When you see the term ‘Request for Tender’ (RFT), it’s the Australian government’s way of saying: “We know exactly what we want, and we need you to prove you can deliver it to our precise standards.” An RFT is a formal, highly structured invitation for suppliers to submit a competitive bid for specific goods or services where the requirements are clearly defined.

At its core, the government agency has already done its homework. They’ve defined the scope, the requirements, and the standards. Your job is to submit a tender response that ticks every single box and demonstrates the best overall value for money. This guide will walk you through exactly how to deconstruct and respond to an RFT to win more government contracts.

What a Request for Tender Means for Your Business

Let's be honest, staring down your first RFT can feel like a mammoth task. These documents are notoriously dense, formal, and loaded with jargon. But don't let that put you off. Getting good at responding to RFTs is your ticket to a slice of the enormous Australian government procurement pie.

To put it in perspective, the Commonwealth Government spends over $70 billion annually on goods and services from businesses just like yours. That’s a massive market with real opportunities for suppliers sharp enough to navigate the process.

Think of an RFT like a detailed architectural blueprint for a house. The government agency has laid out the exact dimensions, materials, and building codes. Your tender response is your construction plan, proving you can build that exact house, on time and on budget. There's no room for creative interpretation—just precision and compliance.

This is where RFTs differ from other common procurement documents you might see.

To make it crystal clear, here’s how the three main document types stack up against each other. Understanding the differences is crucial so you know exactly what kind of game you're playing the moment a document lands on your desk.

RFT vs RFQ vs RFP Key Differences at a Glance

Aspect

Request for Tender (RFT)

Request for Quotation (RFQ)

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Purpose

To get competitive bids for clearly defined goods or services.

To get pricing for standard, off-the-shelf items or simple services.

To find the best solution to a complex problem or need.

Flexibility

Very low. You must follow the exact specifications.

Low. It's all about meeting the listed requirements.

High. You are encouraged to propose innovative solutions.

Evaluation Focus

Compliance with mandatory requirements and overall value for money.

Almost entirely on the lowest price from a compliant supplier.

Solution effectiveness, innovation, experience, and value.

Analogy

A detailed architectural blueprint.

A simple shopping list.

A challenge to design a new solution.

As you can see, the RFT sits in a unique spot, demanding a perfectly compliant and detailed response to a very clear set of needs. This is also why they can be so unforgiving; miss one mandatory requirement, and your bid could be disqualified before it’s even read.

Getting comfortable with the formal structure of platforms like AusTender is your first step. If you're new to the platform, our complete guide to AusTender is a great place to get your bearings.

Navigating this process requires a sharp eye for detail and a systematic approach. Some businesses even get ahead by spotting early RFP request signals, which often share traits with RFTs, helping them prepare for opportunities before they're even released.

This is exactly where GovBid's AI comes in. Our Australian-focused platform helps you cut through the complexity. It can analyse a dense RFT in minutes, automatically generate a compliance checklist, and even help you draft content that speaks directly to the government's evaluation criteria. We translate the government’s complex blueprint into a clear, step-by-step action plan, giving you a powerful head start on building a winning tender response.

Navigating the Five Stages of the RFT Lifecycle

Winning a Request for Tender isn't a single event; it's a journey through a structured, multi-stage process. The key is to stop thinking of it as one massive task and start seeing it as a series of manageable steps. Think of it less like a frantic sprint and more like a well-planned expedition with five distinct phases.

For businesses new to government procurement, mapping out these stages gives you a clear roadmap from discovery right through to delivery. Each phase has its own purpose, challenges, and checklist of things you absolutely must get right to stay in the running. A misstep at any point can get you disqualified, which is why a methodical approach is your best friend.

This is exactly how GovBid is designed to help. Our all-in-one platform aligns with each stage of the RFT lifecycle, offering AI-powered tools to simplify your workflow, guarantee compliance, and seriously boost your chances of lodging a winning bid.

Let's break down each of the five stages.

Stage 1: Publication and Discovery

This is where it all begins. A government agency identifies a need and formally publishes an RFT on a procurement portal. In Australia, the main one for Commonwealth opportunities is AusTender. The moment it goes live, the clock starts ticking.

Your main job here is timely discovery. Missing an opportunity is no different from losing one. You have to be actively monitoring these portals to find RFTs that are a perfect match for your business.

