Let’s start from the beginning. What exactly are international tenders? These are international competitions, which can be public or private, during which contracts for the provision of services, the construction of works and / or the supply of goods are selected and awarded. The contract is awarded to the company that best meets the criteria set out in the specifications.

Many companies make the decision to internationalize at one time or another, but do not always know how to go about it: payments, paperwork, contracts, tariffs, etc. are all topics that they must confront.

The world of tenders, on the other hand, is a little different. The procedures for awarding and awarding contracts are similar throughout Europe.

Types of international tenders

There are different types of international tenders. They are generally differentiated according to their monetary value, as well as by the degree of technicality of the product or service requested.

“Open tenders”, also called open tenders. These are the most common in international tenders for works and goods. In this case, the company wishing to tender must present its final offer on the basis of the specifications indicated in the file.

“Restricted tenders” or restricted offers. These are international tenders that limit the submission of tenders to a certain number of suppliers. At the beginning, we launch a prequalification contest. Then, depending on the requests received, several companies are invited to prepare technical and economic proposals.

“Framework contracts”. These are framework contracts that define the conditions that will govern the contracts for a given period. They are increasingly used for public procurement. They benefit from fast deadlines and procedures and, in general, the price range is already fixed in the submission file. Framework contracts save time and money in the processes of providing goods or services, because they avoid having to renegotiate standard conditions.

 

Identify an international call for tenders

To find information about tenders in Europe, the easiest way is to visit the Ted Online website, which provides information about competitions and tenders from all member countries of the European Union.

A very useful resource!

It can also be emphasized that outside the European Union, a large number of cooperation and development agencies regularly launch international calls for tenders. Here are some interesting examples :

IDB (Inter-American Development Bank)

African Development Bank Group

How can a translation agency contribute to an international tender?

It is possible to sell products or services abroad through international tenders. Thousands of opportunities are published every day, the procedures are the same as in our country, the formalities are dematerialized … Therefore, if you present documents for municipal tenders, and your product or service is exportable, why not cross borders and sell in a neighboring country?

If you have decided to respond to international tenders, you will need a trusted translation agency with native-speaking translators who are specialists in your field of activity. You may be wondering: “But why would I need a translation agency? “You will need it, and rather twice than once! Our services will help you throughout the three phases of the project.

Presentation of the tender documents

You will need to submit the documentation in the applicant’s language. In this regard, it is better not to use a relative who is fluent in the target language, nor an automatic translator. The documentation must be perfectly adapted to the local language, without spelling or grammatical errors. It should look written in the target language, rather than translated. To do this, it is essential to have a translation agency experienced in international tenders, which translates accurately with impeccable quality, without errors of any kind. At NS Traduction, we have been supporting companies in their internationalization process for more than 20 years, and we know that certain documents are systematically requested during an international tender.

Project-specific documentation: technical proposal and economic proposal
Annual accounts and balance sheets
Constituent acts
Acts of authentication of signatures
Certificates of deposit of annual accounts in the commercial register
Tax certificates: contractors and subcontractors, certificate proving that the company is up to date with its tax obligations, certificates relating to double taxation, tax headquarters
Social Security Certificates.
We translate the necessary documentation to prove the company’s experience in other similar projects in the sector, which attests to its mastery in the sector in question.

As regards the guarantee documents often required in international tenders, in simple translation or sometimes in sworn translation, we can mention: bank guarantees, guarantee of the offer and guarantee of advance payment.

Project implementation

Congratulations! You have won the tender! And now? Now it is necessary to work hard to implement the project solvently and successfully. To do this, as part of an international tender, we will have to continue translating all documents into the language of the applicant company. We told you: a lot of documents! However, don’t worry: there is no success without effort, and we are here to help you.

Thanks to our free online translation management platform, AT-HUB, we will make your task much easier. Indeed, in a few clicks, you can send us your documents, for which you will instantly receive a translation quote. If you accept the quote, we will get down to business and deliver the translated documents to you within the specified time frame.

Maintenance: the project is already running smoothly

Once the first two phases have passed (submission of the international tender and execution of the project), this third phase is much simpler, since it is only about the maintenance of the project. But be careful: don’t rest on your laurels, because you will still need translations, whether documents, websites or applications. We will continue to accompany you, to provide you with all the necessary support and to ensure a rigorous quality translation.

This quality is attested by the ISO 17100 standard, a certification that guarantees the most demanding level of translation quality on an international scale. Our translators all have more than 5 years of experience and are specialized in a wide variety of sectors.

In addition, we have a specific financial and legal translation service for documents relating to solvency and the economic proposal, as well as a technical translation service for the contents of the project itself. In these areas, we regularly take care of the translation of contracts, deeds, briefs, annual accounts, powers of attorney or statutes that were originally drafted in a foreign language and that must be presented in other countries to develop the company’s activities abroad. We also carry out the translation of complete technical projects intended for international tenders and, if necessary, the sworn translation of these documents.

At NS Traduction, we make sure that the company that asks us for translations for international tenders has every chance of winning them! If you have decided to explore the world of international tenders, contact us!