Open Tender

Open tendering is the preferred competitive public procurement method used for
acquiring goods, services and infrastructure works. It is executed in accordance
with established procedures set out in the procurement guidelines and detailed in
the standard bidding documents.
Open tendering is also known as open competitive bidding, open competition or
open solicitation, and the procurement notices used to call for bids for these
requirements are identified as: Invitation for Bids or Invitation to Tender.
The fundamental requirements of open tendering are that they should:

Be open to all qualified and interested bidders,

Be advertised locally (and internationally, when required),
Have objective qualifications criteria,
Have neutral and clear technical specifications,
Have clear and objective evaluation criteria, and
It is presumed that this procurement method fosters effective competition and adds
value for money; however, there are arguments to the contrary given that the open
tendering method is strictly procedures-based and was primarily designed for the
procurement of simple goods. As a result, it is not suitable for complex
procurements where the focus is more on the output and outcome of the contracting
process rather than on strict adherence to standards.

Disadvantage of open tender

Some disadvantages of the open tendering process are :

Lengthy timeframe for completion of the procurement action

Requires strict adherence to procedures

Assumes existing internal capacity for the completion of clear and precise
specifications
Restricts suppliers participation in determining the technical specifications,
Limits the possibility of building long-term relationship withsuppliers,

Focuses only on a least-cost solution

Suppresses innovation, and excessive formalism may limit supplier participation
in the tendering process.

Open Tender In Local And International

Tender procedures are open whenever all interested economic operators may submit
a tender after publication of a tender notice.
There are two types of open tender procedure, according to the scope of the
publication of the tender notice:

International: the tender notice must be published internationally in all

appropriate media, in particular on the grant beneficiarys web site, in the
international press and the national press of the country in which the action is being
carried out, or in other specialist periodicals . The tender notice must appear also
on specialised websites.

Local: the tender notice is published in all appropriate media but only in the
country in which the action is being carried out.
Under the open procedure, any natural or legal person wishing to tender receives
upon request the tender dossier, in accordance with the procedures laid down in the
procurement notice.

Open Tender Process

Publication of the tender notice. The tender notice shall specify at least the rules
governing the lodging/submission and presentation of tenders, the exclusion, selection and
award criteria, and set out the technical specifications.

Make the tender dossier available to interested subjects. The instruction of the tender
dossier must indicate at least the following:
1 - The type of contract (i.e. Supplies).
2 - The selection and awarding criteria.
3
Establish clear selection and award criteria. If an evaluation grid is established it
should be included in the tender dossier.

Establish the composition of the evaluation committee

Opening session and evaluation. When the tenders received are examined, the contract is
awarded by conducting the selection procedure (i.e. verification of the eligibility and of
the financial, economic, technical and professional capacity of tenderers) and the
procurement procedure (i.e. comparison of tenders), in accordance with the selection and
award criteria. No negotiation is allowed.

Preparation of an evaluation report

Awarding of the contract: preparation of the contract award notice and letter for
the unsuccessful tenders

Signature of the contract, using the contract included in the tender dossier

Preparation of a tender report.