AFG Blog

How to quote for a tender in South Africa

What to include in your tender

So, you have found a project that you would like to tender for and received all the relevant documents describing the project. Now it is important to know what you need to include in your tender submission.
  • It is important to put your client first when writing up the document. Make sure to detail how you will solve their problem by fulfilling their needs with your company’s manpower, skills, and expertise.
  • Most of the time there will be a qualification document included from the client. Make sure that you cover all the points mentioned.
  • You do not always need to have the lowest cost to win the bid. It’s much more important to indicate the value of the money they will be paying. Show what differentiates you from the work provided by other clients. You can simply ask yourself, “What makes our service special or unique”. Put clear emphasis on your, the quality, reliability, and additional benefits that you will provide your client.
  • All costs (including fixed costs such as wages) should be included when detailing the pricing factors of the contract. Make sure to not ignore or skip any information as this would become your problem when executing the project.
  • Indicate that you have strategies in place on how to manage potential financial, commercial, and legal risks that could become a problem later.
  • Show that your team has the skills and experience to execute the project with comfort. This is where you should include some CVs of your management team members to show that they are qualified and have more than enough experience with projects in this field. Previous projects completed could also be talked about to show that not only as individuals but as a team you have the relevant experience.

Putting your tender submission together

Now that we know what to put in the document, we must compile our submission. Each tender has a deadline by which all documents must be submitted after which any late submissions get rejected.
Keep in mind that bids or business tenders in South Africa must be in writing. Each tender has several associated forms, which must accompany the tender you submit. The specific forms you require for your tender should be listed in the tender documentation. You should consider very carefully how you fill in these forms. Get advice if you are unsure of anything.
The forms usually required for national and provincial business tenders in South Africa are the following:
  • Your tender bid
  • Tax clearance documents
  • Price and motivation
  • Declaration of interest
  • Preference certificate
  • Contact form
There may be other forms to fill in for a specific tender or bid. These should be included with the tender or bid documents that you receive.
If you have successfully won the tender and received your Purchase Order contract you might find that you don’t have the financial capital to fulfil the project, because the client will only pay after the project is completed.
This should never be a problem and never hold you back from bidding for a tender.
Using ProfitHub’s funding service will ensure that your Purchase Order or Tender has the right amount of funding it needs. The ProfitHub team has worked with plenty of clients in the past from big to small. ProfitHub specializes in bringing SMEs that have received Purchase Orders from governmental institutions the right amount of funding in as little time as possible.
Visit ProfitHub for more information.