What is tender support? Creation, management and development of tender sales departments (B

Comprehensive tender support for business – new promising direction work that not everyone can master. Denis Makarov, head of the Smart Tender company, shared his impressions of the first victory and talked about who “ tender specialist» and how large the contract amounts are.

Main points of the interview

• type of activity- provision of comprehensive tender support;
• business location- Voronezh;
• occupation before starting a business- student;
• start date entrepreneurial activity - March 2017;
• organizational and legal form of doing business- limited liability company;
• initial investment amount- 150,000 rubles;
• source of initial capital - own funds;
• payback period- 2 months;
• formula for success- self-confidence

Towards comprehensive tender support through fear and hatred

Denis, your business is something new and incomprehensible for many. Why did you choose comprehensive tender support as a business out of many options?

During my student days, I thought about starting a business and decided to look at the government procurement website. It seemed easier to realize oneself in procurement at that moment, since real proposals for the provision of services, supply of goods, etc. were posted there. Customers from all over Russia post their needs, write the price they are willing to pay, and dictate the terms of implementation. Demand seeks supply. You just need to come and satisfy the customer’s needs and make money from it.

Every day I looked through purchases, opened technical specifications, looked for proposals that I could satisfy on my own with minimal investment. I attracted friends, offered options for making money by replacing windows, repairing floors in schools, preparing electronic documents for courts, legal support, logistics services, cloakroom services, etc. At that time, given the lack real experience, I tried to grab every opportunity, but it never came to the point of applying.

After a long search, my colleague (and my friend) and I came across the opportunity to submit an application to participate in a tender for the needs of the Transneft Oil Trunk Pipeline “Druzhba” company. The total cost of the work was 3.5 million rubles. per year. The work was related to the registration of rights of JSC MN "Druzhba" to land plots during the reconstruction of the oil pipeline. At the time of filing the documents, no one believed that there was a chance of success. The company from which we took part in the bidding had not previously worked with such purchases, considering victory impossible, citing corruption, competition, etc. My colleague and I were not thinking about business, but about three and a half million and how we'll spend them. Nevertheless, our application was accepted, and later recognized as the best in terms of price and conditions in two cities - Penza and Samara.

I would like to draw attention to the fact that two third-year law students managed to win a contract on behalf of an organization that had not previously even attempted to work with the world’s largest pipeline company, which transports 93% of the oil produced in Russia.

After signing the contract, it was decided to read it. It was drawn up on 40 pages, and the appendix was a technical specification, divided into nine stages of work. We were clearly shocked by the abundance in terms of reference such words as geodetic alignment base, GGS points, theodolites, outlines, technical report of alignment works, cadastral works, topographic survey, reclamation, etc.

Naturally, none of us even approximately understood the meaning of most of these words. We became even more excited when we saw 5 boxes full of technical documentation for the construction of an oil pipeline. The boxes contained a bunch of A0 format drawings, upon careful study of which any normal person’s nervous system would suffer, and there would be one thought in his head: “This is impossible to understand!”

The situation was aggravated by the fact that, according to the terms of the agreement, it was necessary to provide security in the amount of 300 thousand rubles as a guarantee of fulfillment of their obligations. At that time we had no available funds. If we fail, the company on whose behalf the tender was won will be included in the register of unscrupulous suppliers and will not be able to participate in the tender for two years. public procurement.

Realizing our own insignificance, we prayed to be forgiven and let go, that we would not do this again... In response, we received a refusal. The process was already irreversible.

We had to borrow 300 thousand rubles, take courage and begin implementing the contract.

What followed was a terrible and endless, pain-filled, terrifying ordeal of fulfilling the terms of the contract. There was a lot there: fear, hatred, stupidity, pain, bribes, throwing, shame, endless business trips to the most remote places of the Penza and Samara regions.

As a result, after 4 months of work, not hoping for a positive result and experiencing a huge burden of responsibility, we closed several stages of work, and Transneft transferred the first money in the amount of 1,100,000 rubles.

After completing this contract we opened own company sbgroup.pro. In the first year, we signed 25 contracts worth 4 million rubles; in the second year, we already had contracts worth 15 million rubles. We hired staff and purchased the necessary geodetic equipment.

