Tender Document Template

What is a Tender Document Template?

A tender document template is a pre-built framework for formal construction bids. It provides ready-made sections for scope, pricing, tendering conditions, and compliance attachments.

Both principals and contractors use a tender document throughout the procurement process. Principals use it to invite bids from the market. Contractors use it to structure their tender response and submission.

Common formats of tender documents are Word, PDF, and Excel. Word is for drafting, PDF for final lodgement, and Excel for Bill of Quantities (BOQ).

What's Included in a Construction Tender Document?

A tender document covers everything needed to run or respond to a bid. Components vary by project type and contract value.

Most construction tender documents and packages include these sections:

• Tender Notice: Project summary, key dates, contacts, and an Acknowledgement of traditional custodians where required.
• Scope of Works: Detailed description of what contractors or suppliers are asked to deliver.
• Conditions of Tendering: Rules governing the process, probity obligations, and non-conforming tender treatment.
• Evaluation Criteria: Weightings applied to price, safety, methodology, and delivery capability.
• Pricing Schedules: BOQ, schedule of rates, or lump sum breakdowns by trade.
• Draft Contract: Commercial terms based on standard forms like AS 4000-1997, AS 2124, or GC21.
• Compliance Attachments: WHS plan, insurance certificates, modern slavery statement, and licences.
• Returnable Schedules: Completed programme, milestones, methodology statements, and personnel details.

💡 Pro Tip: Lock your exclusions section and apply edit access controls. Most post-award variations trace back to inclusions never defined upfront.

Why Use a Tender Template for Construction Projects?

A tender document template saves time and lifts bid quality on every job. It removes the need to rebuild documentation from scratch. Here's why it matters for procurement:

• Saves time: Reuse proven sections rather than starting from scratch on every tender response.
• Fewer errors: Pre-built sections reduce omissions that result in non-conforming bids.
• Compliance protection: Templates built around Australian procurement rules reduce disqualification risk.
• Evaluator confidence: Organised submissions are easier to score against stated criteria.
• Scope clarity: Defined inclusions and exclusions reduce post-award disputes and variations.
• Faster turnarounds: Most Australian tenders close in 4-6 weeks. A template helps you respond quickly.
• Credibility: Consistent quality across submissions builds your track record with clients and agencies.

Consistency across bids builds your reputation with clients and agencies. The right template becomes your edge in a competitive field.

💡 Pro Tip: Use your tender evaluation criteria weightings as a writing guide. If safety is 20% of the scoring, make it 20% of your written effort, not a generic policy attachment.

How to Write a Tender Document?

Writing a tender document starts with reading the full (request for tender) RFT. Every section you write must answer what the buyer asked for.

Good tender responses follow a clear, repeatable process. These steps cover structure and content:

1. Review the RFT thoroughly: Read every page to build a clear understanding of all requirements.
2. Run a bid/no-bid check: Assess the tender's value, location, and your delivery capacity.
3. Set up your document structure: Use clear headings that mirror the RFT's layout.
4. Write an executive summary: Summarise your offer, key differentiators, and experience in one page.
5. Address each evaluation criterion: Respond directly with specific evidence and past project examples.
6. Prepare pricing schedules: Include a BOQ, schedule of rates, or lump sum breakdown by trade.
7. Compile compliance documents: Attach WHS plans, licences, ISO accreditations, and declarations.
8. Track and apply addenda: Update your tender submission every time an addendum is issued.
9. Proofread before uploading: Errors in pricing or scope signal poor attention to the project.

💡 Pro Tip: Assign one person to manage and distribute addenda. A single missed update can render your entire submission non-conforming, even if everything else is perfect.

Create Winning Tender Documents with Mastt's AI Assistant

Mastt's AI Assistant eliminates the blank-page problem when preparing tenders. Upload an existing RFT or start from scratch. AI handles the heavy lifting. Every tender document template it creates is tailored to your project needs.

Here's what you can do:

🚀 Create from scratch: Describe your project and AI builds a complete, scoped tender document.

📂 Upload existing documents: AI reads your RFT PDFs, drawings, specs, or previous bids and generates a matching response template.

⚡ Customise through conversation: Adjust sections, add compliance requirements, or refine your tender proposal with AI guidance.

📥 Export to Word or Excel: Download your finished document ready for final review and submission.

Getting started is easy:

1. Open Mastt's AI Assistant: Type a request like "create a construction tender document for a commercial fitout" or upload your RFT PDF directly.
2. Refine with AI: Adjust sections, tailor to evaluation criteria, or add compliance requirements.
3. Export your document: Download in Word or Excel, then finalise for submission.

Every conversation stays private within your secure Mastt workspace.

