For every Buyer diligently preparing a tender, there appears to be a Supplier determined to transform a straightforward submission exercise into an archaeological expedition. Instructions requesting a single MS Word document are met with a PDF. Requests for clearly labelled responses are answered with obscure file names. Requirements set out in bold, underlined text somehow become invisible the moment a tender is published. Equally perplexing is the enduring belief that if three documents are requested, thirty-seven documents must surely be better. Buyers frequently find themselves navigating vast collections of policies, brochures, certificates, presentations, marketing literature and miscellaneous attachments, none of which answer the questions asked. The requested submission becomes buried beneath a mountain of paperwork, concealed like a treasured relic awaiting discovery. The irony is that procurement exercises are generally designed to make participation easier, not harder. Clear instructions on format, file type, and submission requirements ensure consistency, fairness, and efficiency. When Suppliers disregard those requirements, they create additional work for evaluators and increase the risk that critical information cannot be located or properly assessed. Particularly remarkable is the Supplier who submits an incomplete or non-compliant response and then expresses genuine astonishment when disqualified. Having ignored the instructions, overlooked the requirements and uploaded the wrong documents, they often arrive armed with lengthy explanations as to why the rules should not apply in their particular circumstance. Administrative errors, technical oversights, and accidental attachments are compelling reasons to rewrite the procurement process. One might imagine the same Supplier responding to a request for a blue vehicle by delivering a red bicycle, accompanied by several boxes of unrelated accessories, before demanding to know why the order was rejected. In tendering, some believe compliance is an optional extra and that evaluation panels should focus on what was intended rather than what was submitted. Exceptional suppliers understand a simple truth. The easiest way to avoid disqualification is to follow the instructions beforehand rather than challenging the outcome afterwards. They submit the correct documents, in the correct format, by the correct deadline and answer the questions asked. Unsurprisingly, these organisations spend less time drafting complaints and more time winning contracts.
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