The worst tender outcome for a small trade business is not losing. It is spending three evenings and a weekend on a response that was never going to be considered, because a mandatory criterion was missed on page four or the job was two sizes too big. Business Queensland's own guidance is blunt about it: developing a tender costs money and uses valuable resources, and if you cannot deliver, do not bid.[1]
This scorecard turns that guidance into ten questions. Score each from 0 to 2, add them up, and use the total to decide before the work starts.
Part one: can we be considered at all?
1. Do we meet every mandatory criterion? Tender documents set out the evaluation process and criteria, and some criteria are mandatory.[2] Mandatory criteria are the ones you must, at a minimum, meet; failing to respond to one means the offer may be non-conforming and may not be considered.[3] At the Commonwealth level this is not a judgement call: a procurement officer must set aside responses that do not comply.[5] Score 2 only if you can evidence every mandatory item today. A single zero here ends the exercise.
2. Do we hold the licences, insurances and registrations named? This is where most small contractors lose. Score against the document, not against what you intend to arrange.
3. Can we lodge on time, in the format required? Late offers may be treated as non-conforming,[3] and Commonwealth processes cannot accept late tenders at all.[5] If the closing date is Friday and your estimator is on site until Thursday, be honest.
Part two: can we win it?
4. What are the weightings, and do they favour us? Criteria may be weighted according to importance, and the weightings may be disclosed.[2] A tender weighted heavily on price suits a lean operator; one weighted on methodology and past performance suits a contractor with references and a written safety system. Score 2 if the weightings sit where your strengths are.
5. Do we have comparable past work we can evidence? Not similar work you describe, but jobs with a client contact, dates and value.
6. Is there a local or small-business advantage we qualify for? The Queensland Procurement Policy 2026 sets a target for agencies to source at least 30 per cent of procurement by value from Queensland small and medium enterprises. For significant procurements of $500,000 or more including GST, a purposeful public procurement criterion is mandatory, with a total weighting between 10 and 20 per cent and each outcome, including local benefits, weighted 5 to 10 per cent.[7] A genuinely local SME scores here; a business quoting from interstate does not.
7. Have we asked our questions? If anything is unclear, contact the tender coordinator for clarification.[4] Commonwealth questions go in writing to the contact officer, and the question and answer are provided to every potential supplier.[5] Score 2 if you have used the question period; score 0 if you are guessing.
Part three: should we want it?
8. What will it cost to bid? Business Queensland's checklist asks directly for an initial estimate of the cost to bid.[1] Put a number on hours, estimator time, any external help and printing. If that number is more than a small percentage of the expected margin, the maths is against you.
9. Can we actually deliver and fund it? Capacity, cash flow and supervision for the whole contract term. The 2026 policy asks agencies to consider up-front payments of up to 30 per cent for small and family businesses,[7] which helps, but only if the tender says so. Score 0 if winning would mean turning away the work that pays the bills.
10. Does it build toward something? Even a marginal job can score if it earns a referee, a prequalification or a foothold with a buyer who tenders regularly.
Reading the score
- 16 to 20: bid, and start now.
- 11 to 15: bid only if questions 1 to 3 are all 2s and you can raise a weak area before closing.
- 10 or below, or any zero on questions 1 to 3: do not bid. Send a short note to the buyer saying you would like to be considered for future work of a smaller scale.
Whatever you decide, ask for the debrief
If you bid and lose, request a debriefing. Business Queensland advises always requesting one, especially when unsuccessful, and notes it is not an occasion to raise complaints.[4] Australian Government organisations must provide a debrief on request, covering how your response compared to the evaluation criteria rather than to other tenderers.[6] The 2026 Queensland policy also requires evaluation documentation to be good enough to support quality supplier debriefs.[7] A debrief is free training for the next scorecard.
Guidance was checked against the linked pages on 7 September 2026. Every tender defines its own criteria and rules, and the document in front of you overrides anything general said here.