Apply and bid on a tender

ScoutTide finds tenders and helps you track them. Your bid itself goes in on the buyer's own portal, signed in as you. ScoutTide never submits bids and never sees your portal login.

Read the steps first

Every open tender page has a How to apply section. It lists the steps for that tender:

1. Open the tender on the portal. The portal's name is a link in the step.
2. Read the tender documents there, and register on the portal as a supplier if you have not yet.
3. Submit before the deadline. The step gives the date and the closing time in your time zone. If the portal gives no time, submit by the end of the day shown.

Some portals do not link to single tenders. Then the step asks you to search there for the tender's ID. Choose Copy beside the ID and paste it into the portal's search. If the notice names a contact for questions, a further step shows it.

Apply and bid now

1. Open the tender.
2. Choose Apply and bid now at the top of the page.
3. Read the dialog You’re going to the official tender page. It names the portal where you will apply, reminds you that ScoutTide doesn’t submit bids, and tells you the tender is now in your pipeline.
4. Choose Continue to followed by the portal's name. The portal opens in a new tab.
5. Find the tender there, read its documents and submit your bid before the deadline.

Choose Stay on ScoutTide, or press Esc, to close the dialog without leaving. The tender stays in your pipeline either way.

The dialog may also tell you:

• That you may need a free account on the portal to see documents and apply.
• That the tender is already in your team's pipeline, with the colleague's name.

The Apply and bid now button appears only while the tender is open and the source gives a link to it.

The tender joins your pipeline

When nobody in your organisation holds the tender yet, pressing Apply and bid now adds it to your pipeline, claimed by you, as the dialog opens. That way you can track the deadline, notes and stage in ScoutTide while you prepare the bid.

A message then says Added to your pipeline. Choose the message to open My pipeline, or choose Undo to take the tender out again: the message changes to "Removed from your pipeline." The count beside My pipeline shows how many tenders and posts you hold.

Turn the dialog off

Tick Don’t show this again in the dialog. From then on, Apply and bid now opens the portal straight away, and the tender still joins your pipeline. The choice is saved to your account.

After you submit

1. Open the tender in My pipeline.
2. Set its Stage to Submitted, so your team knows.
3. Add a note with anything worth remembering, such as a clarification reference.
4. When the award is published, set the stage to Won or Lost.

See Stages and notes and Outcomes and renewals.

Related

• The tender page
• Claim and your pipeline
• Stages and notes
• Outcomes and renewals