Now all efforts are aimed at developing the Smart Tender company, which appeared on the market in March 2017. I was the founder of Smart Business, but now I don’t appear there in any way.

What is included in the concept of “comprehensive tender support”?

Selection of applications depending on the partner’s field of activity, preparation and submission of documents, request for clarification of technical documentation, assistance with securing the application, accounting for changes in tender documentation, participation in tenders on behalf of the client company. We carry out all procedures related to the tender, accompany partners before signing the contract, and often after. This is a complex activity that requires concentration. Often about 20 purchases are carried out simultaneously, requiring complete package documents. Along with applications in progress, it is necessary to monitor trading platforms for the submission of new applications. In addition to tender support, we help with registration of digital signature, individual entrepreneur or LLC.

Such a scale requires strength and resources. What resources did you need at the start?

What can you tell future entrepreneurs?

No need. Go to work. Don't create jobs for yourself - you may be dooming yourself to eternal suffering.

Could you work “for your uncle”, knowing everything that you know now? What is the advantage of working for yourself?

I couldn't and I definitely never will. However, sometimes, when starting their own business, people create big problems for themselves, but the result they get is exactly the same as if they had worked for regular work. Plus is the freedom to choose the conditions of your employment, freedom of action, the opportunity to shape your future, your team. The downside is life in uncertainty and daily risks.

Over the past few years, government and commercial procurement have come a long way from blatant cuts of organizations' budgets to open and transparent procedures such as electronic auctions. As a result, employees appeared who specialize in working with tenders. To simplify their work as much as possible and automate the routine processes of selecting suitable purchases, aggregator programs for searching and working with tenders appeared several years ago. Including the search and analytical system FindTenders. But due to the transition of an increasing number of companies to conducting their procurement activities through the placement of open competitive procedures, it has become extremely problematic for one employee to cover the entire front of work related to tenders. Supplier companies increasingly began to form an entire structural unit - a procurement department.

Tender department: structure and distribution of responsibilities.

To begin with, it is worth considering the typical structure of the procurement department (tender department). The average department consists of the following specialists:

• Head of the tender department (head of the tender department). Coordinates tenders for participation with management, carries out work planning, distribution of responsibilities in the tender department, as well as monitoring the activities of employees and quality control of prepared tender applications. The head of the tender department is also responsible for the efficiency of the entire structural unit.
• Tender Manager (Specialist in working on electronic trading platforms). Is directly involved in electronic trading, preparation of tender applications in paper form.
• Assistant, assistant tender manager (secretary). Technician whose responsibilities include scanning, photocopying documents, collecting title documents for the tender, maintaining internal document flow of the tender department, organizing the delivery of tender applications in paper form, tracking the results of tenders.

In addition, the tender department may include the following specialists (most often, the responsibilities of such employees are distributed within the tender department or specialists from related ones are involved):

• Tender search specialist. Manually or using a specialized software monitors eligible purchases on several hundred trading platforms and corporate websites. Often, the functions of searching for tenders are distributed among employees of the tender department, but it happens that these responsibilities are handled by a separate employee.
• Lawyer. Prepares applications for clarification of the provisions of procurement documentation, checks contracts before signing, and also, if necessary, prepares complaints to the Federal Antimonopoly Service. Most often, a lawyer is not part of the tender department, but is involved as needed from legal department companies.
• Bank guarantee specialist (economist). Contacts banks and brokers to obtain security for an application or contract for better conditions. Also, these functions often fall on an economist or other employee in the company. Companies do not always actively use bank guarantees. It all depends on the specifics of the company’s activities.

IN small companies one employee can be responsible for several areas of work at once, but in large ones, on the contrary, several people are engaged in the same activity at once. In any case, the organization most often participates in several tenders at once, so all specialists are overloaded with work.

Scheme of work of the tender department.

Now you need to figure out how the business process works in the procurement department. This is easier to do through a flowchart that describes a typical cycle of work with a specific tender.

The figure shows that the department’s work on a specific tender involves quite a lot of various stages And internal communications. If we take into account parallel work on several purchases, then the likelihood of problems arising is very high.

Problems in the work of the tender department.

The tender department may have a number of standard problems in its activities:

Lack of time to work on one tender under the pretext of being busy with another.