Manually trawling through websites for government tenders is a massive time sink and just plain inefficient. This is where GovBid's smart alerts give you a real edge. You set up customised profiles based on your industry, services, and keywords, and our platform pings you the moment a relevant RFT is published. You'll never miss a thing.

Effectively navigating these portals is the first hurdle in the RFT lifecycle. It's how you identify and download the tender documents you need to get started.

Stage 2: Clarification and Questions

Once you’ve found a promising RFT and started digging in, you'll inevitably have questions. These documents can be dense, and some requirements might seem ambiguous. This clarification stage is your official—and often your only—chance to get answers straight from the procurement officer.

During this window, you can submit your questions through the official portal. To keep things fair and transparent, all questions and their answers are typically shared publicly with every potential supplier. Make sure you read these Q&A documents carefully; they often contain critical details that weren't in the original RFT.

Stage 3: Response Preparation and Submission

Now for the heavy lifting. This is the most intense phase, where you actually build your tender response. It involves dissecting the RFT documents, designing your solution, gathering evidence, writing compelling content, and filling out all the mandatory forms and schedules.

The most common pitfall here is wildly underestimating the time it takes. The average tender response can easily swallow 40-80 hours of work. Rushing this stage is a recipe for compliance errors and a weak, unconvincing submission.

GovBid's AI-powered tender writing tools are built to dramatically speed up this phase. Our platform can:

Automatically generate a compliance matrix, making sure you tick every single mandatory box.

Draft content that speaks directly to the evaluation criteria.

Help you manage all your documents in one central, collaborative workspace.

Stage 4: Evaluation and Shortlisting

Once the submission deadline passes, the government's evaluation panel gets to work. They will methodically assess every compliant tender against the pre-determined evaluation criteria laid out in the RFT. It's a structured, evidence-based process.

The panel scores each response and creates a shortlist of the highest-ranking suppliers. If your bid makes the cut, you might be invited for an interview, a presentation, or to provide further clarification before they make their final decision.

Stage 5: Notification and Award

This is the final stage—the outcome. The government agency notifies all suppliers of their decision. The successful business receives a letter of offer and moves on to contract negotiations, while unsuccessful bidders are formally notified.

If you don't win, always ask for a debriefing. This feedback is gold. It helps you understand exactly where your response fell short so you can improve for the next opportunity.

Key Takeaway: Winning a tender isn't just about the final document you submit. Success comes from a disciplined approach across all five stages—from diligent discovery and smart questions to meticulous preparation and professional follow-up.

Winning the contract is a huge achievement, but the work isn’t over. Delivering the project successfully and maintaining a strong client relationship depends on skilled contract management. You can learn more about Mastering Contract Management to ensure you deliver on your promises long after the ink is dry.

Deconstructing the RFT Document

Opening a Request for Tender document for the first time can feel like you’re staring at a mountain. These files often stretch into the hundreds of pages, filled with dense, formal language and a dizzying number of requirements. Honestly, this is where many businesses, especially SMEs, feel overwhelmed and decide it's all too hard before they've even started.

The trick is to stop seeing the RFT as one monolithic beast. Instead, think of it as a kit with distinct, manageable parts. Each section serves a clear purpose, and learning the anatomy of the document is the first step to piecing together a winning response. Let's take a guided tour and translate the government-speak into plain English.

Core Components of a Typical RFT

While the layout might change a bit from one government agency to another, almost all Australian RFTs are built from the same core components. If you know what to look for, you can quickly get to the heart of what matters and start mapping out your bid strategy.

Here are the key sections you'll need to get familiar with:

Conditions of Tender: These are the non-negotiable rules of the game. This section lays out how the process will run, the hard deadline for submission, how you're allowed to communicate, and all the legal fine print. Ignoring a single condition here is the fastest way to get your bid thrown out.

Statement of Requirement (or Scope of Works): This is the core of the RFT—the "what" and "why" of the whole exercise. It details exactly what goods or services the government agency is looking to procure, from the big picture down to the specific deliverables.

Evaluation Criteria: Pay close attention here, as this is arguably the most crucial section for your bid team. It’s literally the marking sheet the evaluation panel will use to score your submission. It tells you precisely what they care about and how your response will be measured. We take a deeper look at this in our guide to mastering government tender evaluation criteria.

