1. I want to work with DFID, how do I search for tender opportunities?
You can view tender opportunities on the DFID Supplier Portal by clicking on Bulletin Board on the homepage. Please note that you must have set up your company profile to be able to view all of the tender documentation.
Once you have registered with the DFID Supplier Portal you can select to receive email alerts relating to forthcoming tender opportunities.
It is important that you complete the ‘Countries’ and ‘Categories’ sections with as much detail as possible. When completing the countries section it is mandatory that you select ‘Procurement‘’, ‘‘UK‘’ and ‘‘India‘’. There is no limit to the amount of countries you can choose and we do encourage you to select all options to ensure that you do not miss out on potential opportunities.
Full guidance on registering for tender opportunities is available in ‘DFID Supplier Portal Guidance for E-Tendering’
2. I have registered my company on the DFID Supplier Portal, why does my status say ‘pre-registered’?
When you first register your status will be ‘pre-registered’ and will remain at this status until DFID has reviewed your application and registered on the system. However, you will still be able to register for advertised tender or Request for Quotes (RFQ) opportunities.
If/when your status has been approved, your company may be considered for all procurement exercises relevant to your company profile.
3. I have received a ‘not eligible’ message when trying to register
Double check that you have completed your company profile. If your company profile has been fully completed, email us at email Query-DFIDPortal@dfid.gov.uk. Please ensure that you provide your supplier ID on any correspondence.
4. I have some questions relating to a tender, who do I contact?
All queries relating to tenders must be submitted via the DFID Suppliers portal. If you have a query relating to a particular tender you should first take some time to view any questions from other interested organisations that may have already been answered. If you still cannot find an answer to your query, you can simply click on Raise a clarification question to receive a reply from a member of the team dedicated to that tender.
Full step by step guidance on raising a tender clarification question is available under ‘raise a clarification question’ in the ‘DFID Supplier Portal Guidance for E-Tendering’
5. How do I know when someone has responded to my question?
The main point of contact from your company will receive an email alert when the DFID Content Manager dealing with the tender responds to your query.
6. How can I change the primary contact from my company on a tender?
From the ‘My Tenders’ page, select the appropriate tender by clicking on the hyperlink, then select ‘Change Contact’. The primary contact will be displayed and can be changed by selecting another user from the drop down list. Please ensure that you click ‘Continue’ to save your amendment.
Note: You can only choose a contact that is already registered on the DFID Supplier Portal. If you wish to add a new contact you should go to ‘Addresses’ on the ‘My Tenders’ page. You will find guidance on how to add a new contact in ‘DFID Supplier Portal Guidance for Existing Suppliers/Fund Recipients’
7. Will my question be seen by other bidders?
Procurement rules normally dictate that all bidders must be treated equally, therefore DFIDs Contract Manager has the right to publish the response to your question to all other bidders. However on the DFID Supplier Portal, the name of the bidder who originated the question will not be revealed to other participating bidders.
8. What does the "stage" of a tender mean?
Tendering exercises can move through 4 stages:
1. The Engagement stage (also referred to as ‘Expression of Interest’) is used to advertise forthcoming tenders and provide you with a facility to express your interest in participating. The Engagement stage also allows you to engage in responding to RFQs/RFPs that are not conducted through a sealed bid process.
2. The Bid stage is where you can submit e-tender documents. Note that some tendering exercises will be ‘by invitation only’ and you may not be able to submit a response if not invited, for example following a pre-qualification shortlisting exercise.
3. There is no action required by suppliers for tendering opportunities at the Under Evaluation stage. These are already closed for submissions and are in the process of being evaluated.
4. There is also no action required by suppliers for tendering opportunities at the Contract Award stage, however you may be interested to read the contract award details if provided.
9. What is meant by Current and Awarded?
If you search the Bulletin Board for current tenders, all those at Engagement, Bid or Under Evaluation stage will appear in the results of your search. However if you select Awarded, only tenders at the Contract Award stage will appear in the results of your search. For more information on stages, please refer to the question ‘What does the stage of the tender mean?’.
10. How do I download the attachments on the tender page?
To view the documentation relating to the procurement exercise, click on the blue hyperlinks on the tender page. You will be given the choice to open, save or cancel. If you wish to view the documents now, you can choose ‘open’. To view the documents later choose ‘save’. If you do not wish to save the document click ‘cancel’.
Full step by step guidance on how to open attachments is available under ‘My Tenders’ in the guidance page ‘DFID Supplier Portal Guidance for E-Tendering’
11. I’ve changed my mind, how to I opt out of a Tender?
If you have decided after reviewing the full set of tender opportunities that you are no longer interested in a Tender, please let DFID know by clicking on the Decline interest button on the tender page.
Full step by step guidance on opting out of tender communications is available in ‘DFID Supplier Portal Guidance for E-Tendering’
Please note that once you have declined an interest in a tender, you will not be able to re-register. Click Cancel if you still wish to continue taking part in this procurement exercise.