“Damaged phone” when transferring information from one employee to another. Losing a part important information when moving from one stage of work to the next, especially if employees are in different places.

Difficulty of monitoring the activities of subordinates by the manager. Especially in real time.

Problems with documents. If there are many tenders, and the documents being prepared are similar, then it is easy to get confused as to whether a particular file belongs to a specific procurement.

Tender aggregator programs help only at the 1st stage of work. To solve problems at all other stages, you have to use various general-purpose software, such as spreadsheets.

Automation of the work of the tender department using a special tender CRM system from FindTenders.

To solve problems and automate the work of the tender department, FindTenders created a new software solution in 2016 - a tender CRM system. This software allows you to transfer the entire business process of working with procurement of a specific company into “computer language”. The principle of operation of the service is very similar to the classic CRM system for the sales department. Only instead of working with clients, the program operates with purchases. Thus, the tender department receives an effective and flexible tool adapted to the activities in the field of tenders.

For a formal description of the business process, tender CRM system uses the functionality of tags, which represent the statuses in which the purchase is currently located.

The user sets the labels independently, based on the work algorithm of his department. While working, you can see, for example, a list of tenders that are in the state of interest.

To solve the problem of documentation structure, built-in cloud storage is used.

Documents are stored with reference to the tender, so errors associated with the parallel work of several people on one purchase are practically excluded. At the same time, the user has the opportunity to store personal files related to the tender without access to other team members.

To discuss work on procurement and save instructions and ideas, a special messenger is built into the program.

Dialogues are also linked to a specific tender, which simplifies the search for the right discussion at the stage of analyzing the work performed.

To improve the efficiency of the department, the program contains an analytical module.

A manager or tender search specialist can always receive a comprehensive report on industries or companies related to government orders. Reports can contain both numerical data,

and graphic.

This allows the user to get the clearest picture of the area under study. The use of analytics within the tender department is also effective due to clearer filtering of tenders based on the chance of winning. In cases where statistics clearly indicate that winning is unlikely interesting tender, other department employees are not burdened with useless work.

In modern realities information society, when the volume of transmitted data is very significant, and even a very qualified specialist cannot solve the entire task alone, the use of software that allows maximum automation of the work of both an individual employee and an entire structural unit is the key to successful business in general, and the tender department is no exception. We must always remember that even a slight loss of information or time at each stage of work can ultimately result in the failure of the entire project or a decrease in efficiency.

Start of participation in tenders

Electronic trading platforms(ETP) were created for centralized procurement various organizations. They are Internet sites with specialized software on which organizations post information about the purchases they need, and possible contractors participate in announced tenders.

Electronic platforms operating in the Russian legislative field are divided into several main groups:

• Platforms for procurement under 44-FZ(government procurement). These ETPs are determined by the Ministry economic development and the Federal Antimonopoly Service, and all auctions under 44-FZ are held only on them. Work on these sites requires the use of qualified electronic signature.
• ETP for work under 223-FZ. They are intended for procurement by enterprises with state participation in the authorized capital of more than 50%. Their list is not limited and is not determined by anyone. The need to reduce them is currently being discussed. These sites determine their own operating rules.
• Sites for use by commercial companies. The decision to conduct trading using an electronic platform is made by each such company independently, there are no obligations on them Russian legislation does not impose. They often use platforms intended for trading under 223-FZ.
• Platforms for selling property of bankrupt organizations. Their list is determined by the Ministry of Economic Development.

Electronic trading platforms are characterized by common features:

• All transactions executed on them have legal force.
• There is no personal contact between counterparties. This guarantees anonymity during the execution of competitive procedures.
• Territorial independence. You can participate in competitive procedures via the Internet from anywhere in the world.

Government procurement according to 44-FZ

The procurement procedure for municipal and state needs is strictly regulated by current legislation:

• Procedures must be performed only at accredited electronic trading platforms.
• Trading must be carried out in strict accordance with previously published schedules.
• The procedure for selecting participants is determined by law, and not by the organizers of the auction.
• The Government of the Russian Federation has determined a list of goods, works and services that are allowed to be purchased only through an electronic auction.
• It is prohibited by law to indicate in documentation specific manufacturers and brands of goods, which ensures participation in the auction by a wide range of people.
• The auction documentation must contain prerequisites to ensure the execution of the application and contract.

