What is a technical offer?

This is a technical brief or a methodological note that precisely responds to the specifications in the consultation documents.

The specifications set out the technical provisions necessary for the performance of the services of each contract. It provides information on the buyer's needs, delivery times, warranty conditions, maintenance, after-sales service. The applicant company must therefore respond to each point the specifications, specifying all the powers and means used.

The technical brief enables the public purchaser to assess the human, technical and logistical means available to the applicant company to perform the service.

What does the technical offer contain?

The applicant company has a great deal of freedom to draft its technical memorandum. It has to be built as a business case. The applicant company must indicate that it fulfills all the criteria and that it hasassets.

She must first make a general presentation to demonstrate its expertise: activity, know-how, organization, human and material resources.

She must then detail its methodology to explain how the market will be realized, controlled, delivered. This may include the following:

• Quality of the product manufacturing process (e.g. quality control procedure, skill level of the workforce)
• Technical product quality (e.g. product durability)
• Services associated with the product (e.g. quality of after-sales service, possibility of emergency response, including weekend and holidays, cybersecurity)

Public purchasers may take into account the environmental characteristics of the tender where they have a direct link with the subject matter of the contract. The applicant company can thus present a carbon balance relating to the service requested in the contract (for example, the analysis of greenhouse gas emissions linked to the production of the product requested by the buyer). It may mention the existence of a reprocessing circuit for the waste produced in the context of the contract. It may also indicate that it has certifications or labels recognized environmental. These are for example: Ecolabel, such as type 1 ecolabel, NF environment certification, organic farming label, Oeko-Tex certificate for textile products.

The applicant company may also highlight the social implications of its offer where the purchaser has provided for social criteria. These include:

• Measures to integrate groups in difficulty which may be carried out in the context of the performance of the contract.
• Training and apprenticeship efforts in the context of the contract (collaboration with a job center or a local employment agency, hiring of apprentices, vocational training actions)
• Respect for human rights in the performance of the contract (fair remuneration of producers, location of suppliers and subcontractors)

The buyer may also require capacity levels (e.g. in terms of the number of employees or professional qualifications).

Information may also be requested, such as the turnover declaration, the appropriate bank declaration or balance sheets for example.

Is there a form to respond to the public procurement?

There is no standard response framework or form to present the technical brief.

In certain cases, the public purchaser shall lay down rules for the submission of that technical brief and impose one or more of the following:

• Limiting the number of pages of the technical brief
• Proposal of a standard framework for the technical brief to be completed by the candidates
• Tabular presentation
• Prohibition of use of annexes

The technical offer must be adapted to each contract: each of the points requested in the regulation of the consultation must be answered precisely. The applicant company has an interest in customize her offer to show that she understood the buyer's need.

This offer must also be presented in a readable and clear. The layout is very important. You have to insert a summary, headings, pages between pages. Styles and fonts should also be harmonized.