How to Win Your First Public Tender: Process, Checklist and Common Mistakes

How to Win Your First Public Tender: Process, Checklist and Common Mistakes

Intro

“We are too small” or “the competition is stronger than us” – these are the most common reasons companies avoid bidding, assuming that only “the best” can win. The trouble is, “the best” is a subjective and vague concept that has very little to do with how public procurement actually works.

The outcome of a bid depends on something much more specific –whether the selected procedure matches the company profile, and quite often, whether the documentation was prepared without formal errors.

Companies taking their first steps in public procurement often discover something surprising: what institutions are looking for aligns closely with their day-to-day operations. The fear of sky-high requirements and complex procedures usually turns out to be greater than reality.

The workflow is often very similar to standard commercial contracts, with the sole difference that the rules of the game are clearly defined and transparent from the start.

This article covers how to win a public tender – from finding matching offers and analyzing risks and participation criteria, right down to submitting the bid.

How to bid for public contracts and what really happens behind the scenes?

Many myths have built up around public procurement. There is a widespread belief that this world is reserved exclusively for corporate giants, and that smaller entities stand no chance. Whether due to pricing criteria or excessive requirements regarding past references.

What does it look like in reality? Are smaller businesses truly at a disadvantage?

Not at all. Technically, the path looks exactly the same for every entity, and everything begins with a single business decision – if a company wants to enter this segment in the first place.

When analysing the market, we can notice a clear divide on the business map: the number of companies that have ever decided to step into this world is relatively small. Our experience shows that enterprises regularly bidding in tenders can boast a long track record. This is because they simply stepped into this basket of opportunities at some point and, in a sense, claimed this market for themselves, making the entry barrier seem higher today.

Mentally, a feeling has taken root that this topic is incredibly complicated. To be fair, it is not easy. However, this does not mean that this world is inaccessible to new players.

Before making the decision to submit a first public tender, it is worth understanding the formal structure of the entire venture. The journey from an idea to signing a contract consists of five key steps:

• Publication. The contracting authority officially announces the demand for specific services, supplies, or construction works, making the project documentation available.
• Qualification. The verification stage, during which contractors must demonstrate that they meet specific formal, financial, and technical conditions required to execute the order.
• Bid preparation. The most labor-intensive moment, which involves accurate pricing, assembling documents, and precisely responding to all the requirements of the contracting authority.
• Bid submission. The official and timely delivery of the secured tender documentation via the designated electronic platform.
• Resolution. The analysis of the submitted proposals by the tender committee, selection of the most advantageous offer, and signing the contract with the contractor.

But what about internal processes?

In the world of public procurement, internal processes are built in many different ways, because they ultimately land in the hands of very different people. That is exactly why both the search itself and the final decision to bid are highly individual matters for each organization. Understanding how this mechanism should function within company structures is very important.

My experience shows that once the decision to bid is made, a dedicated specialist appears within the company structures. Most often, this is a sales manager or a tender specialist. In smaller enterprises, this is usually a person operating solo – a classic "one-man band."

Tasks in such a role include searching for notices, presenting opportunities to the board, and later, independently creating the entire tender documentation. In larger organisations, teams are built where the division of responsibilities takes place, for example, by regions or voivodeships.

How to assess whether a tender is worth pursuing

Before analysing specific notices, I believe we must honestly check whether our organisation is truly prepared for such a move. In practice, this means an absolute verification of two key areas: resources and accountability. Tenders generate massive amounts of extra work – from analysing thick volumes of documentation and coordination right through to preparing the actual bid. If a company is already operating at the edge of its capacity, carrying out this process properly becomes impossible.

Below, I share a few steps that have helped Minerva's clients find their feet in the public procurement market:

Step 1: Verify organisational readiness

Here, the crucial question to ask is: who will spearhead tenders in our company? Who will make the key decisions and take responsibility for signing off the documentation?

Without a clear division of duties, it is difficult to maintain a cohesive strategy. Who handles this new client acquisition channel depends heavily on the size of the company. As I mentioned earlier, in a solo model, we have one person who independently searches for tenders, submits opportunities for review, and prepares the full bid.

