- Writing bidder questions doesn’t mean asking for clarification, but sharpening the procedure in your favour.
- Public contracting authorities must provide additional information no later than six days before the end of the bid deadline (§ 20 (3) No. 1 VgV).
- Answers go to all bidders at the same time – the lever for opening up narrow specifications.
- Below: 12 ready-to-use examples sorted by objective plus a 4-sentence template.
Anyone who can write bidder questions shifts the balance of power in a tender – often before a bid has even been written. Most bidders use the instrument only to clear up ambiguities. Yet the bidder question is the only tool with which you can legitimately influence the tender documents before submission: open up an overly narrow specification, challenge an unfair lot split, defuse wording that fits only one competitor.
Good vs. poor bidder question
A weak bidder question asks for information that is already in the documents. An effective one clarifies a genuine contradiction, exposes a requirement that distorts competition or forces the contracting authority to specify a requirement relevant to the evaluation.
The difference is not politeness but precision. The more specifically you refer to the section, annex and contradiction, the harder it is for the procurement office to evade.
The 6-day deadline – why timing matters
The most important tactical factor is not content but timing. Public contracting authorities must provide additional information, if requested in good time, no later than six calendar days before the bid deadline expires (§ 20 (3) No. 1 VgV). If they fail to do so, the bid deadline must be extended.
If a late question exposes a genuine defect, the contracting authority must correct it even after the deadline has passed (Federal Public Procurement Tribunal, decision of 28.01.2017, VK 2-129/16). And: answers go to all bidders at the same time (principles of equal treatment and transparency). Your question is never private – so you can publicly neutralise a competitor’s silent advantage.
12 bidder question examples by objective
Adapt section numbers, values and designations to your specific tender.
Clarify contradictions and gaps
Open up narrow specifications
Check eligibility criteria
Secure the evaluation and calculation
The tested collection sorted by procedure type and objective – free, with no registration hurdle.
Download the collectionThe 4-sentence template for every bidder question
Example: “Section 4.2 requires a reference worth €500,000, Annex 3 one worth €250,000. Which value is authoritative for the proof of eligibility? The information is material to the selection of references.”
3 mistakes that make your question ineffective
Keeping track across many tenders
With one tender a quarter, a careful look is enough. Anyone who bids regularly loses track: different deadlines, recurring contradictions, the same equivalence questions. This is where our approach to completing tenders comes in – the tender documents are analysed, critical passages are flagged and suitable bidder questions are suggested before the question deadline runs.
Because a tender in mechanical engineering is different from one in landscaping or for a municipal street sweeper, we work with industry-specific trained models instead of a one-size-fits-all solution – the same applies to completing the bill of quantities.
FAQ
Does the contracting authority have to answer every bidder question?
No. VgV and UVgO do not establish an explicit entitlement. From VOB/A EU (§ 12a) and the principles of equal treatment and transparency, however, it follows that additional, relevant information must be provided and communicated to all bidders at the same time.
By when must I submit a bidder question?
In good time, so that the contracting authority can meet the 6-day deadline. Many procurement offices set their own deadline of 10 to 12 calendar days before submission.
Do other bidders see my question?
The question is usually anonymised, but the answer goes to all bidders at the same time.
What happens if a question exposes an error?
The contracting authority must correct the defect, even after the question deadline. If this provides significant information, the bid deadline must be extended.
How many bidder questions make sense?
There is no upper limit, but quality beats quantity. Repeated questions weaken your position.
Conclusion
Writing bidder questions is procedural tactics, not asking for clarification. Anyone who cleanly separates reference, problem and closed question and uses the 6-day deadline as a timing tool opens up narrow specifications, defuses unfair eligibility criteria and forces the procurement office to commit before evaluation. Use the 12 examples and the 4-sentence template as a starting point.
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