Three Simple Tips: How Public Procurers Can Receive More and Better Proposals

Are you a public procurer looking to attract more qualified suppliers and better proposals? Then read on.

Cobrief helps over 400 suppliers find public tenders, evaluate those tenders, and write proposals for them. We often hear what it takes for a supplier to submit a proposal, and what makes them decide not to.

In short, the simpler the tender process is for suppliers, the more (and better) proposals the procurer receives.

Summary: Three tips for more proposals

• Publish everything on Doffin: Including market surveys and competitions below the threshold value.
• Fill out the entire notice form: Make it easy to assess qualifications without having to dig through documents.
• Require open access to the tender documents: Ensure that the procurement platform provides free and direct access to the tender documents, as required by law.

Here you can read more about these three simple measures that we know suppliers will greatly appreciate:

Tip 1: Publish everything on Doffin

Doffin is designed for absolutely all phases of all types of procurements, whether simple, complex, large, or small. We find that many procurers don't publish market surveys because they think it's difficult, or don't know they can do so. Especially if it's below the national threshold value!

It's very easy to publish on Doffin. It ensures that all relevant suppliers pick up on the procurement. The more that is openly available, the more relevant suppliers will discover the opportunity.

So here are some smart things to keep in mind:

• In the planning phase: Publish a simple market survey.
• In the competition phase: Publish all competitions, even those below the national threshold value. It's super easy! Then our free tender alerts will pick it up, which is used daily by over 1,500 suppliers.
• After the competition: Publish the result! This is often mandatory within 30 days. A notice helps suppliers learn even more and improve their proposals for next time. This can reduce the number of freedom of information requests, which often take more time than simply publishing the result.

Tip 2: Fill out the entire notice form

Doffin is built on eForms, and it's excellent! It allows you to specify almost all aspects of the competition directly in the notice. When you fill this out properly, suppliers don't have to dig through the entire tender documents just to assess whether they qualify.

Easy for suppliers = More relevant proposals for you.

Tip 3: Require free, direct, and unlimited access to the tender documents

Did you know that in nearly 90% of Norwegian tenders, the tender documents are restricted, and suppliers must go through cumbersome extra steps to get the full picture in each competition?

The law requires "free, direct, and unlimited electronic access" to the tender documents. Have a conversation with your procurement platform provider and demand that they deliver on this -- also for systems like Cobrief, which retrieves the documents on behalf of suppliers.

Are you procuring a new procurement platform? Set this as a requirement in the requirements specification.

Also read DFO's recommendations here.

Make tender work easier

Our goal is to create a simpler tender experience for all parties, and to highlight the best suppliers.

Want to know more about how we help qualified suppliers find and evaluate public tenders, and write proposals? Or would you like more tips on how to get more qualified suppliers to submit proposals?

Feel free to take a look at cobrief.com and chat with us there.

Have a great tender day!