The thing about technology and this is the honest truth, is that it takes a really long time before it comes truly accessible by those who need it most. Innovations can exist for years before it becomes commercially viable for distribution to ‘masses’. Such is the case with technology solutions in the procurement industry in Africa. tenders checklists documents

But then again, there is the issue of adaptation of technology to suit a business purpose and its expected users. Good technology is only as good as the problem it solves. This is part of the big motivation as to why and how we built Scale.

As we developed Scale, we interacted with and interviewed many business owners and entrepreneurs in Kenya. Our aim was to get a better understanding of the pain points they face when participating in tendering. And from this, figure out how our technology can make the experience better.

What happens when you click on Apply on a Tender within Scale?

This is where the magic begins to happen in your business in three simple steps:

1. Prepare Checklist

Whether an uploaded tender or one found within our listing, the first step is to identify the tender requirements. This is then followed by the order in which they should be presented for submission. To ease this process for you, we’ve created a really cool Digital Tender Checklist within Scale. This Checklist is easily put together while you scroll through the entire tender document…all this happens on the same page!

Further, organizing the order in which the tender documents should flow is such an extremely neat experience for everyone. Just drag and drop the elements to position them and see how everything works like a charm 🙂 And again, all on the same page with the tender document which means you can confirm the details on-the-go!

With the checklist done, it is important to take note of any additional instructions within the tender document. Such simple details become the difference between winning a multi-million bid or being eliminated on a small technicality. Select the required options and then proceed to the next step.

2. Review Documents

In a previous blog article, we went into detail on how the Document Management System on Scale works. It is important to note that the technical functioning of the Review Documents section is very similar in nature but is guided by tenders, checklists and documents being worked on. Under this section, you can View uploaded documents, Upload missing documents or Delete/Replace documents you don’t want to be included in the proposal.

Most importantly, you need to review and Verify every document you select to be part of your Tender Checklist. Only the documents that you have reviewed and verified during this phase will be included in the final exported proposal. So be sure to go through each item diligently.

If you are happy with the documents used and the Verification tracker is at 100%, click on Proceed to see what happens next!

3. Export Application

You clicked on Proceed, didn’t you? Smart move. Before you proceed and commit your business (and internet) to the proposal you just created, Scale will do two things:

• One, ensure there are no issues with your documents. Such as blank checklist items or documents that are past their validity period.
• Two, ensures you have reviewed and verified that all the documents included in the proposal are the correct ones.

Both of these are some of the Common Tendering Mistakes that cost bidders important points or get them eliminated during tender evaluations. Our platform also displays the Issue Tracker at the final stage of the digitized process; the Export Tender section.

If you are happy with your work and also, our Issue Tracker says there are no problems with your tender application; go ahead and click Export Document. This is where you get to experience the last and best part of the magic!

That’s it!

Those are the 3 easy steps that are revolutionizing how businesses in Kenya prepare their tender applications. Tenders, checklists and documents; this approach to digitization creates and maintains consistency and accuracy throughout the tendering process.

This is how Scale provides with the ability to be able to do more business by applying for multiple tender applications, simultaneously.

“What is now proved was once only imagined.” – William Blake, 1803.