Submitting a community services offer

It is your responsibility to make sure your offer for community services is received in full by the closing time, so make sure you know what you need to submit.

Tenders are commonly submitted by Electronic Tender Lodgement (ETL). They can be submitted in person, via ETL or by post. Any changes to tenders will have addendums issued. All offers will remain confidential during the tender period.

Submission methods

Requests must be advertised for a minimum of least 14 days, but it is more common to advertise Requests for four to six weeks, or even longer if the Request is complex.

It is your responsibility to make sure your offer is received in full, before the closing time. Each Request document will outline how you can submit your offer. Double check the ways to lodge your offer - it can change from one Request to another. 

Electronic Tender Lodgement (ETL) 

If a Request has an electronic lodgement capability on the Tenders WA website, you can submit your offer online. Before you can submit your offer online, you will need to be registered on the Tenders WA website. Registration on Tenders WA is a simple process and can be completed in a few minutes. 

ETL is a fast and efficient method of ensuring your submission reaches the tender box. 

Depending on the time of day and the volume of Internet traffic, submitting large electronic files may take time. The time it will take for your submission to be received will also depend on the size of the file and your Internet bandwidth. Allow sufficient time (at least one hour) before the deadline for the submission of offers. 

If you want to try the system before submitting your response, you can use the demonstration tender in the Tenders WA website to practice. 

Tender submissions cannot be accepted via email. 

In person 

You may need to show suitable identification at the government agency’s ground floor security desk. Suitable identification may include a driver’s licence, business or courier identification badge and other forms of identification deemed suitable by security personnel. Allow sufficient time to present your credentials to the security staff. 

By post 

With overnight postal delivery services within Australia, allow sufficient time (a minimum of 48 hours) before the deadline to lodge your offer. 

Late offers

Responsibility for submitting on time rests with each service provider. 

Any offer not received in full by the nominated closing time and date, at the nominated location, constitutes a late tender.

Late tender submissions are set aside and cannot be considered subject to the conditions stated in the Request. 
 

What happens if anything changes?

Occasionally, the government agency may need to change some of the details of the Request.

For example, the closing date may be extended, or additional information may be provided. Where this happens an addendum will be issued. 

If you downloaded your documents on the Tenders WA website, you need to be registered as a ‘potential respondent’ to ensure addenda reach you. If you collected a copy of the Request documents from Tendering Services at the Optima Centre, the addendum will automatically be sent to you. If you get a copy of the Request documents after the addendum has been issued, the addendum should be included with the Request document. 

If you want to make changes to your offer following the release of an addendum, you are required to resubmit your offer before the closing time. 

You may withdraw your offer at any time before it is accepted. However, you must apply in writing to have your offer withdrawn. This is explained in the terms and conditions governing your procurement process. 

Confidentiality of my offer

Government agencies purchase using taxpayers’ money, so they need to demonstrate accountability for spending public funds.

Your offer is confidential during the tender period. After the service agreement has been awarded, some information about the service agreement will be publicly available and published on Tenders WA.

The type of information that is available will vary depending on the type of Request that has been called. Normally the name of the successful service provider, the total service agreement value, the service agreement period and a description of services is published. 

Documents and other information relevant to the service agreement may be disclosed when required by law under the Freedom of Information Act 1992, tabling of documents in Parliament or under a Court order. 

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