Understanding GeBIZ
GeBIZ (Government Electronic Business) is Singapore’s central e-procurement portal. It is where ministries, statutory boards, and public agencies publish their procurement opportunities, including invitations to quote and open tenders.
The system is designed to ensure transparency and fair competition. For SMEs, this means direct visibility into government projects without needing insider access or intermediaries.
Step 1: Register as a Trading Partner
Before participating in any government tender, your company must register as a GeBIZ Trading Partner.
Registration allows you to:
• Access tender documents
• Receive updates on opportunities
• Submit quotations and tender responses electronically
This is a straightforward but essential first step. Without registration, you cannot formally participate in procurement exercises.
Step 2: Level Up with Government Supplier Registration (GSR)
While a Trading Partner account lets you bid on many smaller projects (Quotations), larger contracts often require you to be a Government Supplier. This was formerly known as EPPU registration.
What is GSR? It is a pre-qualification status where the government assesses your company's financial health and technical capacity.
Once registered, you are assigned:
• Supply Heads: The specific categories of goods/services you are cleared to provide (e.g., IT Services, Training, or Stationery).
• Financial Grades: A rating (from S2 to S10) that determines the maximum contract value you are eligible to bid for.
Step 3: Identify Suitable Opportunities
Not every opportunity is the right fit for every SME.
When reviewing listings on GeBIZ:
• Filter based on your industry and service category
• Carefully examine the scope of work and eligibility criteria
• Assess whether your team has the capacity, certifications, and track record required
Many SMEs benefit from starting with smaller-scale contracts to build experience before pursuing larger, more competitive tenders.
Step 4: Focus on Proposal Quality, Not Just Price
One common misconception is that government tenders are awarded purely based on the lowest bid.
In reality, most tenders evaluate both quality and pricing.
This means your proposal must:
• Address every requirement clearly and systematically
• Demonstrate relevant experience and past performance
• Highlight your differentiators
• Present pricing in a transparent and justifiable manner
A technically capable company can still lose a tender if its proposal lacks clarity, structure, or strategic positioning.
Common Challenges SMEs Face
As businesses begin their GeBIZ journey, several recurring challenges emerge:
• Difficulty interpreting technical specifications
• Uncertainty about how evaluation criteria are applied
• Weak structure in proposal responses
• Failure to communicate value beyond pricing
Tendering is not only an operational exercise, it is a strategic communication exercise. The way you structure and present your response can significantly influence outcomes.
Strengthening Your Tender Strategy
For SMEs serious about securing government work, investing in structured proposal writing capabilities is crucial. Learning how to interpret tender documents, organise responses logically, and present persuasive arguments can dramatically improve submission quality.
To support SMEs in this area, QuESH Consultants will be hosting an exclusive workshop in collaboration with Marcus Ong, founder of Pitchmaker, focused specifically on how to structure and strengthen tender proposals.
To ensure interactive discussions, limited seats will be available. Reserve your seat now.
