Translation of international tenders
Let's start at the beginning. What exactly is an international tender? It is an international tender, which can be either public or private, in which contracts are selected and awarded for the provision of services, construction and/or supply of goods. The contract is then awarded to the company that best suits the previously established criteria.
At a given moment, many companies make the decision to open their business up internationally, but they may not know how to go about it: how to invoice, how to deal with the paperwork, contracts, customs' duties, etc.
But the world of tenders is somewhat different. The contracting and awarding procedures are very similar across the continent.
Types of international tenders
There are different types of international tenders. They are generally differentiated by both the monetary value and the technical difficulty of the requested service or product.
"Open tenders". These are usually the most common in international tenders for construction or goods. In this case, any company who wishes to bid must submit their final proposal based on the specifications indicated in the document provided.
"Restricted tenders". This refers to international tenders that limit the submission of tenders to a small number of potential suppliers. Typically, there is an initial stage to prequalify. Subsequently, several companies who submitted interesting requests are invited to prepare their technical and financial proposals.
"Framework contracts". These are framework contracts that establish the terms that will govern the contracts for a set period of time. They are becoming more and more common for public administrations contracts. They have short deadlines and procedures, and generally, the price range has already been fixed in the bid documentation. Framework contracts save both time and costs to supply goods or services, as they avoid any need to renegotiate standard terms and conditions.
Localisation of international tenders
An easy way to find information about tenders within Europe is by using the page TED Online, which has information on tenders from all the EU member countries.
A very useful resource!
On the other hand, it should also be noted that outside the European Union there are a large number of cooperation and development agencies that regularly launch international tenders. Here are a couple of interesting examples:
IDB (Inter-American Development Bank)
African Development Bank Group
How can a translation company contribute to your success in an international tender?
Selling services or products abroad through international tenders is certainly possible. Thousands of opportunities are published every day and the procedures are often the same as in your home country with digital submission procedures. So, if you are daring enough to submit a dossier for a local tender and your product or service is exportable, why not cross the border and sell to a neighbouring country?
If you have made the courageous decision to globalise your business and aim for international tenders, you will need a trustworthy translation company who employs native translators who are specialised in the relevant field. Maybe you're wondering: "But why would I need a translation company?" You will... and how! Our services will support you throughout the three phases that make up this project.
Presentation of the documentation for the tender
You will need to present the documentation in the relevant language. In this situation, we do not recommend using a friend or relative who knows the target language or an automatic translator. The documentation must be perfectly adapted to the local language and free of spelling or grammatical errors. The text must sound as natural as possible. To do this, it is essential to use a translation agency with experience in international tenders, who will accurately translate the documentation with maximum quality and accuracy. At ATLS, we have more than 24 years' experience in helping companies to internationalise their products and services, and we know exactly which documentation is required for international tenders:
- Documentation for the project: technical and financial proposals
- Annual accounts and balance sheets
- Deeds of incorporation
- Certificate for legitimisation of signatures
- Deposit certificates for Autonomous Communities for the Companies Register
- Tax certificates: certificates that confirm that the contractor or subcontractor is up to date with their tax obligations; certificates relating to double taxation or their fiscal address
- Social Security Certificates
We also translate the documentation necessary to prove experience in other similar projects that can demonstrate the company's leadership in its sector.
Guarantee documents are frequently requested in international tenders, and their translation may be simple or sworn. Some examples include: bank guarantees, offer guarantees and advance payment guarantees.
Execution of the project
Congratulations are in order! You've won the tender! Now what? Let's get to work on the project to ensure its solvency and success. To do this, as it is an international tender, it will be necessary to continue translating many kinds of documentation into the client's language. We're warning you: there's a lot of paperwork! But don't worry, because work is the key to success and we are here to help.
Thanks to our free online translation management platform, AT-HUB, we will make life that bit easier for you, as you can send us a document to be translated with just a few clicks, receive the quote immediately. If you choose to accept it, we will be able get to it right away and thus respect your deadline for receiving the translation.
Maintenance: The project is already underway
After passing the first two phases (presentation of the international tender and execution of the project), this third phase is where things should start to get easier, and we are now focussing on the day-to-day upkeep of the project. But that doesn't mean it's time to relax! You will still need translation of documents and perhaps of websites and/or apps. And we'll be there every step of the way, giving you all the support you need and ensuring that you always receive high-quality and rigorous translations.
To guarantee this, we hold the ISO 17100 certificate, which is the highest international quality certification for translation. Our translators have over 5 years of experience and are specialised in very diverse sectors.
We also have specific departments for financial and legal translation for the documentation relating to solvency and economic proposals and a technical translation department for the project's own content. Through these areas, we usually translate contracts, deeds, reports, annual accounts, powers of attorney or other legal statutes that were originally drafted in a foreign language and which must be presented in other countries in order to conduct business. We will also take care of the translation of complete technical projects for presentation to international tenders as well as any sworn translations that may be necessary.
At ATLS, we make sure that the company that requests translations for international tenders can compete and win! If you have decided to explore the world of international tenders, get in touch!