Procurement of legal entities according to 223-FZ

Tenders in accordance with this law are carried out legal entities, in the authorized capital of which a share state participation is more than 50%.

They have a number of features:

• The auction organizer independently develops procurement regulations, where he determines the mechanism for conducting tenders and concluding contracts based on their results.
• The organizer also determines the method of carrying out the procedures independently.
• The Government of the Russian Federation has determined a list of goods, works and services that must be purchased only in electronic form.

Legal support services for tenders are necessary for every company that sooner or later begins to think about attracting new clients.

Stage-by-stage cooperation with our company

• We conduct competitive intelligence
• We analyze and prepare all documentation
• We analyze the customer for corruption
• We prepare documents on the experience and qualifications of employees, as well as experience in similar work
• We will win the tender together with you!

Cooperation with the company "MLBK" is profitable!

Price tender support in Moscow

Issue of digital signature

To eliminate the risk of disclosure confidential information When participating in auction procedures, it is necessary to use an electronic digital signature (EDS). It guarantees authenticity and relevance for all participants in electronic trading.

There are 3 types of digital signatures available:

1. A simple electronic signature confirming that the signed document was sent by the owner of the signature.
2. Enhanced unqualified electronic signature. Ensures that the document has not been changed after signing.
3. Enhanced qualified electronic signature. Combines the features of both previous options, having the power of an official seal and a hand signature. This option must be used to work on electronic trading platforms.

EDS is issued by special accredited certification centers. The list of certification authorities whose signatures are accepted on a specific electronic platform can be studied using the links posted on them.

To obtain an electronic digital signature from the certification center, to an individual necessary:

• personal presence;
• passport or other identity document;
• SNILS.

To obtain an electronic signature, legal entities must provide the following to the certification center:

• copies of constituent documents;
• certificate of entry into the Unified State Register of Legal Entities;
• tax registration certificate.

The electronic signature certificate is recorded on a flash drive, which must be purchased in advance. The cost of services is determined by the certification center itself and usually ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles.

Accreditation for ETP

In order to participate in procedures carried out on the electronic platform, you must go through the accreditation procedure on it:

• Submit an application on the website.
• ETP employees review the application within 5 working days.
• Applicant for email receives a notification from the site about a positive or negative result.

Before submitting an application, you must set up your computer to work with digital signature.

When registering on the site you will have to indicate:

• EDS certificate type.
• Actual and legal address companies.
• Payment details of the organization.
• Information about the authorized person.
• Login and password.

You will need to attach readable scanned copies (at least 100 dpi) to your application:

• Constituent documentation with all amendments.
• Extracts from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities for a period of no more than 6 months.
• Documents confirming the authority of the registering person.
• Documents confirming the authority of the manager.
• Decisions on the possibility of making transactions on an electronic platform.

When sending documents, you must take into account the type of files that are accepted by the electronic platform. Their list is usually indicated in the download window.

The accreditation period is 3 years. 90 days before its expiration, the organization receives a corresponding notification by email.

Selection of tenders

Request for quotations and competition under 44-FZ

You can change the text of the contract:

• The contractor's details, if they have changed during the bidding.
• Deviations from the text of the auction documentation and the winner's application.
• Grammatical errors, typos and other inaccuracies.

Correction essential conditions agreement is not allowed.

Conclusion of a contract in case of disagreement:

• The winning bidder studies the text of the contract offered to him.
• The winner draws up a protocol of disagreements using the trading platform software. Each objection to a controversial clause of the contract must be legally justified.

• The protocol signed with digital signature is sent to the auction organizer.
• The customer reviews the submitted protocol within 3 working days and either makes a correction to the contract or returns the original version with a justified refusal.
• The winner must make a decision within 3 working days - agree with the proposed option, or create a new protocol of disagreements. He can submit several protocols, but only within 13 calendar days.
• If he agrees, the winner signs the protocol and sends it to the customer along with documents confirming the execution of the contract.
• The customer signs the contract on his part within 3 working days and publishes it. After this, the contract is considered concluded.