Draft Contract: This is the proposed contract for the successful supplier. It's vital to get your legal or commercial team to review this early. You need to be sure you can actually live with the terms—like insurance levels, liability clauses, and reporting rules—if you win.

Response Schedules: These are the forms you have to fill out. Think of them as structured templates designed to gather specific information in a standard format, covering everything from your company details and pricing to your proposed solution and referees.

From Jargon to Action Plan

Knowing what these sections are is one thing, but actually acting on them is where the real work begins. The challenge is systematically finding and addressing every single requirement scattered throughout the document. A single missed "must" or "shall" can make all your hard work completely worthless.

This is exactly why a compliance matrix is a non-negotiable tool for any serious bidder. It's essentially a master checklist that maps every single requirement in the RFT to the specific part of your response that answers it, proving you've covered all your bases.

Manually building a compliance matrix from a 200-page RFT can easily take an experienced bid manager a full day. It's painstaking, high-stakes work where one small oversight can lead to instant disqualification.

This kind of soul-destroying admin is precisely what GovBid’s AI was designed to fix. When you upload an RFT to our platform, our AI reads and digests the entire document in minutes, automatically pulling out every single mandatory requirement.

It then generates a comprehensive, pre-filled compliance matrix for you. Instead of your team spending hours staring at spreadsheets and cross-referencing page numbers, they can jump straight into what actually wins contracts: crafting a compelling, high-scoring response. It turns an intimidating document from a barrier into a clear roadmap for success.

Winning Tenders Comes Down to Two Things: Compliance and Evaluation

In the world of government tenders, your success really boils down to two things: compliance and evaluation. Getting both right isn't just a good idea—it’s the only way you’ll ever win.

Think of it like a two-stage knockout competition. First, you have to prove you followed every single rule to the letter. Only if you pass that stage do you get the chance to prove you’re actually the best business for the job.

Let's break down how to master both parts of this equation. We'll start with the harsh, black-and-white world of mandatory requirements, where one slip-up means instant disqualification. Then, we'll move on to the art of scoring top marks against the evaluation criteria.

The Unforgiving World of Mandatory Compliance

Before a single person on the evaluation panel reads about your brilliant solution, they run a compliance check. This isn’t subjective; it’s a simple, binary, pass/fail test. Did you submit on time? Did you fill out all the forms? Do you have the right insurance?

Mandatory compliance is the gatekeeper of the RFT process. If you fail to meet even one mandatory requirement, your tender is deemed "non-conforming" and gets set aside without ever being scored. All that hard work? Gone.

This is the cold, hard reality of the Request for Tender process. The government has a legal duty to run a fair and transparent process for everyone, and that starts by enforcing the rules set out in the Conditions of Tender. No exceptions.

Common tripwires for mandatory requirements include:

Submission Deadline: Lodging your response even one minute late will get you automatically disqualified. No excuses.

Required Forms: Forgetting to complete and sign every single response schedule as instructed is a classic mistake.

Insurance Levels: Not holding the minimum Public Liability or Professional Indemnity insurance they’ve specified.

Licences and Accreditations: Lacking a necessary industry licence or a specific quality certification (like ISO 9001).

The single best way to manage this is with a rock-solid checklist. While you can build one manually, it's a pain. This is precisely why a well-structured compliance matrix is one of the best practices for government tenders. It forces you to tick off every single requirement, leaving no room for error.

Scoring High on Evaluation Criteria

Okay, so you’ve made it past the compliance gate. Congratulations. Now the real competition begins: scoring against the evaluation criteria. This is where you actually win the contract.

These criteria are the government's official marking sheet. They are literally telling you exactly what they care about and how they will score you.

You'll often see a weighted structure, which might look something like this:

Demonstrated Capability & Experience: 40%

Proposed Solution & Methodology: 30%

Price / Value for Money: 30%

This weighting is a massive clue. It tells you where to focus your effort. In this example, your capability and experience are worth more than your price. Your tender response should dedicate the most space, detail, and hard evidence to proving your team's track record.

The Australian Government's Department of Finance sets the Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs), which demand that evaluation criteria are designed to identify true value for money.

This screenshot shows how the rules are designed to ensure the criteria aren't arbitrary—they're the tool for finding the best overall outcome.

