How to read a tender notice: the fields that decide whether to bid

A contract notice on TED can run to several pages, with dozens of numbered fields. You do not need all of them to decide whether to bid. A handful of fields answer the questions that matter: can we bid, can we win, and is it worth the effort?

Since October 2023 every notice on TED follows the eForms standard, so the same information sits in the same fields whatever the country or language. This guide goes through them in the order that saves the most time. The rules quoted are those of the main EU procurement directive (Directive 2014/24/EU); utilities and defense contracts follow similar but separate rules.

1. The deadline for tenders

Check this first. In an open procedure the buyer must allow at least 35 days from the day the notice was sent for publication. That drops to 30 days when tenders can be submitted electronically, which is now the norm, and to as little as 15 days when the buyer published a prior information notice beforehand or the case is urgent. Restricted and negotiated procedures have two stages, each with its own deadline.

If the time left is shorter than you need to prepare a credible bid, including translation and internal approval, stop here.

Note the cut-off for clarification questions as well. Buyers must answer questions sent in good time no later than six days before the tender deadline, so they usually close questions a few days before that.

2. What is being bought, and the lots

Read the short description and the list of lots. Large contracts are often split into lots by region, service or product, and you can usually bid for one lot without bidding for the others; the buyer may limit how many lots one company can win. A contract that looks too big may contain one lot that fits you well.

Check the CPV codes too. They tell you how the buyer classifies the purchase, which helps when the description is vague. See CPV codes explained for how the codes work.

3. Estimated value and duration

The estimated value is not always given, but when it is, compare it with contracts you have delivered. Look at the duration and any renewal options: a contract worth €400,000 over four years is a different proposition from €400,000 over six months.

4. The procedure

The type of procedure tells you how the competition will run:

• Open procedure: everyone can submit a full bid. The most common type.
• Restricted procedure: you first apply to take part, and the buyer invites a shortlist to bid.
• Competitive procedure with negotiation or competitive dialogue: used for complex purchases, with rounds of discussion.

Also check whether the contract is a framework agreement. Then you compete for a place on the framework, and the actual orders come later, sometimes through mini-competitions among the companies on it. A place on a framework does not guarantee any work.

5. Selection criteria

This is where many companies discover they cannot bid. Buyers set minimum requirements for:

• economic and financial standing: a minimum annual turnover (as a rule, no more than twice the estimated contract value) or professional indemnity insurance;
• technical and professional ability: similar contracts delivered in recent years (buyers may look back up to three years for supplies and services, five for works), qualified staff, certificates such as ISO 9001 or ISO 27001;
• suitability: registration in a professional or trade register, or a license for regulated activities.

You declare that you meet these criteria in the ESPD when you bid. If you miss a criterion, consider whether a partner could cover it. EU rules let you rely on the capacity of other companies.

6. Award criteria

The award criteria tell you how the buyer will choose the winner. Contracts go to the most economically advantageous tender, which the buyer can define as the lowest price, the lowest cost over the life of the contract, or the best price-quality ratio. Look at the weighting:

• Price 100%: you win on price alone. Only worth it if you can be the cheapest.
• Quality weighted at 40–60%: your method statement, team and approach matter. Good for specialists.

The criteria and their weighting are in the notice or the tender documents. They should shape how you write the bid.

7. Documents and submission

The notice gives a link to the tender documents, which buyers must make available free of charge from the day the notice is published, usually on their e-procurement platform. It also says how to submit. Register on the platform as soon as you consider bidding, and check whether you need a qualified electronic signature.

8. Language and place of performance

The notice states the language in which bids must be written and where the work is performed. Both have practical costs: translation, travel, local staff and sometimes local formalities after award.

9. Who has won before

The notice itself does not tell you this, but earlier award notices from the same buyer, or for similar contracts, do. They show the winners, often the contract values, and the number of bids received. A buyer that received two bids last time is a very different opportunity from one that received twenty.

A quick bid / no-bid check

After reading these fields, answer five questions:

1. Do we have enough time to prepare a serious bid?
2. Do we meet every selection criterion, alone or with a partner?
3. Does the scope, or at least one lot, match what we do well?
4. Can we compete on the award criteria as weighted?
5. Is the contract big enough to justify the effort, and small enough for us to deliver?

Five yeses: open the documents and start. Any no: usually drop it and move on to the next notice. Deciding fast is what makes it possible to look at every new tender in your market.