checklist for documents that have to be filled in and submitted along with your tender application. This checklist helps the department know whether all the documents requested have been submitted by the company. Do note that an incomplete tender bid 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.

So, if you find a relevant government tender for your business, and you meet the tender application eligibility criteria, this article will help you to learn how to prepare tender response documents and take the process ahead.

Government tender application process

A company that is new to tender bidding might find it confusing to deal with the nitty gritty of finding and applying for a government tender. The first thing you will have to learn about is analysing a tender request and preparing a tender response. You will also need to check the tender request for all the documents required and make sure that you have all of them before applying for a tender.

Documents required for government tender

Government tenders ask for technical documents and financial documents to determine your eligibility to participate in the tender. These records indicate the company’s industry performance, which will be used to determine whether the business can complete the project on time and with the expected quality. Since these are a key point of evaluation, preparation of tender documents is a key step in the tender process. Here is a list of tender documents that businesses are usually asked to submit:

• Scanned copy of Tender Fee and Earnest Money Deposit (EMD).
• Scanned copy of Tender acceptance Letter
• Copy of PAN card
• Address proof of the business
• Proof of turnover for the specified period
• Scanned copy of Registration and Authorized Dealer/Registered Supplier Certificate, Partnership deed, if any.
• Scanned copy of GST returns for the specified period.
• Scanned copy of completed orders for a specified period (in case of projects that require machinery/equipment).
• Scanned copy of proof of Original Equipment Manufacturer, if applicable
• Detailed project plan/ response to tender specifying products, materials, and work required.
• Tender pricing document mentioning the price quote

 

These are the common documents that are requested in the invitation for a government tender. All these documents are supposed to be signed by an authorised signatory to prove their authenticity. Carefully go through the tender invite to find out which documents are being requested. Make sure you have all these documents before preparing the response to the government tender. You can refer to some tender document examples to avoid confusion.

Why should you apply for government tenders?

Applying for government tenders has many benefits, especially for small businesses. Government tenders are becoming increasingly popular with the government even setting a separate quota for procurement from MSMEs. There are several benefits of applying to a government tender:

• Builds reputation
• Guaranteed payment
• Helps secure long term contract
• Helps gain experience
• Builds revenue

As a MSME/Start-up owner, if you are apprehensive about applying to government eProcurement, think again. Today, the government is encouraging small businesses to participate in tendering to create economic growth opportunities for them. With the right documents and application in place, even small businesses can win government contracts on GeM and the CPP portal.

Documents required for tender application on government e-Tendering portal

You can check for government tenders on GeM portal and Central Public Procurement (CPP) portal. GeM portal is where you can gain access to tenders issued by both the central government and the state governments. While CPP portal is for central government organisations to publish their tender enquiries. Both these portals require you to sign up and register your business to get access to government tenders. The portals also ask for digital signature certification at the end of the registration process.

Here are some documents that are required to register on these procurement portals:

How to prepare tender documents for submission?

Documents required to apply for a tender will be given in the tender notice. Therefore, the first thing you have to do is read thorough the tender notice carefully. Given below are the steps to follow to prepare tender documents for submission.

• Read the tender notice thoroughly
• Create a list of documents required
• Check the format given for uploading the documents (for example: PDF)
• Make a folder on your computer and paste all the required documents in the folder
• Check whether all the documents pasted in the folder are in the prescribed format; if not convert them into the given format
• Upload the documents on the tender portal

An important thing to keep in mind is that a tender application requires a quotation from your end, i.e., an estimated price or bid for the tender. In most cases, a BOQ (excel) is required to be submitted with the tender application documents for evaluation/consideration.

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 best the tenders bids of your competitors. You can either study the tender bidding process thoroughly and do it yourself or hire bid writers who are experts at preparing bid proposals. There are a few things to keep in mind before applying for government tenders:

• Keep a constant watch for latest tenders this will help you get more time to prepare a response
• 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