In a larger organisation, responsibilities are spread across more people, usually based on a geographic key, for example, selecting and analysing briefs assigned to specific regions.

Only after sorting out our internal structures can we move on to evaluating core competencies. It is worth pinpointing exactly where the company holds a real competitive advantage and whether the scope of the analysed tenders aligns with our existing operations. Public documentation is fully transparent, allowing for a calm, detailed analysis before any commitments are made.

Step 2: Check profitability and real capabilities

The next stage is assessing whether participating in a specific tender actually makes business sense. The underlying premise is: bidding must be commercially justified.

It pays to benchmark the planned contract against past, successful commercial projects that yielded a satisfying margin. Much depends on the budget available to a given contracting authority, but from my conversations with clients, I know that margins on public contracts can be similar to, or even higher than, those in the private sector.

The good news is that specifications and project briefs are completely public. They are an open book for contractors, which is why the actual scope of the work remains the core element of the evaluation.

Before deciding to go ahead, I recommend discussing the following questions within the company:

• Do we meet the strict formal criteria? Verify mandatory participation conditions, such as required financial turnover, specific certificates, and relevant references.
• Does the scope of the contract align precisely with our real capabilities? The subject of the contract must fit squarely within the organization's current production or service capacities, rather than becoming a risky operational burden. This involves checking if the company has the right equipment, technical facilities, and a team ready to deliver.
• Do human resources allow for proper preparation? It is vital to ensure that the company has the spare capacity to submit a tender correctly and within the strict deadline.
• Can we win on non-price criteria? Evaluate the potential to compete on parameters other than the lowest rate, such as quality, proposed methodology, or the social value of the project.
• Does this tender fit into a repeatable pattern? Check whether the project involves a service or product that the company can regularly and efficiently scale in the future.

Top tip: Use the clarification stage. A critical window before submitting documents is the phase for clarifying the Specification of Terms of the Contract. This is the stage where contractors have a formal right to ask the contracting authority questions to clear up any ambiguous clauses.

It is a bit of a strategic trick, as experienced market players deliberately wait for the official responses to be published before finalising their figures. It is within these clarifications that crucial notes and requirement modifications appear, which ultimately determine whether a bid is compliant.

Bidding blindly, without analysing the authority's stance, drastically increases the risk of the documentation being rejected at the very first hurdle. Inexperienced contractors often miss out simply because they did not realise vague points could be legally verified.

Step 3: Delivery plans after winning the tender

One of the most common and costly public tender mistakes is the desire to win at all costs. This often leads to cutting margins to the bone, which is the easiest path to failure during the execution phase.

Does a low price always guarantee success? In the long run, baseline costs, such as payroll or raw materials, are very similar for most competing enterprises in a given industry. It is highly unlikely that one company has technology that allows it to cut costs in half compared to the rest of the market. A conspicuously low valuation raises flags for the contracting authorities themselves, and for the contractor, it usually ends the same way, i.e., with signing a contract that, after a few months, cannot be delivered without massive financial losses.

Analysing tender documentation – what and how to read

Going through hundreds of pages of tender documentation can be completely overwhelming. Often, the greatest risk is overlooking a single, minor clause that could disqualify a business right at the starting line. Manually analysing a 150-page tender document takes an average of 4 to 6 hours of tedious work.

Fortunately, modern technologies are drastically changing this reality, demonstrating a new approach to how to submit a tender without wasting time. Using platforms like Minerva allows organizations to automate this process. The algorithm extracts key requirements in minutes, highlights elements that could block participation, and clearly brings the evaluation criteria to the surface.

Regardless of technological support, a solid understanding of document structure remains the foundation of success. The entire documentation can be divided into two main blocks: what the contracting authority provides, and what the entrepreneur must prepare in response.

