The mistakes that eliminate you and the pre-submission checklist

Many eliminated bids do not lose on substance. They fall over a detail that an hour of checking would have fixed. Here are the classic mistakes, followed by the list to check the day before submission. Not all of them are fatal everywhere: some tender files allow a short time to supply a missing document, others do not. Assume there will be no second chance.

The twelve classic mistakes

1. Arriving late, even by a minute. The deadline is a precise time, and a late package is generally refused unopened. To avoid it: set your own limit at the day before, find the exact office, and aim for the day before on an electronic portal too. See Submit your bid.

2. An expired certificate. A tax certificate, social security certificate or non-bankruptcy certificate that has lapsed on the deadline can bring down the whole bid. To avoid it: read each date against the deadline, not against today, and check again if an addendum moves the deadline. In a joint venture, also check each member's documents.

3. A faulty bid security. Amount too small, validity too short, beneficiary misspelled, wrong lot, the bank's form instead of the one in the file. To avoid it: ask the bank for the draft before it is issued and compare it word for word with the form. See Bonds and guarantees.

4. An unsigned document. A bid letter without a signature, a page not initialled when the file requires it, a signatory without authority. To avoid it: keep the list of signatures in front of you, and attach the power of attorney when the signatory is not the legal representative.

5. A missing or altered form. A declaration is missing, or you redid a form your own way. To avoid it: start from the file's list of documents, tick them off one by one and use the forms provided without changing them.

6. The data sheet not read. The bid data sheet (RPAO, or données particulières) changes the general instructions: number of copies, validity, submission address, criteria. Anyone who reads only the general part answers a different file from their own. To avoid it: read the data sheet first and carry each point into your list. See Read a notice and a tender file.

7. An addendum missed. An addendum changes a quantity, a document or a date, and your bid answers the old version. To avoid it: leave your contact details when you collect the file, ask regularly whether there are addenda and check where they are published.

8. The wrong lot. The reference, the security or the price relate to another lot, or you bid for part of a lot when you had to answer for all of it. To avoid it: write the lot number on every document and check what the file allows.

9. A reference that is not similar or not proved. Your contract does not match what the file calls similar, or the certificate of good performance or acceptance minutes are missing. To avoid it: reread the definition of a similar contract and attach proof for each reference you cite. See Write a technical bid that gets through.

10. A price you cannot justify. A very low price or unbalanced unit prices draw a request for justification, and rejection if you cannot answer. To avoid it: keep your quotes and a price breakdown ready to send.

11. A calculation error. The committee corrects it, and your ranking can change. A blank line or a gap between the bid letter and the bill of quantities raises the same problem. To avoid it: use formulas, then have a second person redo the totals. See Price your financial bid.

12. A package badly presented or sent to the wrong address. Your name on an envelope that had to stay anonymous, a price placed in the technical envelope, ORIGINAL and COPY not marked, a bid filed in the wrong office or sent to a listing site. To avoid it: follow the package description to the letter and send the bid only to the buyer, at the address given.

Faults that cost far more than one bid

Some faults do more than lose the contract. A forged certificate, a false security, an invented reference, a price agreement with competitors or an attempt to influence the committee can lead to exclusion from the procedure and, depending on how serious it is, a ban on bidding for a period and prosecution. These checks are not theoretical: a committee can call a bank, an administration or a former client. Present only what is true.

The day-before check

Print this list. Go through it with a second person, ideally one who did not put the bid together, with the file open beside you. Allow time to fix things.

1. 1

   The file is up to date

   You have the latest version and all addenda. The date, time and place of submission are checked one last time, in local time.

2. 2

   Administrative documents

   Each document on the list is there, as an original or certified copy as required, valid on the deadline. In a joint venture, for each member, with the lead member's authority.

3. 3

   The bid security

   The original is there. Amount, currency, validity, beneficiary, reference and lot are right, and the wording is that of the form.

4. 4

   The technical bid

   Each criterion in the grid has its answer, in the order asked. Each reference has its proof, each CV its signature if the file asks for one, and the schedule's duration is the one in the file.

5. 5

   The financial bid

   No line is blank. Totals have been recalculated. The amount in the letter equals the one in the bill of quantities, in figures and in words. The tax basis, the currency and the validity period are those in the file.

6. 6

   Signatures and initials

   All required signatures and initials are there, by an empowered person, with the stamp if the file asks for it. Pages are numbered.

7. 7

   The copies

   The right number of copies, each marked and identical to the original.

8. 8

   The envelopes

   Each envelope carries exactly the required wording. The price is only where it should be. The outer envelope stays anonymous if that is required.

9. 9

   Delivery

   The person carrying it, their transport, their identity document and the route are planned, with plenty of margin. On a portal: account checked, files tested, final version uploaded, confirmation received.

10. 10

    Your own copy

    You keep a full copy of the bid, including the security. You will need it if the committee asks a question, and to prepare what comes after the award.