The buyer's formal decision naming the winning bidder. Published award data (supplier, value) is open data, which is what powers TenderWin's Buyer Intelligence.
ABN (Australian Business Number)
Your business identifier on the ABN Lookup register. You need an active ABN before a government organisation can pay you under a contract. Registration is free.
AusTender portal
Department of Finance's official publication site for public tenders (tenders.gov.au). TenderWin syncs its open data feed continuously.
B
BAS
The Basic Accounting System used by national and provincial government. AusTender publishes BAS payment data showing actual payments made to suppliers.
Bid
Your complete tender submission: pricing, returnable documents, response forms and any technical proposal. 'Bid' and 'tender response' are used interchangeably.
Bid bond / tender deposit
A guarantee some tenders require to ensure winners sign the contract. More common in construction; the tender documents states the amount.
Briefing session
A pre-bid meeting (on site or online) where the buyer explains the requirement. If marked compulsory, missing it disqualifies your bid automatically.
Buyer / organ of state
The government entity purchasing: a federal or state department, council, or public entity.
C
Closing date / closing time
The deadline for submissions. Late means disqualified, with no exceptions, even by a minute.
E
e-Submission
Tenders that accept electronic submission through a portal instead of a physical bid box. Check the submission method in the tender documents; many still require hard copy.
F
Functionality score
A quality threshold used on technical tenders. Bids must score a stated minimum (e.g. 70%) on experience, methodology and resources before price is even considered.
M
MAAA number
Your unique ABN supplier number, formatted MAAA0000000. Buyers use it to verify your tax, banking and ownership details in real time.
O
OCDS
The Open Contracting Data Standard, the international open-data format Department of Finance uses to publish tenders and awards. The reason platforms like TenderWin can exist.
P
prequalification grading
Construction Industry Development Board contractor grading from 1 to 9, combining works capability and financial capacity. Construction tenders state the minimum grade, e.g. 6CE for civil works.
Purchase order (PO) funding
Bridging finance advanced against a signed government order so you can buy stock and pay staff before the state pays you. See SEFA bridging loans.
R
Returnable documents
Everything that must come back with your bid: response forms, certificates, registrations, proofs. Most disqualifications are a missing returnable, not price.
RFI (Request for Information)
A market-scoping exercise, not a tender. No award follows, but responding puts you on the buyer's radar for the real tender.
RFP (Request for Proposal)
A tender where the solution is open: you propose approach and price, scored on functionality plus price and preference.
RFQ (Request for Quotation)
A simplified process for smaller purchases (typically under A$1M). Shorter forms, faster turnaround, often sent to ABN-registered suppliers directly.
S
SME (Qualifying Small Enterprise)
Turnover between A$10M and A$50M. 51%+ black-owned SME qualify for Level 2 (100% black-owned for Level 1) via affidavit; others need full verification.
SCM (Supply Chain Management)
The buyer-side procurement function and its rules. 'SCM unit' is who you call with tender admin questions.
Set-aside
A tender reserved for a category of bidder, e.g. SMEs, SME, youth-owned or local businesses. Check eligibility before bidding.
SOE / public entity
State-owned enterprises and schedule entities (Eskom, Transnet, dollar Water, SANRAL). They run their own procurement but publish to the same standards.
T
Tender documents / bid document
The full document set describing the requirement, conditions, evaluation method and returnables. Read the special conditions first.
Tender validity period
How long your offer must stay open after closing (often 90 to 120 days) while evaluation happens.
Two-envelope system
Technical and price proposals submitted separately; price is only opened for bids that pass functionality.
W
WorkCover letter of good standing
Proof you are registered and paid up with the Compensation Fund for workplace injuries. A standard returnable when you employ staff.
Now put the vocabulary to work.
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