Checklist: submitting a bid for a public tender
For: Suppliers bidding for public contracts
Updated: 2026-11
Before submission, check seven points: deadline, place and form, completeness of all required documents, validity of evidence of suitability, a price sheet exactly per template without reservations, legally valid signatures, correctly labelled variants and proof of receipt.
Many bids are excluded before anyone evaluates the content. Almost always it is formalities: a missing signature, expired evidence, a reservation in the price sheet, a missed deadline.
This checklist is the final check before submission. It assumes the bid/no-bid decision has been taken and the bid content is complete.
The checklist
- 01
Confirm deadline, place and form
Check submission deadline and time, submission channel, number of copies and file formats per tender and Q&A answers.
Done when: Deadline, channel and form are recorded in writing and submission is planned with a buffer before the deadline.
- 02
Check completeness
Tick off every required document and form against the list of mandatory requirements.
Done when: The list is fully ticked and each document is matched to its requirement.
- 03
Check validity of evidence
Check date and validity of confirmations on taxes, social security, register extracts and certificates.
Done when: No evidence is older than required; reference confirmations are available.
- 04
Check the price sheet
Complete the price sheet exactly per template, recalculate totals and add no own reservations or conditions.
Done when: A second person has checked the totals and the price sheet contains no deviations from the template.
- 05
Ensure signatures
All required signatures by persons authorised to sign per the commercial register.
Done when: Every signature comes from a person authorised to sign according to the commercial register.
- 06
Label variants and reservations
Variants only if permitted and clearly separated from the base bid; avoid reservations where possible.
Done when: The base bid is complete and self-contained; any variants are clearly labelled.
- 07
Submit and prove it
Submit on time and prove receipt, for example with platform confirmation or registered mail.
Done when: A proof of receipt with date and time is filed.
Common mistakes
- —Ignoring the Q&A answers although they changed the documents.
- —Enclosing expired evidence on taxes or social security.
- —Adding own conditions to the price sheet that can lead to exclusion.
- —Submitting in the last hour and failing on technical problems.
What this checklist does not cover
- —The checklist does not replace legal review of the tender documents.
- —Formal requirements differ by authority and procedure; the specific tender is always decisive.
- —The quality of the bid content is not covered by this checklist.
Parent service: IT Consulting
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FAQ
Can a bid be corrected after submission?
Generally not after the deadline. The authority may have obvious errors corrected, but improving the bid is not permitted.
Who may sign?
Persons authorised to sign for the company according to the commercial register, in the form registered there.
What if evidence is missing?
Obtain it early. Whether missing evidence may be submitted later is the authority’s decision; do not rely on it.
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