Waiting to find out if you’ve won that bid submission can be a painfully slow process. Some tenders will get evaluated, and the successful one (or tenderers in some cases) will be notified in just a few weeks, while others can take months….and months.
Why? Well, it depends on a number of factors, including:
How quickly the issuer needs to make a decision
How complex the tender is (obviously, the more complex, the more information the evaluation panel will need to wade through)
Whether the issuer wants more information from the short-listed candidates (including asking you if you want to update your pricing)
The good news is that if the tender issuer communicates with you, you’ve probably made the shortlist. Being asked for your best and final pricing is always tricky, given that you’ve probably already given it your best shot, and sharpening the pencil a bit more could be an easy way for you to price yourself out of business.
Some of them will let all respondents know who has won the bid submission, and some will also provide you with feedback so you know exactly how you rated against your competitor. If you find out that you haven’t been successful but haven’t been given any details why, always ask for feedback.
If you were left hanging and you don’t know if you’ve been successful or not, don’t be afraid to reach out to them and ask for an update. You can also check the tender website on which the tender was listed, as some of these will list the successful tenderer/s once selected.
Another option — if a local Council issued your bid submission — is to check the Councillor's monthly meeting minutes (these are always published on the Council website). You may have to trawl through a few months worth of minutes, but they will usually include a brief overview of each tender received, how they rated and who was successful.
At the end of the day, no two tenders are the same, and there’s usually no hurrying the outcome. One of my clients recently waited nine months to find out they had been successful. It was worth the wait, though, as they were awarded three contracts with $18 million.
So be patient, hope for the best and always seek feedback so you know what you could do better next time. And remember, if you'd need an external pair of eyes to take a peek at your bid submission and provide feedback, I'm happy to provide a high-level review completely free of charge and obligation. All you need to do is shoot an email to pauline@tenderwise.com.au or call me on 0400 514 579.