Almost every public tender sets a deadline for suppliers’ questions. This Q&A round is the only permitted conversation with the authority during the procedure, and many suppliers underestimate it.
Process
The tender states deadline and form, usually in writing via simap or email. The authority collects the questions, answers them anonymously and makes questions and answers available to all suppliers. The answers clarify or change the documents and are binding for bids. Not reading them risks a bid that misses the requirements.
Questions worth asking
Questions on unclear suitability criteria and evidence, on the price scoring method, on volumes and assumptions, on contradictory passages and on contract clauses that pose a risk. Good questions are concrete, reference the passage and propose a clarification where possible.
What questions reveal
Because all suppliers see the answers, a question also reveals something about your own approach. Strategically important ideas belong in the bid, not in the question. Conversely, read the others’ questions: they show what competitors care about.
Deadlines and consequences
After the deadline the authority answers no more questions. Unresolved ambiguities often count against the supplier in a dispute. Reservations about the documents belong in the Q&A round rather than in the bid, where they can lead to exclusion. The second checkpoint of the bid/no-bid decision sensibly follows the Q&A round.