What is an abnormally low offer?

When we talk about an abnormally low offer in public tenders, we basically refer to that proposal that arrives and, pum, is so below the others or the official budget that makes the eyebrows lift more than one. It's as if someone were selling you a new iPhone for twenty turkeys ... something smells, right? Normal that doubts arise about whether the company really can comply with what it promises, especially in quality, deadlines or even legality.

Now, the 2014/24/EU Directive (yes, that European roll of public contracts) says that an offer of these that seems too cheap can be rejected, but eye, first you have to ask the offering to explain with hairs and signs of where that such a bargain price comes out. It is not going to be a mistake, or worse, a trap.

Why do these low offers come out? Well, they can be from a badly done calculation (we all leave the pot with the numbers sometimes), people who have not caught the scope of the project, or companies that throw prices crazy to win yes or yes. But you have to walk with an eye, because sometimes there is dumping (that of putting prices for the soils to sweep the competition and then upload them when they already have the contract), or even labor exploitation, cutting from where it is not due.

For anyone who wants to get into these sneaked from public tenders, it is key to be clear that if you present an offer that looks like a suspicious bargain, get ready to look at you with magnifying glass. Yes, that the Administration is cool to save pasta, but neither do they want to eat brown for delays, fudge or demands of workers. So, if you are going to throw prices, you better have a good argument and evidence that you can get the job forward without skipping the law or sacrificing quality.

In summary: an abnormally low offer can be the golden ticket or the beginning of a monumental mess. If you want to play that game, do it with their heads and have everything well tied, because if not, you not only lose the contract, but you win a Chunga reputation. And that does not compensate, even if they put it on a tray.