Dealing with outstanding tenders when the contractor is closing
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Review outstanding tenders and promised quotations before they become forgotten commitments during wind-down. The business may have stopped answering new enquiries while earlier offers remain under consideration. Identify those offers and obtain appropriate advice about their actual status.
This guide covers future-work proposals. Already accepted projects belong in the live-project review. It does not establish a right to withdraw a tender, vary its terms or disregard a promised response.
Find the offers outside the project diary
Ask estimating, sales and the owner about submitted bids, customer portals, framework invitations and quotations promised but not yet sent. Check the relevant correspondence and account records. A project-management system may contain only work that has already been accepted.
Create a live-tender review:
| Field | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Opportunity and customer | Correct reference and authorised customer contact |
| Current position | Invitation, promised quote, submitted offer or unclear status |
| Relevant documents | Actual offer, correspondence and stated validity information |
| Capacity implication | Work, resources and follow-up the proposal would require |
| Decision authority | Who can decide the response and what advice is needed |
| Communication outcome | What was sent, who received it and which questions remain |
Keep an unclear status open for investigation. Do not decide that a bid has expired because nobody has mentioned it recently.
Test a possible acceptance against the closure plan
Use the final-job acceptance review to assess capability. The question is whether the business could support the actual scope, not whether the opportunity once looked attractive.
For a fictional example, a bid submitted months earlier is still awaiting a client decision. Since submission, the business has planned to release the required plant and reduce its operating capability. The authorised contact needs advice about the offer’s position and an appropriate customer conversation before either plan relies on the other disappearing.
If evidence shows the work has already been accepted, move it into the live-project map with the relevant documents. Do not leave it in a list labelled “possible work” merely because mobilisation has not started.
Close the communication loop
Record the exact response approved for each opportunity and the actual delivery evidence. A message sent through the wrong portal or to a departed contact may not reach the person considering the bid. Ask the appropriate adviser what confirmation is required where the effect matters.
Give unanswered enquiries a named owner and next action. The continuing client contact route should reach someone who can recognise a late tender response and refer it to the authorised person.
Tell UK Auction Group only the confirmed consequences for plant and equipment availability. An unresolved bid should not quietly become either a guarantee of future use or permission to sell the resources it would need.
Sources
This guide is general information and education only. Legal, tax, employment and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser who knows your situation. Read the disclaimer.