How to read a tender in an hour and build a compliance checklist

A public tender can be 15 pages or 150. Either way, most of the risk sits in a few places, and reading in the right order finds them fast. This is the method we'd use on a typical BC service tender.

Before you start: get the whole package

Download every document from the official posting, not a copy someone forwarded: the main document, appendices, pricing forms, drawings or site lists, and every addendum issued so far. Register as a plan taker or follower on the posting so you hear about new addenda. Save everything in one folder with the closing date in the name.

Step 1: When, where and how it closes (5 minutes)

Find the closing date and time, the time zone, and the exact submission method: a portal upload, email, or a sealed envelope to an address. Note:

• Whether late bids are accepted (almost never).
• File format and size rules for electronic bids.
• How many copies, and whether price goes in a separate file or envelope.
• The deadline for questions, which is usually several days before closing.

Put the closing time and question deadline in your calendar now.

Step 2: Mandatory requirements (15 minutes)

Search the document for must, shall, mandatory and required. Every hit goes on your checklist. Typical mandatories:

• A signed submission form or form of tender.
• Acknowledgement of every addendum.
• A mandatory site meeting or walkthrough.
• WorkSafeBC registration, insurance letters, licences or certifications.
• Bid security, if asked for, in the exact form allowed.
• A pricing form filled in completely, with no blanks.

Missing a mandatory usually means your bid isn't evaluated at all. If you can't meet one, stop here, or ask a question before the deadline.

Step 3: How it will be evaluated (10 minutes)

For an RFP, find the evaluation table: each criterion and its points or weight. This tells you what to write about and how much space each part deserves. Note any minimum score you must reach on the technical part before price is opened.

For an RFQ or tender, it's usually lowest compliant price, but check for tie-breakers or other conditions.

Step 4: The scope and the pricing form (20 minutes)

Read the scope of work with the pricing form open beside it. For each line on the pricing form, find what it covers in the scope. Look for:

• Frequencies and service levels: how often, how fast, what standard.
• Quantities and sites: square footage, number of sites, hours, kilometres.
• Who supplies what: materials, equipment, consumables, disposal.
• Reporting: logs, photos, monthly reports, meetings.
• Anything that's in the scope but has no line to price it. That's work you'll do for free unless you spread its cost across other lines.

Step 5: The contract terms (10 minutes)

Skim the draft contract for terms that change your cost or risk: term and extensions, price adjustment, payment terms, insurance limits, holdback, liquidated damages or penalties, termination for convenience, and whether you'll be prime contractor. Flag anything you'd need your broker, accountant or lawyer to look at.

The checklist itself

A simple table works: what's required, where it's stated (section and page), who's doing it, and done. Teams call this a compliance matrix. Even if you're a one-person shop, it stops the 11 p.m. panic of wondering whether you signed page 4.

CrewBid's bid checklist lets you keep a checklist for each bid you're tracking, and our summaries flag the requirements that commonly trip people up. The tender itself is always the source of truth.

Before you submit

Go down the checklist one last time, against the final version of your bid, after the last addendum. Check that every addendum is acknowledged, every form is signed and every price cell is filled. Then submit early.

Where to go next

How to write an RFP proposal that scores well picks up from the evaluation table. How to price a multi-year service contract covers the pricing form.