Most opportunities listed on Austender will be the standard Request For Tender(RFT). That is an open competitive process in which a series of requested documents must be submitted including a proposed solution and detailed costing. An RFT will also contain a detailed set of contract conditions which cover items such as liability, intellectual property and warranties in greater detail. However at times either a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a Request for Quote (RFQ) will be sought. Unlike the RFT, an RFQ simply requires the submission of a cost against a known item/product and usually takes the form of a page of line items to quote against. For example, this week Department of Defence is seeking an RFQ on a specific type of Pallet, in this case they will provide the specification on the item as well as quantity and the respondent need only advise on cost and delivery time. RFQ’s are supported by a set of standard terms and conditions, which are fairly simple in nature, however departments do have the opportunity to add in ‘special conditions’ to provide additional coverage to suit a particular procurement. RFQs in most cases will simply be judged on cost and delivery time.
An RFP is slightly different again and is used when a department does not have a particular solution in mind and instead is seeking industry proposals. Unlike an RFT where funding for the procurement is approved, an RFP usually does not have a budget allocated as yet. It is through the RFP process that a department gains an estimate of possible budget required. Furthermore, an RFP can then lead onto a restricted RFT process, where only respondents to the RFP stage are asked to tender. Although there are no guarantees that the procurement will take place, an RFP provides greater opportunity for industry to shape the possible solution.
Before embarking on any bid, it’s important to take note which type of opportunity is on offer in order to plan the resourcing required for your bid.
If you are after specific advice on these or any other opportunity listed below, feel free to contact us