Financial support

In order for the auction organizer to be confident that the winner of the auction will fulfill the contract, 44-FZ provides for 2 types of guarantees:

1. Securing the application. It serves as insurance in case the winner refuses to enter into the contract.
2. Enforcing the contract. It is necessary to ensure that the winner will perform the contract properly.

Each of these guarantees can be provided in 2 ways.

Business schemes in Russia are becoming more complex over time. Bidding organizations must go through important steps to ultimately achieve an order.

Methods for identifying suppliers

Procurement under a contract system is a multi-component chain of legal stages. Possible errors in the process can lead to loss of time, economic profit and, importantly, the company’s reputation. That is why it is so important to know the rules established by law.

According to statistics, the methods for determining a supplier are as follows:

• using electronic auctions;
• supplier unity;
• requests for quotes;
• other options.

The tendering process is a complex regulated procedure with various aspects and pitfalls. To achieve success, you must take into account the requirements regulatory documents and build on existing experience in this area.

Most organizations applying for the tender do not own employees with a sufficient level of competence. For this reason, company management prefers to use tender support services provided by independent companies.

What prevents you from directly participating in competitions?

Companies do not seek to participate in tenders on their own for several reasons:

• a large number of legislative and regulatory documents;
• constant changes in the rules of procedure;
• strict requirements for competitors;
• a lot of necessary documentation.

Companies involved in tender support have the necessary knowledge in the field of legislation and can competently apply them according to the situation. Cooperation with them will help reduce possible risks and develop the necessary strategy for participation in the procedure, as well as minimize controversial nuances.

Comprehensive and local support

Tender support can be comprehensive and local. Stages of a comprehensive service:

• procedure for searching for the desired event on special sites;
• compiling a package of documents, filling out an application;
• passing the bidding and auction procedure on behalf of the customer;
• electronic signature registration;
• electronic accreditation of the company;
• assistance in lending for the tender;
• consultations on legal, organizational and technical issues;
• preparing company employees for tender activities.

Tender support for a company may include some of these services or a full range. It all depends on the qualifications of the company and the financial potential of the customer company.

Local tender support may include:

• a one-time service that solves a single problem;
• continuous provision of only one service (for example, reissue digital signature).

Tender outsourcing

The tender outsourcing service may be part of tender support and be of a short-term nature.

Who benefits from tender outsourcing? The service may be required:

• companies with no experience of participating in competitions;
• organizations that do not have specialists involved in bidding;
• firms that need a one-time service in preparation for a competition;
• organizations that are accustomed to using outsourcing support for all non-core activities.

Advantages and disadvantages of the service

The advantages of such services include:

• freeing up time for specialists on staff to perform basic tasks;
• there is no need to have an employee specializing in competitions on staff;
• no errors in

The disadvantages include:

• the customer also has to prepare necessary documents for the competition;
• high cost of tender outsourcing;
• There is no 100% guarantee that you will win the competition.

Criteria for choosing an organization for cooperation

When selecting a company to enter into a contract for tender support, you need to pay attention to several points. It is important not to fall for the tricks of scammers. How to distinguish unscrupulous companies? They have some features:

• provide false guarantees;
• reduce prices;
• do not have information about their own clients;
• they call it very short terms to carry out work;
• are trying to implement exclusively comprehensive service without providing separate services;
• are engaged in the prompt preparation of necessary documents.

Companies that do not have a sufficient level of qualifications and experience have similar characteristics. Cooperation with them can expose the organization to various types of risks, which may result in civil, administrative and even criminal liability.

The low cost of services should attract attention first of all. Companies already involved in this type of transaction know how complex the service can be and how many specialists have to be involved in the work to achieve the desired result.

Specialized companies spend impressive sums to train employees and constantly monitor changes in legislation. Therefore, the prices of such companies a priori cannot be low. The cost of tender support consists of a whole range of services provided.

Usually the company provides a price list for its services. On average, the cost of the service starts from 15-20 thousand rubles for support for a month. However, you need to understand that the final amount will be determined by individual nuances depending on the tasks of a particular client.

