What is the specifications?

Well, we go to the grain: the specifications is the Bible of any public tender. If you are a company and want to fish for something in the river of public hiring, you better read it as if it were the small print of a contract with the devil. This document is assembled by the public entity that launches the tender and there they tell you, without hair in the language, what they want, how they want it, and when they want it. Basically, they mark the court.

The sheet puts everything: technical requirements, administrative procedures, the numbers that you have to square, and the legal roll. They release you from the description of what they are looking for, to how you have to deliver your proposal, the deadlines (which always run faster than one would like), and who owes what to whom. Fair? Yes. Easy? Not at all, but at least put everyone to compete even. Or so they try.

If you are interested in entering the public tenders party, the specifications is your treasure map. There you have everything to set up your proposal and not make a fool of them. And be careful, the entity that hires will use that same document to judge you, so do not skip a comma. Read it as if it were your entrance ticket, because if you put the leg on something, you stay out before trying a bite.

Do you want Google to find you? Well, do not forget magical words such as public tender, public procurement, bidding requirements, evaluation criteria, presentation of proposals, bidding deadlines, and everything that may sound to bureaucracy with glamor. It's not sexy, but it helps.

Ah, and do not forget that the sheet is tied to the Public Procurement Law on duty. If you have no idea what that law says, seek help. A lawyer, a friend who has already gone through this, whatever. It is better to prevent than regret, because a legal leg and goodbye to your dreams of public contract.

My Gold Council: don't go alone. Look for legal and technical advice. It is not just about presenting pretty roles, but about understanding what the hell they are asking for and how to fulfill it without being disqualified by an absurd technicalism. Read the specifications, put it on, ask you questions, and if something does not fit, ask before presenting your proposal.

In short, if you want to survive in the jungle of public tenders, the specifications is your best friend (or your worst nightmare, depends on how you look at it). Read it with desire, understand each point, and not improvise. There is no place here for the clueless.