What is a compulsory briefing?

A site meeting or briefing session the buyer requires bidders to attend, usually a week or two before closing. A bid from a business that did not attend a compulsory briefing is normally disqualified without being read.

How to read a tender before you apply

The six things to check in any South African tender before you commit — and where QuickTenders shows each one on the tender page.

~2 min read · Updated 16 September 2026

A tender document is long because the buyer has to state everything it will hold you to. Six parts decide whether you should bid at all. The QuickTenders tender page reads them from the buyer's document and shows them first; the document itself always governs.

1. Closing date, time and method

The closing date and time are absolute — a bid received a minute late is not opened. Check the submission method as well: a physical bid box at a stated address, an email address, or a portal. Each takes a different amount of lead time. QuickTenders shows all three and reminds you as the date approaches.

2. Compulsory requirements

These are the mandatory conditions: a valid TCS PIN, CSD registration, a CIDB grade at or above a stated level, a compulsory briefing, a specific licence. A bid missing any one is disqualified before evaluation. Tender Fit checks these against your profile and documents when you apply and tells you which you cannot currently show.

3. The forms

Every tender lists the forms it requires — the national SBD series (SBD 1, 4, 6.1, 8, 9 and the pricing schedule) or the buyer's own (the Western Cape's WCBD series, for example). The tender page lists what was detected; the workspace carries the forms into your pack.

4. Evaluation criteria and points

Most tenders are scored in phases: compliance, then functionality (technical criteria with points and a minimum threshold), then price and preference points on the 80/20 or 90/10 system. The criteria and their points tell you what the evaluator will look for — and how much the technical response matters relative to price. QuickTenders structures your technical proposal one subsection per criterion, in the buyer's order.

5. Contract period, scope and quantities

Read the period and quantities as the buyer states them. Where a tender states them two ways — a five-year period in one place and thirty-six months in another — QuickTenders flags the conflict rather than picking one; raise it with the buyer.

6. The buyer

The organ of state, its contact person for enquiries, and its recent tenders. Buyer pages on QuickTenders list what else that buyer has published.

Where QuickTenders shows each part

What to check	On the tender page
Closing date, time, method	Header and the Submission panel
Compulsory requirements	Requirements tab
Forms	Requirements tab, "Forms required"
Evaluation criteria	Requirements tab, "How it is scored"
Documents	Documents tab — the buyer's document, downloadable
Fit for your business	Sign in to see your match; Tender Fit runs when you apply

How to apply for a tender
Tender Requirements and Evaluation Criteria in Platform Terms
Compulsory requirements, Functionality and Preference points in the Tender Dictionary

Frequently asked questions

What is a compulsory briefing?: A site meeting or briefing session the buyer requires bidders to attend, usually a week or two before closing. A bid from a business that did not attend a compulsory briefing is normally disqualified without being read.

QuickTenders terms in this article

Evaluation Criteria — In QuickTenders, Evaluation Criteria are the scored criteria read from the tender — each criterion with its points — used to structure your Technical Proposal so that the evaluator can score it criterion by criterion.

Tender Fit — Tender Fit is QuickTenders' assessment of whether a specific tender's requirements are ones your business can currently meet — a verdict (good fit, borderline, poor fit) with a score out of 100 and the reasons.

Pricing Decision — The Pricing Decision is your recorded commercial offer for a tender — the basis (lump sum, rate, commission, priced schedule) and the figure — which QuickTenders never proposes for you.

Tender Requirements — Tender Requirements are what QuickTenders read from the tender document: the compulsory (mandatory) requirements, the documents and forms the buyer asks for, the evaluation criteria and their points, the closing date and the submission method.