1. Understand what you're reading
A public tender file typically contains: the notice, the specifications (the buyer's actual needs), the instructions to bidders, the contractual framework, the forms — and, along the way, addenda that change all of it. The golden rule: the addendum takes precedence. A response built on the original version of the specifications when an addendum changed a requirement is the most avoidable rejection there is.
2. Extract the requirements — all of them
Split them into two families: the mandatory requirements ("must," "required," "under penalty of rejection") and the desired ones ("asset," "desirable"). A single missed mandatory requirement means a non-compliant submission, no matter how good the rest is. Turn them into a numbered list with the source article reference: that's your compliance matrix, and it's what will save you at the final review.
3. Decode the evaluation grid
In Québec, many professional-services tenders use a weighted evaluation (often with a passing score — 70 points is common), sometimes combined with price. Every weighted criterion is a disguised drafting instruction: "Firm's experience: 30 points" means 30% of your drafting effort should demonstrate that experience, with verifiable references.
4. Decide fast: the go/no-go
Before writing a single line, answer honestly: can we satisfy every mandatory requirement? Do our strengths match the most heavily weighted criteria? Is the timeline realistic? An average submission costs 27 to 33 hours of work — investing it in a tender that's already lost is the number-one source of wasted effort for SMBs that bid.
5. Draft from what you already have
Your past submissions already contain 60 to 80% of the material: firm presentation, methodologies, résumés, references. The work isn't writing from scratch, but adapting that material to the tender's exact criteria — and filling in the gaps you've identified. Watch out for blind copy-paste: a client name left over from an old mandate is a classic, embarrassing slip.
6. The pitfalls that disqualify you
A submission form not signed by an authorized person; an expired Revenu Québec certificate; a bid bond for the wrong amount; a missed mandatory site visit; a submission filed after the deadline (2:00 p.m. means 2:00:00 p.m.); required schedule documents missing. None of these rejections judge the quality of your offer — all of them are avoidable with a checklist.