To score high, you need to structure your response to mirror the criteria. Use their exact headings. Address each point directly. And most importantly, provide clear, hard evidence for every claim you make. Don’t make the evaluators hunt for information—serve it up to them on a platter.

This is where GovBid’s AI becomes your strategic co-pilot, helping you move from just being compliant to being a winning contender.

First, our AI Suitability Scoring chews through an RFT's evaluation criteria and compares it to your company profile. This gives you an instant, data-driven "go/no-go" signal, stopping you from wasting dozens of hours on tenders you have little chance of winning.

Then, for the tenders you do go for, our AI helps you draft compelling content that maps precisely to each scoring criterion. It ensures your response is not only compliant but is structured to score maximum points, turning a complicated RFT into a clear roadmap for your next big win.

Avoiding Common RFT Submission Mistakes

Winning a government request for tender is as much about avoiding unforced errors as it is about writing a brilliant response. After you’ve put in dozens of hours, the last thing you want is for a simple, preventable mistake to get your bid disqualified before it’s even read.

These slip-ups are surprisingly common. But the good news is they are entirely avoidable with the right process in place. Think of this as your practical guide to sidestepping the most frequent and costly errors we see Australian businesses make.

Mistake 1: Late Submission

This is the number one knockout blow in government tendering. Submitting your response even one minute past the deadline results in automatic disqualification. No exceptions, no excuses.

Government procurement portals are completely unforgiving. A last-second internet dropout or a file that won’t upload is your problem, not theirs.

Solution: Don't even think about aiming for the deadline. Set a firm internal due date that is at least 24 hours before the official closing time. This buffer is your safety net, giving you breathing room to handle any unexpected upload issues or file conversion dramas.

Mistake 2: Incomplete Forms or Missing Documents

A very close second on the list of disqualifying errors is forgetting to complete a required schedule or attach a mandatory document. Evaluation panels won't chase you for missing information; they’ll just mark your submission as non-compliant and move on.

This often happens when teams are juggling multiple documents and versions across different folders and email chains. It's a recipe for disaster.

Solution: Use a central platform to manage your submission from start to finish. GovBid’s all-in-one platform keeps all your documents, schedules, and attachments in one place. You can create a master checklist and visually confirm every single item is included before you even think about hitting ‘submit’.

Mistake 3: Making Unsubstantiated Claims

Government evaluators are trained to hunt for hard evidence. Stating you're "a leading provider" or have "extensive experience" without backing it up is just a waste of words. Vague, unsupported claims score zero points.

Every time you make a claim, the evaluator is thinking, "Prove it."

Solution: For every claim you make about your capability or performance, ask yourself: "Where's the proof?" Then, embed that proof directly into your response. This could be:

Specific project examples with measurable outcomes and metrics.

CVs of your key people that highlight their relevant experience.

Written testimonials or contact details for referees who can vouch for you.

Mistake 4: Submitting a Generic Response

So many businesses fall into the "copy and paste" trap, reusing old content that doesn't directly address the specific needs of the current RFT. Evaluators can spot a generic, one-size-fits-all response from a mile away.

It immediately signals a lack of effort and, worse, a fundamental misunderstanding of what the agency actually needs.

Solution: Treat every RFT as a unique project. Use GovBid's AI to analyse the specific evaluation criteria and draft tailored content that speaks directly to what the agency is asking for. Our platform helps ensure every section of your response is customised and relevant, giving your score a significant boost.

These are just a few of the hurdles that can trip up even the most experienced bidders. For a more detailed breakdown, check out our guide on the top 10 tender mistakes that lead to rejection and how to put a stop to them.

Your RFT Response Preparation Checklist

Theory is great, but turning it into a winning bid is what really matters. This checklist pulls everything together into a practical game plan. Think of it as your step-by-step guide, from the moment you download the RFT documents to the second you hit ‘submit’.

A solid process does more than just stop you from making costly mistakes. It frees up your brainpower to focus on what counts: writing a compelling response that scores high. It’s the difference between a chaotic scramble and a calm, confident project.

Phase 1: The Initial Review and Go/No-Go Decision

Before you type a single word, you need to do a serious assessment. This stops you from sinking 40-80 hours of your valuable time into a tender you can't realistically win.

