Two things decide the outcome over time
We work on the quality of the tenders and on the number of them. It is the combination that produces results.
The idea of the perfect tender that wins every time does not hold. Public business works like all other sales work: more doors knocked on gives more yeses. A company submitting one tender a year needs luck. A company submitting ten well-worked tenders does not.
That is why we work with clients over time rather than per assignment. We get to know your strengths and weaknesses, build up a database of references, CVs and recurring documentation, and get faster with every tender.
What we do and what you do
We monitor the market and get in touch when something relevant is advertised, with our reading of the requirements and the conditions. If you decide to bid, we set a project plan: what is to be done, by whom and by when.
Then we write the parts that can be written for you: quality management, environmental management, company presentation, the answers in the procurement system. You take what we cannot do in your place: references, CVs, work samples and what only you know about the delivery. Throughout the work we give continuous feedback tied to the requirements and the evaluation model.
Around a week before the deadline we review the entire tender. Two bid specialists read the documents once more and check that everything asked for is included. The day before the deadline we upload into the system. The last step is yours: to log in and submit.
After the award decision
If you won, we go through what decided it and carry that into the next procurement. If you lost, we do the same thing in reverse, request the winning tender where possible and read where the points disappeared.
We also check that the procurement was run correctly. If we see something that does not add up we point it out, so a correction can be made while that is still possible.
LOU, the Swedish Public Procurement Act
LOU governs purchasing at government agencies, regions, municipalities and companies financed with tax money. The act exists to counter corruption and to make tax money go further. Many we speak to find it needlessly awkward. It exists to protect the citizen and to keep competition fair, and that is an order we stand behind.
For a supplier established in another country, one point matters more than any other: a procurement may not discriminate on grounds of nationality. A foreign company may bid on the same terms as a Swedish one. What stops most of them is practical. The documents, the questions and the answers are in Swedish, and the formal requirements are unforgiving.
Four things we see go wrong again and again:
- The tender does not answer the question. Read the documents and answer what is actually asked. The scope for supplementing afterwards is severely limited, precisely so that everyone is treated equally.
- Questions and answers go unused. The function exists in every procurement, and whoever asks is anonymous. If something is unclear, ask.
- Attachments are missing. Everything asked for must be attached. Referring to a website for more information is rarely accepted.
- Length limits are missed. Procurement tools have different character and page limits on free-text answers. Check them before you write.
Common questions
How does a procurement work?
Procurements are advertised publicly in registered advertisement databases. The authority describes its need in a set of tender documents, and suppliers submit tenders on that basis. The tender or tenders that score best under the procurement's evaluation model are awarded the contract. Everyone who submitted a tender may see how the evaluation was carried out and who won.
Where do you find procurements?
There are several monitoring services: Mercell Opic, Pabliq and Offentliga upphandlingar. We use Mercell Opic, which has a free version with a limited search function. We monitor the market for our clients, so within a collaboration you do not need to keep track yourself.
What is required in order to bid?
That depends on what is being procured. The basic requirements are usually that the company is registered, pays its taxes and is creditworthy. Beyond that, proven experience is normally required: reference assignments, CVs and sometimes work samples.
Do we need a Swedish company to bid?
Usually not. Registration in your home country is normally sufficient at the tender stage, and the equivalent certificates from your own authorities are accepted in place of the Swedish ones. Some contracts do require local presence once the contract starts, and that is one of the things we check before advising you to spend time on a procurement.
What does it cost to work with you?
A start-up fee per tender and a fee that falls due when you win. The level depends on the size of the contract and the extent of the tender. You get a clear price before we begin, and we never work on open hours.
Want to know what is being procured in your industry? Get in touch and we will look at it together.