A 15-minute tender review should tell a bid manager whether to investigate, reject, or ask a specific question. It cannot replace reading the full procurement documents. Use the timebox to extract decision-changing facts and identify what remains unknown.
Your output is a one-page review record tied to the official notice and the exact lot you are considering.
Minutes 0–3: confirm what you are looking at
Open the official source. Record notice ID, procedure ID where supplied, publication date and any revision or amendment links. Is this a planned purchase, an invitation to compete, an award, a modification or a cancellation? Do not infer “open opportunity” from a recent publication date.
Record the buyer, lot, scope and place of performance. A procedure can contain several lots with different deliverables and eligibility requirements. TED search help provides the starting point for finding and navigating published notices.
Minutes 3–6: record the action clock
Write down the clarification deadline, participation deadline if distinct, tender submission deadline, timezone, submission channel and any mandatory visit or briefing. Put missing fields in an “unknown” column; do not substitute the publication date or your local timezone.
Open the submission portal now. Check whether registration, permissions, electronic signatures or uploads require preparation. Record the responsible person and an internal completion target before the official deadline.
Minutes 6–10: separate three tests
| Test | What to extract | Why it changes the decision |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility and selection | Exclusion rules, financial and technical requirements, evidence | Determines whether the supplier can participate |
| Compliance of the offer | Mandatory specification, format, language and forms | Determines whether the response meets requirements |
| Award evaluation | Criteria, weights, scoring method and price formula | Determines how competing compliant offers are compared |
For procurement governed by the EU public-sector Directive, consult Articles 57–58, 53 and 67 for the respective legal context. The tender documents and applicable national rules supply the operative details. Directive 2014/24/EU.
Do not treat a quality criterion as optional simply because it is scored. Check whether it also carries a minimum score or mandatory requirement.
Minutes 10–13: challenge scope and value
Find contract duration, options, extension terms, estimated value and lot-specific quantities. Identify whether the amount describes a lot, entire procedure, framework ceiling or award. Note currency, tax treatment and missing assumptions.
Open the specification, contract terms, pricing schedule and response forms. If any are inaccessible, record the problem and the buyer's clarification route. An aggregator summary is not enough to establish a pricing assumption or contractual obligation.
Minutes 13–15: assign the next decision
Use this record:
- Notice and lot: official URL, identifiers, version checked.
- Scope: what must be delivered, where and over what period.
- Time: clarification and submission deadlines, timezone, internal owner.
- Eligibility: pass, fail or unknown, with evidence.
- Evaluation: criteria and scoring document location.
- Commercial exposure: largest unresolved assumption.
- Missing information: exact question, source clause, owner and due date.
- Next action: decline, investigate or complete bid/no-bid review.
Illustrative example: a facilities-services notice fits your geography, but a mandatory site visit has already passed. Before commissioning a price, check whether participation remains possible through the stated clarification channel. Do not silently assume that attendance was optional.
What to do with the result
Send the record to the bid/no-bid decision. Investigate commercial red flags before approving a costly pursuit. If deadlines are repeatedly too close when notices reach your team, change the monitoring workflow.
Reviewed 13 September 2026. The time allocation is an illustrative triage method, not a promise that every tender can be understood in 15 minutes.