When tenders for contracts are advertised interested parties are generally directed to an online portal. A summary of the tender is given, and prospective tenderers are invited to register an initial EOI – Expression of Interest.
The issue many prospective tenderers face at this point is that they are not sure whether they are interested in the tender or not. In order to be able to establish if the tender is of interest to them they need to access the contract documentation. But they can’t access the contract documentation until they have expressed interest.
This is not a problem. It is possible to register an initial EOI – Expression of Interest, access the contract documents, assess the tender, decide not to proceed and withdraw the initial EOI – Expression of Interest. This can all be done without obligation, and the initial EOI – Expression of Interest can be withdrawn in such a way as to be able to opt back in at a later stage.
Being able to do this is an essential part of the bid / no bid decision making process. Without the full contract documentation it may be impossible to make an informed decision.
Furthermore, the next stage in the online tendering process is to confirm your intention to respond. As with registering an initial EOI – Initial Expression of Interest – this can be withdrawn at a later stage. It is important of course to be fair with the tendering organisation, and to withdraw as soon as you know. It is important for them, in the interests of running a professional tendering process, to know how many bids to expect.
As with all tender related activity it is important to act sooner rather than later. The clock is always ticking.
If you would like to know more on this topic please contact us.