Taking part in a tender is always a race against the deadline and the formal requirements. A tender proposal may be the best technically and on price, and still be disqualified because of one incorrectly translated qualification requirement, an incompletely translated certificate or a wording that does not match the procuring entity's terminology. In international procurement, where one proposal often runs to hundreds of pages, the quality of the translation directly determines whether the company gets through the first, formal stage. Our service is intended for companies taking part in Georgian public procurement, in the tenders of international donor organisations, in private corporate procurement and in competitions announced on foreign markets, and also for procuring entities that receive proposals from foreign participants. This page is part of our legal translation practice.
The documents we translate
The procuring entity's documentation
- tender notices and tender documentation (RFP, RFQ, ITB, EOI)
- terms of reference and technical specifications (ToR, Technical Specifications)
- evaluation criteria and qualification requirements
- draft contracts and general conditions (General Conditions of Contract)
- clarifications, question and answer minutes and amendments to the tender documentation
The participant's proposal
- the tender proposal letter and accompanying forms
- the technical proposal: methodology, work plan, team composition
- the financial proposal and price schedules
- documents confirming experience: the list of completed contracts, reference letters, acceptance certificates
- CVs of key personnel and documents confirming qualifications
- tender and bank guarantees (bid bond, performance bond)
Qualification and compliance documents
- an extract from the Register of Entrepreneurs and constitutional documents
- financial statements and audit opinions
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and industry certificates
- licences, permits and declarations of conformity
- certificates of no tax arrears and of no criminal record
- consortium and joint venture agreements
Why a general-profile translator cannot handle tender translation
Tender documentation is a text of three fields at once: legal (contract conditions, guarantees, liability), technical (specifications, standards, methodology) and financial (price structure, payment terms, reporting). All three layers require the same precision within one document.
- procurement terminology is standardised: "bid", "tender", "proposal" and "offer" mean different things in different procedures, and mixing them up becomes a reason for formal non-compliance
- "Substantially responsive", "material deviation", "post-qualification" are terms with specific legal consequences in the procedures of the World Bank and other donors
- Georgian public procurement terminology (electronic tender, consolidated tender, simplified procurement, tender commission) must be carried over for the foreign participant with exact and consistent equivalents
- Incoterms, payment terms and types of guarantee look like simple terms at first glance, but their inexact translation changes the substance of the financial proposal
A professional tender translation mirrors the terminology of the procuring entity's documentation: if the procuring entity uses a specific term, exactly the same term must appear in the participant's proposal. This is the first and most visible sign of "responsiveness" for the evaluation commission.
Tenders of international donors and financial institutions
In the projects of the World Bank, EBRD, ADB, the European Union, USAID and UN agencies, procurement follows strictly regulated procedures, and each organisation has its own standard bidding documents. These documents are built with a specific structure and terminology that the evaluators know exactly.
We work on the basis of the terminology of these organisations' standard documents: from the FIDIC format of contract conditions to the procedural terms of the EU's PRAG. The participant's proposal is translated with the vocabulary that the specific donor's evaluation commission expects.
A foreign participant in Georgian public procurement
For a foreign company taking part in a Georgian state or municipal tender, the Georgian language is mandatory: the tender proposal and the attached documents must be submitted in Georgian or with a Georgian translation. Foreign qualification documents (a register extract, certificates, financial statements) often require an apostille and a notarized translation, while the authority of the local representative is confirmed by a power of attorney.
We work on the whole package as one unit: we translate the procuring entity's documentation into a language the participant understands, prepare the proposal in Georgian and provide notarization of the qualification documents in the order that the tender commission requires.
A Georgian company in an international tender
The opposite direction is no less frequent: a Georgian construction, consulting, IT or supply company takes part in a tender announced abroad. Here the translation must meet the expectations of the procuring country and organisation, while the company's experience and qualifications must be presented so that they are convincing and easy to verify for the foreign evaluator. We translate descriptions of completed projects, reference letters, certificates and CVs with uniform terminology and provide notarization and an apostille where these are required.
Deadlines: working in the rhythm of a tender
Tender documentation is often published several weeks before the proposal is due, while clarifications and amendments continue until the last days. Our working process is adapted to this rhythm:
- A fast translation of the tender documentation for the decision to participate, first the qualification requirements and evaluation criteria, then the rest
- Building a terminology base from the procuring entity's documentation, which is then used in the participant's proposal
- Staged translation of the proposal, in parallel with the client's preparation of it
- Translation and notarization of the qualification documents in advance, without the load of the deadline's last days
- Translation of amendments and clarifications within a few hours of publication
- A final check: numbering, cross-references, tables and forms in line with the procuring entity's template
Confidentiality in the tender process
A tender proposal reflects the company's pricing, methodology, team and commercial strategy. This information is of high value to a competitor, and especially sensitive before submission. Every translator and editor works under a signed NDA, we do not work in parallel on the proposals of competing participants in the same tender, and files are transferred over an encrypted channel and deleted within the agreed period after submission. After the tender is won we translate the final version of the contract with the same terminology base.
Frequently asked questions
Can you translate the whole tender documentation in a few days?
Yes. On large-volume documentation we involve several translators with one terminology base and final unified editing. We deliver the qualification requirements and evaluation criteria first, so that the company can take the decision to participate in time.
Which documents need notarization for a tender?
Usually the foreign qualification documents: the register extract, certificates, financial statements, licences. The technical and financial proposal itself, as a rule, does not need certification. We confirm the specific requirement from the tender documentation.
Are you familiar with the tender terminology of the World Bank and the European Union?
Yes. We work on the basis of the terminology of the standard bidding documents of the World Bank, EBRD, ADB, the European Union (PRAG) and UN agencies, including the FIDIC contract conditions.
How do you ensure that the proposal matches the procuring entity's terminology?
We create a terminology base from the procuring entity's documentation and translate the participant's proposal with exactly the same terms. For the evaluation commission this is the first visible sign of responsiveness.
Do you translate amendments and clarifications to the tender documentation?
Yes. Amendments and question and answer minutes are often published in the last days of the deadline, so we translate them as a priority, within a few hours of publication.
Do you work with several participants in the same tender at the same time?
No. To avoid a conflict of interest we do not work in parallel on the proposals of competing participants in the same tender, which is recorded as a separate clause in the NDA.