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Decide quickly whether a tender is worth bidding for
A short summary of a tender or request for proposal with deadlines, requirements, scoring and a clear bid or no-bid checklist.
When to use it
When a tender or big client brief lands in your inbox
Step by step
Collect the documents
Save the tender documents, usually PDFs, into one Google Drive folder so nothing gets lost.
Upload and ask for a summary
Upload the files to ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini (or connect your Drive if your plan allows) and use this prompt.
Prompt to copySummarise this tender for a small business deciding whether to bid. Give: 1) what the buyer wants in 5 bullet points, 2) all deadlines, including clarification questions, as a table, 3) must-have requirements (insurance, certifications, turnover, experience), 4) how bids are scored, with weightings, 5) the budget or contract value if stated, 6) anything unusual or risky. Then score our fit from 1 to 10 against our profile: [your size, experience, certifications, capacity] with reasons. Quote page numbers for each key point. If something isn't in the documents, say 'not stated'.Check the key facts in the original
Open the pages the AI quoted for deadlines and must-haves and confirm them yourself.
Make the call
If any must-have is missing or the deadline is too tight, pass and note why so you can spot better tenders next time.
What you get
Buyer: council seeks a caterer for 12 community events. Deadline: 5pm 14 March (questions by 3 March). Must-haves: £5m public liability, food hygiene rating 4+. Scoring: quality 60%, price 40%. Value: about £18,000. Risk: 30-day payment terms. Fit: 7/10, meets all must-haves but tight staffing in June.
Tips
- Check the tender's rules on confidentiality before uploading documents to an AI tool.
- Insurance and legal requirements are worth confirming with your broker or adviser before you commit.