How to participate in EU tenders (TED)?

Putting into the world of public tenders of the European Union may sound like a headache, but believe me, if you do well, it has a fat award. There are offers for all tastes: construction, consultancies, technology ... whatever you imagine. And yes, all this roll is handled on the famous TED platform (no, not inspirational talks, but Tenders Electronic Daily).

TED is basically the EU digital advertisements where countries hang their public tenders. If you want to enter the game, the first thing is to register there, there is no shortcut. Once inside, you can filter tenders by sector, country, what suits you.

Of course, beware of the criteria. Each tender comes with its bible of requirements and you have to soak up well: experience, economic solvency, technical capacities, that if you have this or that certification ... all that counts. If you do not meet one, or bother to send papers.

Arming a decent proposal is key. Nothing to copy and paste about the web. You have to fill out everything they ask, show that you are the smartest in the class and sell you a little (but without having you, that it shows). Think that you compete with half Europe, so you have to highlight in price and quality. And if you can put an extra, better.

I will not deceive you, the process is quite grid. The EU puts a transparency and legality control that neither hacienda. Get ready to gather papers: annual accounts, insurance, certified ... and do not forget that all this is regulated under the 2014/24/EU Directive, in case you feel like reading it (Spoiler: it is a brick).

And for the love of God, you will not think of sending the proposal late. If you spend a minute, in the trash. Better start with time and, if you can, have a plan B by if something fails at the last minute.

In summary: register, look good, read as if there were no tomorrow, prepare a proposal that dazzles and deliver everything on time. Yes, it is a move, but if you get well, you can open a huge hole in the European market. Good luck and, if you get stuck, do not hesitate to ask for help.