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Tender for Business or Work in a New Venture (2 days)
Owners and staff of small businesses submit complete, compliant and correctly priced tenders, on time, for work they can actually deliver.
For a small or new business, one government or corporate contract can change everything, but many first tenders are disqualified before anyone reads the offer: a missing form, a late submission, a pricing schedule left incomplete or a price that cannot cover the cost. This small business tender training teaches the practical mechanics of tendering, step by step, so your bid is complete, compliant and on time.
Day one is about finding and reviewing tenders. Delegates set up a simple system for tracking opportunities that fit their business plan, learn how to obtain tender documents and register as a supplier, and review a real tender to decide whether to bid – including when it makes sense to partner with another small enterprise in a joint venture. Day two is preparing and submitting: pulling the requirements out of the documents and the briefing session, checking the business can comply, breaking the work into items, costing each item, adding a profit mark-up, completing the schedule of quantities and running a final compliance check before submission.
Delegates work on a live or recent tender throughout and leave with a bid/no-bid checklist, a pricing worksheet and a submission checklist they can use on the next tender.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Fewer bids lost on missing documents or late submission
- Tenders priced to cover cost and earn a margin
- Bids focused on work the business can actually deliver
- A repeatable tender routine instead of a last-minute scramble
For your delegates
- A simple system for finding and tracking tenders
- A bid/no-bid checklist for reviewing tender documents
- A pricing worksheet for unit costs, mark-up and selling prices
- A submission checklist that catches common disqualification errors
What delegates will be able to do
- Set up a tender prospecting system that fits your business plan
- Obtain tender documents and meet supplier registration requirements
- Review tender documents for opportunity, risk and fit before deciding to bid
- Judge when a joint venture or consortium with another small business makes sense
- Extract the requirements from tender documents and briefing sessions
- Break the work into items and calculate an allowable unit cost for each
- Apply a profit mark-up and complete the schedule of quantities
- Check the completed tender for compliance and submit it on time, in the required manner
Who should attend
Owners, managers and staff of small, micro and new businesses who want to tender for work from government, state-owned entities or larger companies, and entrepreneurs planning to start tendering. No previous tender experience is needed; basic numeracy and a spreadsheet help with the pricing exercises.
Course outline
Day 1 – Finding and reviewing tenders
How tendering works
- Why organisations issue tenders and how they choose
- Quotations, requests for proposal and open tenders
- Public-sector and private-sector tenders compared
- Preference points and B-BBEE in general terms
Setting up a tender prospecting system
- Linking tendering to your business plan
- Where tenders are advertised: government portals, newspapers and corporate supplier lists
- Registering on supplier databases such as the Central Supplier Database
- A simple register to track opportunities and deadlines
Obtaining and reading tender documents
- Collecting documents and noting the closing date, time and place
- The parts of a tender pack: invitation, conditions, specifications, forms and pricing schedule
- Standard bidding forms and declarations
- Compulsory briefing sessions and site visits
Deciding whether to bid
- Weighing opportunity, risk and capacity
- Cash-flow and payment-term risks for a small business
- Building a bid/no-bid checklist
- Joint ventures and consortia with other small enterprises: when and how
Day 2 – Preparing, pricing and submitting the tender
Extracting the requirements
- Listing mandatory and functional requirements
- Notes from the briefing session and clarification questions
- Judging your ability to comply
- Gathering compliance documents: tax compliance status, company registration and B-BBEE evidence
Work breakdown and costing
- Breaking the work into activities or product items
- Direct costs: materials, labour and equipment
- Overheads and allowable unit costs
- Worked example: costing a small services tender
Pricing and the schedule of quantities
- Applying a profit mark-up to arrive at selling prices
- Completing the schedule of quantities, products or services
- VAT and arithmetic checks
- Avoiding abnormally low or unbalanced prices
Final check and submission
- Compliance check against the tender's criteria
- Signatures, originals, copies and document order
- Submitting in the specified time, place and manner, including electronic submission
- After submission: validity periods, clarifications and feedback
- Personal action plan and close
How it is delivered
Two days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20. Delegates can bring a current tender to work on; workbook, a bid/no-bid checklist, a pricing worksheet and a submission checklist are included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
★★★★★ 4.8 on Google from 790+ reviews · word-for-word quotes from signed letters of reference, from clients on this and/or related BOTI courses
“All training programmes were delivered in a highly professional manner, with effective coordination and strict adherence to our scheduling requirements. The facilitators demonstrated a commendable level of expertise, and the quality of delivery consistently met our expectations.”
“Throughout both interventions, BOTI demonstrated a high level of professionalism, subject matter expertise, and commitment to quality training delivery. Their ability to effectively manage virtual learning environments and engage participants contributed significantly to the success of the programmes.”
“[The organisation] was satisfied with the quality and professionalism of the training services provided by BOTI and would recommend Business Optimization Training Institute (PTY) Ltd as a competent and reliable training provider”
Enrol or ask a question
- Get your price now: work it out in the price box, then email it to yourself. Automatic, within a minute.
- Ask a consultant: a BOTI consultant emails you a written quote, usually within 15 minutes (Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00).
- Call 011 882 8853 to speak to someone straight away during office hours.
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. We train at your premises anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Can we work on a real tender?
Yes, and we recommend it. Bring a current or recent tender pack and the facilitator uses it for the review, pricing and compliance exercises.
How is this different from Tender to Secure Business for a New Venture?
This two-day course concentrates on the mechanics of preparing and submitting a compliant tender. The three-day Tender to Secure Business for a New Venture course spends more time on finding new markets, break-even and profitability, and writing a persuasive tender response.
Can you run this course in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Yes. We train on site at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and across South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online so a team spread over several offices can attend together.
Related courses
Ask a consultant for a written quote
A BOTI consultant emails you a written quote, usually within 15 minutes (Mon–Fri, 08:00–17:00). After hours, we reply on the next working day. To speak to someone now, call 011 882 8853.
Your quote request is for: Tender for Business or Work in a New Venture (2 days)