Here’s what a typical tender document pack includes:

• Offer form. It’s the core document with company identification details (name, tax ID, registration number, contact data). It often includes main evaluation criteria and the total bid price.
• Pricing form. A detailed breakdown, which usually comes in an Excel format (especially for tenders with dozens of line items across packages).
• Technical specification / SoW. A structured description of the subject of the contract and its technical parameters.
• Declaration templates. Formal statements where the contractor provides required information and confirms specific conditions. You can expect anywhere between one to a few separate templates.
• **ESPD** (European Single Procurement Document). This one is mandatory for tenders above EU thresholds. It’s completed online and comes with a link where you can import your documents and submit your offer.
• Supporting evidence, which can include subject-related and bidder-related documents.
• Power of attorney, if representation is required.
• Bid bond, where applicable.

How to submit a tender – the power of consistency

Whether you enter the public procurement market successfully depends heavily on building an efficient, daily screening mechanism. You must also remain flexible when designing internal workflows. When preparing for your first public tender, adopting a methodical approach is the ultimate key to success. Knowing how to submit a tender and secure wins relies entirely on establishing this ironclad operational routine.

Overcoming the barrier of human habit

The most significant challenge in optimizing the procurement process almost always involves overcoming deeply ingrained human habits. When organizational processes are too rigid, newly introduced systems inevitably clash with routines that teams have relied on for years. Breaking the cycle of an employee who has worked in the exact same manner for a long time is one of the most difficult hurdles in this business.

Bid preparation checklist – three key stages to go through

Stage 1: Before you begin drafting the bid

• [ ] Confirm eligibility: Verify that your business meets all mandatory qualification criteria.
• [ ] Analyse the criteria: Identify the evaluation criteria and their respective weights.
• [ ] Assign responsibility: Designate a team member responsible for the tender and establish internal deadlines (e.g., aiming to submit the bid 24 hours before the official portal deadline).
• [ ] Gather Documentation: Collect all required documents specified in the procurement documents.

Stage 2: Drafting the bid

• [ ] Address specifics: Ensure every description directly and detailedly relates to the contracting authority's requirements – avoid generic descriptions of your competencies.
• [ ] Provide evidence: Back up every claim with hard proof: precise numbers, client names, and project outcomes.
• [ ] Price sustainably: Avoid lowering your rates below the threshold of profitability.
• [ ] Check layout rules: Review word or page limits, alongside any specific document formatting requirements.

Stage 3: Submitting the bid

• [ ] Verify attachments: Double-check that all mandatory appendices and files are attached.
• [ ] Get a fresh eyeball: Ask someone who was not involved in writing the bid to review it for completeness.
• [ ] Format correctly: Save all files in the required file format (usually PDF).
• [ ] Submit early: Upload your submission with plenty of time to spare—never leave it until the final minutes before the deadline.

Important note: Keep track of the bid opening. While this stage no longer impacts your current submission, it serves as an invaluable source of market intelligence.

Comparing competitor rates against the contracting authority's official budget allows you to see how other companies price their services and how much the public sector is genuinely willing to pay for your product. This provides ready-made data to calibrate your pricing strategy for future tenders.

6 public tender mistakes that eliminate beginners at the starting line

Entering the public procurement market requires mastering a new set of rules. Even the most exceptional product or service offer can fail if classic, repetitive public tender mistakes are made during the preparation stage.

Here’s a breakdown of the most common missteps that block new companies from securing a win.

1\. Rejection due to technical errors

New contractors most frequently lose out due to hidden formalities and oversights. Because the contracting authority operates under strict legal regulations, there is zero room to "turn a blind eye". Failing to submit a required attachment, missing an electronic signature, or uploading the wrong file format triggers an automatic disqualification.

Timing is equally critical. Submitting documents after the deadline – even by a single second – results in an absolute rejection by the electronic systems.

2\. Using generalisations in the bid

Relying on unspecified potential is one of the most common errors made by new contractors. Every claim in the documentation must be backed by evidence. These include precise numbers, specific names of experts, and titles of previously completed projects.

The contracting authority expects a direct, technical response to the questions posed in the specification. Without providing unique operational details, a bid simply gets lost in the crowd and receives the lowest possible score.