👉 Learn more in the Mastt Help Center

Who Should Use a Request for Tender Document?

Anyone issuing or responding to construction bids needs a solid tender document. Both sides of the process, principals and respondents, rely on clear documentation.

Here's who uses a request for tender document in construction administration:

✅ Project Owners and Developers: Issue RFTs and run competitive tender processes for new builds and infrastructure.

✅ Owner's Representatives: Prepare tender packages on behalf of clients for capital works programmes.

✅ Contract Administrators: Compile and issue RFT packages, then manage evaluation through to award.

✅ Head Contractors: Prepare detailed bid responses for government tenders and major private projects.

✅ Subcontractors and Trade Contractors: Respond to head contractor packages with their own trade submissions.

✅ Quantity Surveyors: Develop pricing schedules, BOQ, and cost breakdowns within the tender document.

✅ Client-Side Project Managers: Manage tender processes end-to-end for government clients.

✅ Small Businesses and Sole Traders: Use templates to build professional bids, making tendering more accessible for small businesses.

💡 Pro Tip: For government panels, check pre-qualification requirements before investing in a full submission. Many state panels require separate pre-registration before you can submit a tender.

When to Issue or Use a Document for Tenders?

Issue a tender document once your scope is clear enough for competitive bids. Releasing too early forces addenda and wastes time for everyone involved.

Timing depends on project stage, contract value, and procurement model. Here are the key triggers:

• When design is 50-70% complete: Issuing too early forces addenda that overburden potential suppliers.
• Before mobilisation deadlines: Allow enough lead time to run the full tender process properly.
• After EOI (Expression of Interest) shortlisting: Selective tenders follow EOI, then go to shortlisted firms only.
• Above state procurement thresholds: Most Australian states require formal tendering above set contract value limits.
• When procuring goods alongside works: Construction tenders often cover materials and goods, not just labour.
• At the start of each project phase: Multi-stage projects need separate tender documents for design and construction.
• At annual panel renewal: Many state bodies, including those across Western Australia, run prequalification panel refreshes annually.

💡 Pro Tip: Set a tender close time of 2:00 PM rather than 5:00 PM. It gives your team hours to handle late queries or portal upload issues before the cut-off, not minutes.

Best Practices for Construction Tender Documentation

Good documentation discipline separates compliant, winning bids from rejected ones. These practices come from real tendering experience across Australian construction contracts.

Apply these across every bid you prepare, regardless of contract size:

☑️ Build a bid library: Keep a central store of capability statements, project case studies, and team bios ready to reuse across submissions.

☑️ Separate technical and pricing volumes: Evaluators score each component differently. Mixing them creates confusion and costs marks.

☑️ Run a compliance checklist pre-submission: Confirm ABN, licences, and ISO certifications are attached before uploading. Missing documentation means instant disqualification.

☑️ Mirror the RFT's headings in your response: This makes scoring easier for evaluators and directly reduces clarification requests post-lodgement.

☑️ Don't overlook low risk criteria: Evaluators deduct marks for thin or vague detail even in lower-weighted sections.

☑️ Flag assumptions clearly: Undisclosed assumptions become contractual obligations once the award is made.

☑️ Get legal advice on complex indemnities: Uncapped liability clauses and unfair contract terms under Australian Consumer Law are real risks in standard form contracts.

Common Problems with Manual Tender Proposals in Word

Manual tender proposals built in Word cause repeated, avoidable problems. These issues don't just waste time. They lose bids.

Working from static Word files creates risk at every stage:

⚠️ Version control failures: Teams working off different Word copies often price from outdated documents.

⚠️ Missed addenda: Without a central system, addenda get missed and submissions become non-conforming.

⚠️ Compliance gaps: Forgotten declarations or missing WHS plans get a bid rejected outright.

⚠️ Inconsistent pricing: Manual BOQ errors are common when multiple team members edit the same file.

⚠️ Generic responses: Copy-pasted capability statements fail to score well against project-specific criteria.

⚠️ Last-minute scrambles: Poor preparation leads to rushed attachments and incomplete returnable schedules.

⚠️ Buyer confusion: Evaluators move on quickly from disorganised or poorly presented Word documents.

These issues compound when managing multiple construction tenders at once. The Security of Payment Act also affects your rights post-award.

Win More Tenders with Mastt

Most contractors still build their tender document template from scratch every time. That time is better spent on pricing, methodology, and understanding the project.

With Mastt's AI Assistant, generate a tailored tender from your project description. Upload your RFT and let AI extract what's needed. Then refine through conversation to match your bid strategy.

👉 Try Mastt's AI Assistant today and create your first construction tender document for free.