Definition
The private activity that precedes a public tender: budgeting, specification drafting, supplier scouting and pre-shortlisting. Every public tender is preceded by roughly 3–6 months of pre-tender activity, which is when specifications are still influenceable and competition is thinnest.
Frequently asked questions
What happens before a tender is published?+
Budget approval, requirement definition, specification drafting, supplier scouting and informal shortlisting. This pre-tender phase typically lasts 3–6 months and determines who is invited to bid.
Can suppliers influence a specification before tender?+
Yes — during pre-tender engagement. Suppliers who reach the buyer during specification drafting can shape requirements toward their strengths. After publication, specifications are usually locked for procurement-fairness reasons.
How do you find pre-tender opportunities?+
By monitoring buying signals: capex approvals, project milestones, procurement hiring, RFI notices and supplier-portal activity. MultiRev's procurement intelligence service operationalises this monitoring across a client's ICP.
Put this into practice
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