3\. Entering every available tender

Treating procurement as a pure numbers game is the fastest route to failure. Submitting bids for every possible contract notice without careful filtering drastically lowers the quality of the documentation and quickly burns out the team. Instead of building a competitive advantage, time is wasted analysing projects that never matched the company profile in the first place.

4\. Ignoring evaluation criteria

Contractors frequently dedicate 80% of their energy to criteria that generate a mere 20% of the final score. You have to look at the exact weights assigned to price, quality, warranty periods, or securities. While some proceedings are based 100% on price, many contracting authorities score technical details very precisely.

5\. Failing to ask clarification questions

Ignoring the opportunity to communicate with the contracting authority is a cardinal sin for beginners. Paradoxically, public institutions often duplicate the exact same errors across consecutive proceedings – documentation is frequently put together using a "copy-paste" method.

Experienced players even have their preferred contract types where they know exactly which templates contain contradictory clauses (for instance, one requirement on page 15 and a completely different one on page 115). Asking a question is essential to rectify errors that an official has unwittingly carried over from a previous tender.

6\. Giving Up After the First Loss

Expecting the very first submission to result in a spectacular victory can be detrimental. Initial attempts rarely end in a win, but the true asset here is the knowledge extracted from the loss. Experienced bidders base their post-tender analysis on two highly important milestones in the lifecycle of any proceeding, both of which must be marked in the calendar and fully capitalised on.

The first milestone is the publication of responses to questions, a moment every bidder awaits. The second turning point is the opening of the bids. This is a goldmine of information, as it provides official data on who submitted the highest amount and exactly where a company ranks against the competition.

Realising that a bid was not last, but perhaps right in the middle of the pack, is a clear signal that pricing can be adjusted upwards in future rounds. These insights are the greatest asset gained from an unsuccessful tender.

How Minerva changes the rules of the game

Knowing how to win a public tender ultimately comes down to your company's operational efficiency. The traditional path of market analysis places a massive burden on your team. Translating this into a specific number of hours per week can be difficult, as everything depends on the specifics of your industry.

The workload looks completely different for one large contract executed over a year versus fast-moving medical tenders, where a company must address dozens of subjects a week just to understand the full market context.

Manual work means a rigid, repetitive routine – filtering bids based solely on the title or a short description, putting documents off for later, and tediously searching through dozens of pages for details. For a beginner without experience, navigating your first public tender this way feels like groping in the dark from the beginning to the end of the documentation.

Minerva completely reverses this process and cuts working time up to fivefold. This is a tangible saving confirmed by users. Instead of guessing, you build your process on hard data. Over 350 organisations across Europe already use this solution, and companies like Iron Mountain report an approximate 80 percent reduction in document analysis time alone.

Here is a simple comparison illustrating this shift in the tender bid process:

The biggest "wow" factor occurs during technical moments, when the system flawlessly extracts parameters buried deep within the documentation. It can range from typeface sizes to a specific type of vehicle engine.

Users who previously searched documents by hand receive a ready-made list of answers. What’s more, the algorithm can flag contradictions within the documentation created by the contracting authority. Knowing where an official made a copy-paste error simplifies the process of asking clarification questions, and can even allow you to challenge the tender results later if they were based on flawed documents.

The system simply knows where to look for hidden catches. If your company is preparing for its first bid, starting the entire process with full market visibility and instant risk analysis completely transforms your starting position in the race for public contracts.

The public procurement market is within reach – even for beginners

Public procurement is a process that you can master. Companies that give up after their first public tender often assume their failure stemmed from offering too high of a price or because they lacked the necessary competences.

In reality, the deciding factors in most cases are minor formal errors or an overly superficial analysis of the tender documentation.

The opportunity to secure stable, high-margin projects from the public sector is entirely realistic, provided that you know how to optimise the time spent searching for and analysing contract notices. Using the right tool allows you to quickly identify proceedings that match your specific business profile, verify your probability of winning, and spot risks before they become liabilities. See how Minerva works in a live demo.