Tender documents and the tender process: what goes in a request for tender, what tenderers return, evaluation criteria, and what causes trouble later
The documents in a request for tender for engineering and maintenance work, from the conditions of tender and contract to the scope, specification, price schedule and returnable schedules, what tenderers send back, the stages of the tender process, setting and applying weighted evaluation criteria, RFT, RFQ, RFP and EOI compared, and the gaps that cause disputes after award. With a drawing of the tender timeline and documents.
Key takeaways
- A request for tender is a set of documents: conditions of tender, conditions of contract, scope of work, technical specification, drawings and site information, a price schedule, returnable schedules and evaluation criteria.
- Every tenderer gets the same documents and the same answers. Questions are taken in writing, and answers that change the documents go to all tenderers as addenda.
- What is asked for in the returnable schedules is what can be evaluated. A methodology that was never requested cannot be scored.
- The evaluation criteria and their weights are set before tenders arrive, stated in the documents, and then followed. Price is usually assessed separately from the non-price criteria.
- Information left out of the documents is priced as risk. A vague scope or missing site information comes back as higher prices, qualifications and variations.
Three tenders come back for a conveyor upgrade. One is a lump sum with a page of qualifications. One prices half the scope and lists the rest as excluded. The third is cheapest because it assumes the owner provides the cranes. None can be compared with the others, and the evaluation turns into weeks of questions that the tender documents should have answered.
This guide covers the documents in a request for tender for engineering and maintenance work, what tenderers return, the stages of the tender process, setting and applying the evaluation criteria, and the problems that cause most disputes later. It is written from the owner's side for works and services. Government buyers follow their own procurement rules, such as the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, and the standards and forms named are options rather than requirements.
The tender process
A tender is a controlled competition. Every tenderer gets the same documents at the same time, asks questions in writing, receives the same answers, and submits by the same deadline. The process is designed so that the owner can compare the offers and defend the choice, and so that tenderers can trust that the competition is fair. AS 4120, the Australian code of tendering, sets out the ethics and duties on both sides.
The tender period has to fit the work. A tenderer pricing a maintenance contract or a fabricated package needs time to visit the site, read the documents, get prices from suppliers and subcontractors, and build a program. Too short a period produces risk margins and qualifications rather than sharper prices.
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Plan the procurement | Scope, budget, contract model, how many tenderers, the evaluation plan and who will evaluate |
| Expression of interest | Optional. Shortlists capable tenderers before the full documents are issued, to save everyone's effort |
| Issue the request for tender | The same documents to every tenderer at the same time |
| Site visit and questions | A briefing and site visit, then questions in writing. Answers that change the documents go to all tenderers as addenda |
| Tender close | Tenders received by the stated time and opened together, with a record of what came in |
| Compliance check | Each tender checked against the conditions of tender before it is evaluated |
| Evaluation | Non-price criteria scored by a panel against the stated criteria, price assessed separately, then brought together |
| Clarification and negotiation | Questions to tenderers in writing, departures resolved, sometimes a best and final offer |
| Award and debrief | Recommendation approved, contract awarded, unsuccessful tenderers told and offered a debrief |
What goes in a request for tender
The request for tender is a package of documents, each with a job. The conditions of tender govern the competition. The conditions of contract govern the work. The scope and the technical specification say what is to be done and to what standard. The price schedule and returnable schedules say what tenderers must give back, in a form that can be compared.
| Document | What it holds | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Conditions of tender | The rules of the tender itself: closing time and place, how to submit, who to ask questions, alternative tenders, the validity period and how tenders will be evaluated | Whether a late or non-conforming tender is accepted is decided here |
| Conditions of contract | The contract the successful tenderer will sign, a standard form such as AS 4000 or AS 4902 with special conditions, or the owner's own | Tenderers price the risk it gives them |
| Scope of work | What the contractor is to do and supply, the battery limits, what the owner provides, and the deliverables | The most common source of variations when it is vague |
| Technical specification | The requirements the work must meet, with the standards and how each will be verified | See writing a technical specification |
| Drawings and site information | Drawings, data sheets, existing plant information, site conditions, access, hours and site rules | Information not given is priced as risk |
| Price schedule | The form the price is to be given in: lump sum with a breakdown, schedule of rates, provisional sums | Set so tenders can be compared like for like |
| Returnable schedules | The forms each tenderer must complete and return | What can be evaluated is what is asked for |
| Evaluation criteria | The criteria and, often, their weights | Stated in advance, and then followed |
Every gap in the tender documents is filled by the tenderer's assumptions, and priced.
