Government contracts are published through official systems, but suppliers still lose time. Search terms pull in work from the wrong territory, notices hide mandatory conditions in attachments and large framework values can disguise the absence of guaranteed spend.
A useful tender alert should find the notice and perform the first qualification pass.
Use the official procurement sources
In the UK, Find a Tender publishes higher-value public procurement notices, while Contracts Finder covers opportunities and awards for England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland operate their own procurement portals.
US federal opportunities are published on SAM.gov. European Union procurement notices appear through Tenders Electronic Daily, usually called TED.
These systems are authoritative. They are not designed around one supplier's capability, which is why the filtering layer matters.
Check the pass or fail conditions first
Search the notice and documents for words such as "must", "minimum", "mandatory" and "pass/fail". Record requirements covering insurance, turnover, accreditations, security, registrations, location and prior experience.
A polished answer cannot repair a failed gateway. Stop early unless the opportunity justifies a deliberate exception.
Read the commercial shape
Contract value can mean maximum framework value, estimated spend across several suppliers or actual committed revenue. Check the number of lots, expected award count, term, extensions, mobilisation costs and pricing mechanism.
A £5 million framework with no guaranteed work may be less valuable than a £250,000 contract with clear volume and a buyer you can serve well.
Compare the requirement with evidence you already own
List the buyer's main outcomes. Next to each one, name a relevant case study, result, reference or qualified team member. Gaps are visible quickly when the evidence has to be named rather than described vaguely.
If delivery requires a new operating model, treat that as delivery risk and bid risk. Winning difficult work at the wrong price is a poor result.
Set a bid threshold before excitement takes over
A practical score can cover eligibility, strategic fit, evidence, margin, delivery risk and buyer context. Keep the threshold stable. Exceptions should have a named reason, because "the contract looked big" is how qualification discipline collapses.
ReachSpot Contracts uses the supplier profile to run this first pass. The original notice stays attached. Low confidence, unclear value and missing conditions remain visible rather than being smoothed into a confident score.