Tenders – ZIMNGOs

What the notice types mean

The abbreviation tells you how much work a submission will be.

RFQ — request for quotation

For straightforward goods or services where the requirement is already specified. Usually decided largely on price, with a short turnaround.

RFP — request for proposal

For work where the approach matters as much as the cost. You submit a technical proposal and a separate financial one, and both are scored.

EOI — expression of interest

A first stage that shortlists who may bid. Short, capability-focused, and worth answering even when the full tender is months away.

How evaluation actually works

Development-sector procurement is rarely decided on price alone, and understanding the sequence explains most outcomes that otherwise look arbitrary.

Compliance screening. Before anything is read on merit, submissions are checked against mandatory requirements — registration, tax clearance, required certificates, submission format. Anything missing is set aside here, however strong the bid.
Technical evaluation. Surviving bids are scored against published criteria: relevant experience, proposed methodology, team composition, timeline. There is usually a minimum technical score that must be reached to go further.
Financial evaluation. Only bids that passed technically have their prices opened. On an RFP the two are often weighted — commonly technical scoring heavily against price — which is why the cheapest bid frequently does not win.
Clarification and award. The buyer may ask questions before awarding. Answer quickly and precisely; delay at this stage costs contracts.

The practical implication is that most bids are lost at step one, on paperwork, rather than at step two on capability. That is the cheapest failure to eliminate.

Before you commit to bidding

Read the mandatory requirements first, not last. If one cannot be met, stop there and spend the time on a tender you can win.
Check who may bid. Some notices accept registered companies only; others accept individual consultants. Consultancy calls and corporate tenders are not interchangeable.
Note the submission format exactly. Sealed hard copy, email to a named address, or an online portal — and whether technical and financial proposals must be separated. Submitting both in one envelope or one attachment disqualifies bids routinely.
Attend the site visit or briefing if there is one. These are sometimes mandatory, and attendance is recorded.
Use the clarification window. Questions are usually answered to all bidders. Asking a sharp question early is free and often reveals what the buyer actually wants.
Check the bid validity period. You are committing to hold your price for that period, which matters when costs are moving.
Keep your compliance folder current. Certificate of incorporation, tax clearance, bank details, audited accounts, CVs, past contract references. Tender windows are short and this is what makes them survivable.

Questions suppliers ask

Is it worth bidding if we have never held a contract of this size?

Often yes, particularly for RFQs and smaller consultancies where capability matters more than turnover. Where a tender sets a minimum annual turnover or requires comparable past contracts, treat that as mandatory rather than aspirational, and consider partnering with a larger organisation instead.

Should we price low to win the first contract?

Be careful. On an RFP, price is usually only part of the score, and a figure far below the others invites doubt about whether you have understood the work. A price you cannot deliver on damages you more than losing would have.

Can we ask why we lost?

Most buyers in this sector will give a debrief if asked politely after award. It is the cheapest improvement available to a small supplier, and remarkably few ask for it.

Our documents are ready but our online presence is thin. Does that matter?

It does. Buyers verify suppliers before awarding, and an organisation with no website and a free webmail address is harder to check and easier to set aside. Professional email on your own domain is available to registered non-profits at no cost through technology grant programmes.

How far in advance are notices published here?

As soon as we verify them. Tender windows are often short — a week or two is common — so alerts are more useful than checking the page periodically.

Tenders & procurement notices