What happens if I miss a tender deadline?

The closing date and time are among the few rules in a tender with no room for judgment. A bid that arrives a minute late is treated as late.

If something went wrong on the buyer's side

If the buyer's portal failed, or the buyer issued an addendum too close to the deadline, contact the named contact in writing straight away and keep evidence such as screenshots and timestamps. Whether a buyer can accept the bid or extend the deadline for everyone depends on its own rules. Don't count on it.

If you missed it

• Check whether the buyer is likely to re-run the tender, for example if too few bids arrive.
• Note the buyer and the contract. When the award notice appears, record the end date, because the work will come back.
• Ask whether the buyer runs a framework, supplier list or quote process you could join for smaller work in the meantime.

How to avoid it next time

• Note the time zone: the deadline is in the buyer's, not yours.
• Register on the portal and test your login on day one.
• Upload at least a day before the deadline, not an hour before.
• Press the final submit button, not just save a draft, and keep the confirmation receipt.
• Use alerts so you see tenders early. See how to set up tender alerts.

Run the tender submission checklist on the last day of every bid.