Confirm Eligibility: Head straight to the Conditions of Tender. Do you meet every single mandatory requirement? This could be specific insurance levels, industry accreditations, or a certain number of years of experience. If you hit a single "no" here, it's a full stop.

Assess the Scope: Can you actually deliver everything in the Statement of Requirement? Be brutally honest about your team's capacity and technical skills.

Analyse the Evaluation Criteria: How well do your company's strengths line up with the criteria that carry the most weight? If "Price" is worth 60% and you're a premium, high-value provider, this might not be the right fight for you.

Make the Call: Get your key people in a room (or on a call) and make a formal go/no-go decision. A confident "go" from everyone is crucial for keeping up momentum.

Phase 2: Planning and Preparation

Once you’ve got the green light, it’s time to lay the groundwork for a winning response. This is all about getting your team and your information organised for a smooth run.

Build Your Compliance Matrix: This is non-negotiable. Go through the RFT documents and systematically list out every single requirement, instruction, and question. GovBid's AI can actually do this for you in minutes, saving you hours of tedious manual work.

Assign Responsibilities: With your matrix built, start assigning each section or question to a specific person on your team. Make sure you set clear internal deadlines for first drafts and reviews.

Gather Your Evidence: Don't wait until the last minute for this. Start pulling together all your supporting documents right away—team CVs, project case studies, financial statements, insurance certificates, and referee contact details.

Phase 3: Drafting and Final Submission

Okay, now it's time to execute the plan. This phase is about writing clear, persuasive content and then checking it with a fine-tooth comb.

Draft Responses for Each Criterion: Write your answers directly to the evaluation criteria. Use their headings and their language, and back up every single claim you make with hard evidence.

Complete All Schedules: Work your way through every response schedule methodically. Double-check that every field is filled out accurately and completely. Never leave anything blank unless the RFT specifically tells you to.

Conduct a Final Team Review: Get a fresh pair of eyes on the entire submission. Someone who wasn't involved in the writing will almost always spot errors, typos, or gaps you've become blind to.

Submit Early: Don't leave it to the last minute. Upload your final response at least 24 hours before the deadline. This gives you a buffer to deal with any unexpected technical glitches or portal problems.

If you're new to this and want a more granular breakdown, check out our comprehensive first-time government tender checklist. The GovBid platform is designed to be your central command centre through this entire process—from AI-assisted drafting to final compliance checks—making sure your submission is polished and on time, every time.

Your Top RFT Questions, Answered

Even the most seasoned bidders run into questions when they’re deep in the trenches of a tender response. We get it. Here are straight answers to some of the most common queries we see from businesses trying to crack the government procurement code in Australia.

How Long Does a Tender Response Actually Take?

This is the million-dollar question, and the answer is… it depends. But for a standard Commonwealth Government RFT, you should realistically budget between 40 to 80 hours of focused work.

That time covers everything: dissecting the documents, planning your win themes, writing compelling content, digging up evidence, and wrestling with all the required forms and schedules. For massive, complex bids in sectors like defence or major IT systems, you can be looking at hundreds of hours. This is exactly why getting a head start with GovBid's AI to slash the time spent on document analysis and initial drafting gives SMEs a fighting chance against larger competitors.

Can I Challenge the Outcome if I Lose?

Yes, you absolutely can. If you feel the process wasn't fair or didn't follow the official Commonwealth Procurement Rules, you have the right to request a formal debrief from the agency. If their explanation doesn't sit right with you, lodging a formal complaint is your next step.

A word of caution, though: challenging a decision is a serious move. Your energy is always better spent on submitting an unbeatable, fully compliant response right from the very beginning.

What Does 'Value for Money' Really Mean?

This is the single most misunderstood concept in government tendering. Value for money is not just about being the cheapest. Forget the race to the bottom on price.

It’s a holistic judgement call the evaluation panel makes. They’re weighing up your entire offer to find the best possible outcome for the taxpayer. They’ll be looking at things like:

The actual quality of what you're proposing to deliver.

Your track record and whether you’re a safe pair of hands.

Your team’s capacity to get the job done without delays or excuses.

The total cost over the life of the contract, not just the upfront price.

Ready to turn complex RFTs into your next big win? GovBid gives you the AI-powered tools to find, manage, and write winning government tender responses faster.

Start your free 7-day trial at GovBid.com.au