The Galician Confederation of Employers (CEG), through its International Tenders Service (SALT) and in collaboration with the Galician Institute for Economic Promotion (IGAPE), has launched a series of training workshops on Multilateral Tenders for the period 2024-2025. The second of these workshops, entitled “Why is a project won and why is it lost?”, took place on October 23 in a hybrid format: in person at the Salón Galicia of the CEG in Santiago de Compostela and online through TEAMS.

Scadi Global Consulting Enterprise, S.L., a consulting firm specialized in facilitating the participation of national and international companies in international contracting and bidding processes, with a particular focus on UN procurement systems, was in charge of this second workshop.

The event was aimed at all Galician companies interested in succeeding in multilateral procurement opportunities.

The workshop focused on the different types of formal and informal tenders. The former include invitations to tender, requests for proposals, framework agreements and turnkey contracts, while the latter include requests for quotations and direct purchases. Also highlighted are web portals such as UNGM and Quantum, which facilitate interaction between suppliers and international organizations. The use of these portals is key to registering and submitting proposals efficiently.

Likewise, the most common errors in tenders were addressed, dividing them into three categories: administrative, technical and economic. Among the most common errors we highlight:

• Administrative: these include late delivery of documents, lack of endorsements or submission of the offer in the wrong language.
• Technical: it is common for companies not to adjust the profiles of their experts or not to fully understand the terms of reference of the project.
• Economic: arithmetic errors and the lack of separation of technical and financial proposals stand out.

Regarding the evaluation of proposals, the criteria go beyond the lowest price. Priority is given to the relevance of the references, the quality of the proposed experts and the company’s understanding of the project. A solid proposal must demonstrate financial, technical and human solvency, as well as the ability to meet the project objectives.

It is recommended to take care of the form and structure of the proposal to facilitate its evaluation, including a clear summary of the consortium or company, highlighting the main ideas, and using a visual approach to represent the project objectives. In technical terms, clear indicators should be included and the experience of the team should be highlighted. Finally, from an economic point of view, it is essential to separate the financial offer from the rest of the documentation and follow a proactive approach if there are doubts about the format.

This technical training day on multilateral tenders organized by CEG was an excellent opportunity for Galician companies to obtain knowledge and tools to present themselves at international tenders with greater chances of success.

If you want to be informed about future workshops, register on our SALT web platform and we will contact you!