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Have you ever waited until the last minute to send in your bid proposals? It’s time to change that habit and start placing your bids earlier than the closing date. Whether the bid proposal needs to be submitted by mail, in-person, or electronically, it is possible that something unexpected can happen at the last minute. You might hit heavy traffic and miss the deadline, there could be a delay in the delivery of your parcel, or an error could occur when trying to upload your proposal. There are always hiccups that can arise, and it can be an end to all of the work that went into your proposal if you miss the bid closing deadline. Give yourself and your team enough time to allow for any unexpected delays when submitting a bid.
Closing Date and Time Is Final
Remember, the closing date and time attached to the tender is final, unless extended by the buyer with an amendment. When using the merx e-bidding, buyers cannot see that you submitted a response until the time of closing with an electronic bid opening. All bid responses are locked and out of view by the buyer. You, as the responding bidder, do have access to remove your submission and/or make needed edits up until the closing date and time.
What Can Go Wrong?
Hopefully, nothing goes wrong with your bid submission. However, despite our best efforts, delays or technology issues can happen. With e-bidding, it saves you a lot of time and money, however you cannot control an internet outage or other technical challenges.
This recently happened to a merx supplier. The supplier’s team was trying to submit their bid proposal electronically when they experienced technical difficulties, giving them a lot of anxiety as the bid closing time was creeping up on them. Luckily, the technical issues were resolved before the deadline.
Tips to Submit Bids On-Time
Below are some tips that you can take with you to help submit your bid proposals early and avoid getting stressed with last-minute hiccups.
1. Prepare a Bid Proposal Template
Every RFP and tender invitation can vary, but you can base your template off your previous bid submissions. Grab the basic information needed and adjust accordingly. Researching previously published RFPs and tender documents from agencies you want to do business with can help you prepare a template.
2. Do Not Wait Until the Day Before
Once you find a tender that’s best suited for your business, start downloading all documents required immediately. Whether you must submit your bid proposal by physical copy or electronically, do not wait to prepare all your documents when you only have a few days left before the deadline. We advise you to at least submit your bid proposal 24 hours before the deadline if submitting online and 2 days before if submitting by mail.
3. Do Not Hesitate to Ask for Assistance
When the RFP calls for an electronic submission and you are having technical difficulties with the bidding platform, do not hesitate to contact customer service immediately. For urgent issues, you can call the merx customer service team at 1-800-964-6379 from 7 AM to 8 PM ET. You can also email them at merx@merx.com for non-urgent issues.
There are many benefits to submitting your bids early. Aside from getting your submission in on time, it helps relieve mental stress as well. Being prepared early gives you a clear mind and allows you to focus on writing a well-written bid proposal, giving you a higher chance of winning that government contract for your business.
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