Can I ask questions during a government tender?

Clarification questions are the official way to remove doubt from a tender. Talking to anyone else at the buying organization about the tender while it's open is usually forbidden, so use the named contact and the portal only.

How it works

• Send your question in writing before the question deadline, which is often a week or more before closing. Late questions may go unanswered.
• The buyer publishes the answer to every bidder, usually anonymously.
• Changes to the documents or the deadline come as an addendum. You may have to confirm you've read it.
• Some buyers hold a bidders' conference or site visit. Check whether it's mandatory, because missing a mandatory one can disqualify you.

Questions worth asking

• Contradictions between documents.
• Missing facts that change your price, such as user numbers, data volumes or support hours.
• Requirements that shut out small firms for no clear reason.
• Format rules: page limits, file types, whether appendices count.
• Contract terms you can't accept, such as unlimited liability.

Avoid questions already answered in the documents, and questions that give your approach away to competitors, since everyone sees the answer.

Next step

Read the tender in the first day or two so you have time to ask. Then read every answer and addendum before you submit. See how to use clarification questions and bidders' conferences.