Asking questions about a tender

The question deadline

The contracting authority can set in the tender documentation until when it accepts questions (PPO Art. 8 para. 1). The deadline is often also in the publication on simap.ch.

The PPO applies to procurement by the Confederation. For cantons and communes, what their tender says about questions applies.

Where to ask

How to submit questions is stated in the tender. On simap.ch this often runs through the tender's question forum. You need a supplier account for it, the same one as for the documents. Some tenders name an e-mail address or another platform instead.

What happens to your question

For the Confederation, the contracting authority anonymises all questions and makes the questions and answers available to all bidders at the same time, a few working days after the question deadline (PPO Art. 8 para. 2). The other bidders read your question, but not who asked it.

So phrase it in a way that reveals nothing about your bid, for example about your solution or your prices.

In which language

For the Confederation, the contracting authority accepts questions in German, French and Italian (PPO Art. 22 para. 1); for work done abroad or highly specialised technical work it can set the language (PPO Art. 22 para. 2). It answers in the language of the procedure or in the official language of the Confederation the question was asked in (PPO Art. 23 para. 3).

What a question does not replace

If you think a requirement in the documents is unlawful and its significance is recognisable, you must challenge it together with the invitation to tender (PPA Art. 53 para. 2), that is within 20 days of its notification (PPA Art. 56 para. 1). After the award it is too late. A question can clear up a misunderstanding, but it does not replace an appeal.

Site visit

If the tender includes a site visit, it says when it takes place and whether attending is mandatory. Anything that seems important on site is best asked again as a written question: you get a written answer, and it goes to everyone.

How to ask good questions

• Name the place: document, chapter, item or page.
• One question per point, phrased neutrally.
• Ask early: the answers only come after the question deadline.
• Read all answers before you submit. They can change quantities, dates or forms.
• TEXFY shows the question deadline on the tender page and in the calendar subscription.