What tenderers return
The returnable schedules decide what can be evaluated. If the methodology, program and key people are asked for in a set form, they can be scored side by side. If they are not asked for, the evaluation falls back on price and whatever each tenderer chose to send. A single schedule of departures, where every non-compliance must be listed, is the most useful of them. Qualifications buried in a cover letter are found after award.
| Returnable | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Form of tender | The signed offer, the price, the validity period and the addenda acknowledged |
| Price schedule | Completed in the form asked, with rates for variations |
| Departures and qualifications | Every point where the tender does not comply with the documents, listed in one place |
| Methodology and program | How the work will be done, the sequence, the resources, and the program to the required dates |
| Key people and experience | The people who will do the work, their roles, and similar work done, with referees |
| Safety, quality and environment | The tenderer's systems and how they will be applied to this work |
| Insurances | Public liability, professional indemnity and workers compensation, with their limits |
| Subcontractors | The parts of the work to be subcontracted and to whom |
Evaluation criteria and weights
The criteria and their weights are set in the evaluation plan before the tender is issued and stated in the documents. Setting or changing them after tenders arrive invites the accusation that the criteria were chosen to fit a favoured tenderer. Each panel member scores the non-price criteria independently against a scale written in advance, then the panel agrees a score. Price is usually kept from the panel until the non-price scores are settled, so it does not colour them.
The weights depend on the work. Routine supply with a tight specification can be weighted heavily on price. Complex works, shutdown services or a system integration package, where the risk sits in how the work is done, need more weight on methodology, people and program. The example below is an illustration, not a recommendation.
| Criterion | Weight, % | What is assessed |
|---|---|---|
| Methodology and program | 25 | How well the approach fits the work and the site, and whether the program is credible |
| Key people and relevant experience | 20 | Similar work, the people named, and referee checks |
| Safety and quality | 10 | Systems that suit the work, and their record |
| Departures and risk | 5 | How much of the documents the tenderer has qualified or rejected |
| Price | 40 | The evaluated price, adjusted for departures and provisional sums |
RFT, RFQ, RFP and EOI
Not every purchase needs a full tender. The kind of request is chosen by the value, the risk and how well the owner can define what is wanted. Many organisations set value thresholds in their procurement policy for when each is used.
| Request | Asks for | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Expression of interest (EOI) | Who is interested and capable | Shortlisting for a large or specialised package |
| Request for information (RFI) | What the market can offer | Before the scope is settled |
| Request for quotation (RFQ) | A price for a defined, usually small, scope | Parts, small services, simple works |
| Request for proposal (RFP) | A proposed solution and its price | Where the owner states the outcome and the supplier designs the answer |
| Request for tender (RFT) | A formal offer against full documents | Defined works or services of significant value |
What causes trouble later
Most contract disputes on engineering and maintenance work trace back to the tender documents. The scope said one thing and the drawings another, the battery limits were not drawn, site information was missing, or a departure was accepted without anyone noticing. Time spent on the documents before issue is cheaper than any of these after award. A design review of the tender package, with the people who will manage the contract, catches most of them.
- A scope that lists activities but not the deliverables, the standard or the battery limits.
- Conflicts between the scope, the specification and the drawings, with no order of precedence.
- Site information withheld, so tenderers price the unknown.
- Answers given to one tenderer by phone and not issued to all as an addendum.
- Evaluation criteria changed after tenders close.
- Departures accepted at award without being priced or resolved.
- Handover requirements, such as as-built drawings, manuals, spares lists and asset data, left out, so they are a variation later.
Common questions
What are tender documents?
Tender documents are the documents issued to invite tenders and the documents tenderers send back. The request for tender usually contains the conditions of tender, the conditions of contract, the scope of work, the technical specification, drawings and site information, a price schedule, returnable schedules and the evaluation criteria. Tenderers return a signed form of tender, the completed price schedule and the returnable schedules, such as methodology, program, key people, departures and insurances.
What are the stages of the tender process?
Plan the procurement, optionally invite expressions of interest to shortlist, issue the request for tender, hold a site visit and answer questions with addenda, close the tender, check each tender for compliance, evaluate against the stated criteria, clarify and negotiate with the preferred tenderer, then award the contract and debrief the unsuccessful tenderers.
What is the difference between an RFT, RFQ and RFP?
A request for tender (RFT) asks for a formal offer against full documents and is used for defined works or services of significant value. A request for quotation (RFQ) asks for a price for a defined, usually small, scope. A request for proposal (RFP) states the outcome and asks suppliers to propose a solution and its price. An expression of interest (EOI) comes before any of them, to shortlist capable suppliers.
How are tenders evaluated?
Each tender is first checked for compliance with the conditions of tender. The non-price criteria, such as methodology, program, experience, key people and safety, are then scored by a panel against the criteria and weights stated in the documents, and the price is assessed separately, adjusted for departures and provisional sums. The results are brought together into a recommendation for the best value tender, which is not always the lowest price.
What is a tender addendum?
An addendum is a formal change or clarification to the tender documents issued during the tender period, sent to every tenderer at the same time. It records answers to tenderers' questions that affect the documents, corrections and changes to the scope or dates. Tenderers acknowledge each addendum on the form of tender so it is clear the price allows for it.
Key terms
Plain-language definitions from our glossary for the concepts this article leans on.
Standards and further reading
- AS 4120-1994 Code of tendering (Standards Australia)
- AS 4000:2025 General conditions of contract (Standards Australia)
- Commonwealth Procurement Rules (Department of Finance)
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