What to do if there are old or incorrect tender documents?
By Werner van Rooyen, Director of HowToTender (Pty) Ltd which specializes in tender consulting and tender training.
If you respond to a tender and come across tender documents that are not compiled correctly, I suggest the following:
Where you must respond to forms that are not applicable to your business or to the product that you are bidding for, just draw a line through the document and say NOT APPLICABLE. A good example of this is the Standard Bidding Document 5 which deals with the National Industrial Participation Programme. The chances are truly little that your SMME is going to have to comply with this form.
Some obvious mistake that I have come across is where the Organ of State request normal BEE information and not B-BBEE information. What is the difference you ask? It is where they ask the Responder to state the Equity Ownership of the Enterprise that is responding to the tender. They also neglect to ask for your B-BBEE certificate. In 2007 the new Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act came into effect whereby an Enterprise is measured according its B-BBEE scorecard. Before the B-BBEE Act, Enterprises were measured on their Equity Ownership – the more equity black people had in an Enterprise, the more likely it was to win a tender. Because of the unfairness of this the Government changed Black Economic Empowerment to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment.
- When you respond to a Tender or Request for Proposal you always attach your current BBBEE certificate or your EME Letter from your Auditor. If the Tender Document requests any Equity figures I suggest you draw a line through it and refer the reader to your BBBEE certificate.
By following these simple steps, you will ensure that your tender response receives the necessary attention that it deserves.
To learn more about this and many other tender conditions attend our “Become a Tender Expert” 2-Day workshops presented in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Port Elizabeth, and Cape Town. Book and pay online at https://howtotender.co.za/tender-expert-form/
Contact us at wernervr@howtotender.co.za should you require more information.
You can also purchase a Tender Manual (Handbook) on our website https://howtotender.co.za/ which is a step by step guide how to respond to a South African Tender. It includes examples of completed SBD forms.
