A tender notification is normally an online delivery service in the form of an e-mail, which displays tendering opportunities. These opportunities are more than often open tenders, which allow any potential supplier to register interest in a tender opportunity. This could almost be included in some tender processes as an additional step as many open tenders are now found and applied for via this method. Many procurement systems are now incorporating the tendering data into packages to make the information more accessible for suppliers interested in various tenders.
How it differs from an "request for quote" or "request for tender"
These are normally opportunities that are sent direct from the system they were created on. For example if a government institution used a certain brand of tendering software, then this brand would also offer a tender service to notify the user of tenders on that specific system.
Normally where feeds from multiple sources are combined, collated and then sent out. The aim is obvious here, to give the supplier as many opportunities as possible on a daily basis. However due to the information often being second or third hand, some data can be lost in the process, or may become inaccurate as it is passed down the line.
A request for tender or request for quotation is a closed tender where people are invited by a buyer to quote for specific work. A tender notification alerts potential suppliers of open tenders that they then have to register interest in before entering the tendering process.
Tender notifications (sometimes called tender alerts) can be sent straight to a company s chosen inbox via email. This means businesses can receive live tenders, to view and bid for, from a database for both private and public sectors. These alerts are most commonly sent daily and can be filtered down by geographical area such as region or country and can also be filtered by business sector such as construction or IT. The idea is that tender notification systems deliver tender opportunities to the company; dramatically reducing the amount of time spent looking for these tenders.