Rules for successful participation in the tender

Before using the services of third-party companies, it is worth considering some points:

1. Define final goal participation in auctions. It is important to consider the volume and schedule of orders to be completed.
2. All steps that can be completed independently should not be outsourced.
3. Outsourcing should not be expected to solve all competition-related problems. This is just one of the tools, and it does not always guarantee a positive result.
4. Even if you cooperate with an outsourcing company, you will have to participate in the preparation of documentation and communicate with consulting companies.
5. Give in to low prices some companies shouldn't. When choosing an outsourcing organization, you should first familiarize yourself with the price lists of some of them, then the optimal cost of the service will be clear.
6. When choosing an organization, you should approach this process carefully and scrupulously. The company must have sufficient experience, qualifications, an appropriate list of clients, approved tariffs, and developed documentation.
7. You should not believe the unconditional promises of outsourcing organizations that promise success in the competition. No company can guarantee a 100% winning bid.

Does it make sense?

If an organization is constantly bidding to attract new clients, hiring companies to assist in this process will most likely not be profitable. As a rule, teaching these skills to specialists in your company will be a more convenient and economical way of doing business. It may be necessary to create a department dedicated to competitive activities.

If interest in bidding arises infrequently and is of a short-term nature, then the service of tender support for business from outsourcing companies will come in handy. In this case, it will be convenient and profitable.

Proposals for comprehensive support of tenders on outsourcing terms are relevant for enterprises for which it is important to minimal costs win contract tenders in order to:

• expand sales;
• find suppliers.

Professionally organized assistance in auctions and tenders provides benefits to companies that use this service.

Advantages of companies using comprehensive tender support

• Timely receipt of up-to-date information about auctions. Moscow and Moscow Region are a market with a high level of competition in all areas. Therefore, informing about planned contract auctions is a serious help in winning tenders; it allows you not to miss important competitions. Outsourcer specialists monitor data updates daily, selecting needed by the client intelligence.
• Budget savings. If you search for suitable tenders on your own, you will need to allocate a full-time employee, organize workplace and software support, which is irrational - time and money are wasted on studying the terms of tenders that do not correspond to the interests of the company, the scale of activity, etc. In addition, costs for wages, social guarantees, etc. Outsourcer support is paid only as you use its services. At the same time, the performers, again in view high competition, declare a moderate cost of work.
• Operational readiness for the auction. The experience of specialists and well-established algorithms ensure that professional assistance in tenders provides quick start preparation for the selected auction, efficiency of each stage and response to force majeure circumstances.
• Correctness of registration of the application for participation. As a result of incorrectly executed papers, the applicant may not be allowed to participate in the auction. Help in organizing tenders allows you to eliminate this risk - competent execution and timely submission of a package of documents.
• Increasing the effectiveness of participation in auctions. A professional approach and turnkey service ensure a higher percentage of winnings when participating in auctions.

Comprehensive tender assistance is in demand by enterprises:

• those who have no experience in such activities;
• experienced and successful, but willing to spend the budget rationally and optimize the work system.

Services for participation in tenders from LLC "Consulting Group - Your Chief Accountant"

We offer services for participation in tenders for companies of various forms of ownership, scale and specifics of activity. The format of cooperation is determined by the customer, the following options are possible:

• consultations, including competitiveness analysis;
• local support at certain stages - procurement services at tenders, registration of applications for participation in open tenders or electronic auctions, requesting quotes, obtaining or re-issuing an electronic signature, etc.;
• full support of tenders - from accreditation of the client company to electronic platforms before representing her interests in court or the Federal Antimonopoly Service in case of unlawful rejection of applications for participation.

The priority area is tender support for builders, since in this segment of the capital’s market there is consistently high activity in contract bidding. In addition, the sphere of capital construction is socially important.

The provision of services is possible on an ongoing or one-time basis; reviews of previously implemented tender support projects are presented on the website. We cannot guarantee victory in the auction - no less worthy companies take part. However, the volume of trades won with our support is 25%, which is considered a good indicator. The company's professional liability is insured - this additional guarantee proper quality of work.

To order assistance in auctions and tenders, contact our head office in Odintsovo or our Moscow representative office. Any clarifications about the terms of cooperation are available by phone (including on a call back) and through a special form of communication with a consultant on the website.

The price for tender services is set according to the volume of work.