Definition
Instructions to Tenderers(ITT Instructions)
The rules governing how to prepare and submit your bid.
Instructions to Tenderers (often abbreviated ITT instructions, distinct from the invitation to tender itself) is the section of a tender pack that sets out the procedural rules bidders must follow when preparing and submitting a bid, including format, submission method, deadlines and evaluation approach. Failing to follow these instructions is one of the most common reasons bids are disqualified before evaluation even begins.
What Instructions to Tenderers typically cover
This section normally sets out the submission deadline and method, required document formats and page or word limits, the structure bidders must follow when responding to questions, how to raise clarification questions and by when, the evaluation methodology and scoring approach, and any mandatory forms or declarations that must be completed and returned.
It will also usually confirm whether alternative bids or variant solutions are permitted, how pricing should be presented, and the rules on late submissions, which are almost always treated as inadmissible regardless of the reason for delay.
Why precise compliance matters
Public procurement evaluation must be fair and consistent across all bidders, which means buyers generally cannot make exceptions for suppliers who ignore stated formatting, page limits or submission requirements, even if the underlying content is strong. A bid that exceeds a stated word count may have excess content disregarded, and a bid submitted even minutes after a stated deadline may be rejected outright, regardless of the reason.
Suppliers should treat the Instructions to Tenderers as a checklist to work through methodically before submission, not just background reading, since the risk of disqualification for procedural non-compliance is entirely avoidable with careful attention.
- Confirm the exact deadline, time zone and submission portal or method well in advance
- Check word, page or file size limits for each response section
- Follow the required response structure and numbering exactly
- Complete all mandatory forms and declarations, even ones that seem administrative
- Submit well ahead of the deadline to allow for portal or technical issues
Common mistakes
Suppliers sometimes reuse a response structure from a previous bid without adapting it to the current instructions, submit documents in the wrong format, or leave submission until the final hour and encounter portal upload problems. Others fail to complete mandatory certificates or declarations because the requirement was buried in the instructions rather than the technical specification, resulting in an otherwise strong bid being ruled non-compliant.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a buyer accept a bid that breaches the Instructions to Tenderers if it is the strongest response?
- Generally no, because doing so would risk treating bidders unequally and could expose the buyer to a fairness challenge from other bidders. Compliance with stated instructions is usually a threshold requirement, applied consistently regardless of content quality.
- What happens if the Instructions to Tenderers are ambiguous?
- Suppliers should raise a clarification question through the buyer's stated process well before the deadline, rather than guessing or assuming an interpretation, since the buyer's written answer becomes part of the tender documents and applies to all bidders.
- Are Instructions to Tenderers the same across every public sector tender?
- No, each buyer sets its own instructions for a given procurement, so requirements on format, structure and evaluation approach can vary significantly even for similar contracts. Suppliers should read the instructions afresh for every bid rather than assuming familiarity from previous tenders.
Related terms