Receipt of bids/offers/arrangements

Receipt of bids/offers/arrangements is the formal intake of supplier submissions by the procurement authority. It covers how a bid, an offer or a supply arrangement is received, registered, handled and secured once a supplier sends it. The term describes the buyer's control of the submission, not only the supplier's act of sending it.

The NATO Procurement Manual states that receipt is performed either by the point of contact named in the solicitation, for hard-copy submissions, or through the designated electronic bidding portal when electronic submission is specified. The NATO Procurement Manual links receipt to registration, secure handling, opening, confidentiality and auditability.

Bids, offers and arrangements: three instruments, one intake step

• Bids are generally submitted in response to an invitation to tender or a similar competitive bid solicitation.
• Offers are submitted in response to requests for proposals, standing offers or other negotiated solicitations.
• Arrangements generally means supply arrangements, under which suppliers qualify for or compete for individual requirements.

NATO uses closely related wording, including receipt of bids, receipt of offers and the deadline for receipt of bids or proposals. The Government of Canada uses the operational term Bid Receiving for the same function.

How NATO procedures handle receipt

Under the NATO Procurement Manual, offers are received, registered, handled, opened and stored by authorized staff, or through the business-opportunities portal specified in the solicitation. For hard-copy submissions, the point of contact designated in the solicitation performs receipt. For electronic bidding, receipt happens through the bid-submission function of the designated portal.

NATO requires certain higher-value offers to be submitted through the NATO IS Business Opportunities platform. This lets NATO control and audit the date and time of receipt, and any later changes to the offer. The same manual sets out the rules in more detail: see the NATO Procurement Manual.

Bid receiving in the Government of Canada

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) operates a Bid Receiving Unit in the National Capital Region. According to CanadaBuys, the unit receives documents and samples submitted in response to requests for proposals, standing offers, supply arrangements, quotations and letters of interest.

The federal buyer's guide on receiving offers describes how buyers receive, handle, verify, log and securely store offers. It also covers late, delayed, modified and withdrawn offers. Government records guidance from Library and Archives Canada lists receipt of bids, confirmation of receipt and bid tracking among procurement records and controls.

Deadlines for receipt

Every solicitation fixes a deadline and a place for receipt. NATO's procurement procedure sets the deadline for receipt of bids or proposals at a minimum of 35 calendar days from publication of the solicitation, with a shorter minimum for certain Alliance Operations and Missions procurements.

NATO solicitation examples, such as this request for proposal, state that bids received after the deadline will not be accepted. They advise suppliers to allow enough time for transmission and for confirmation of receipt.

What it means for a supplier

Receipt is the point where a submission becomes part of the competition. A supplier must send its complete bid, offer or arrangement to the specified receiving point or portal before the stated deadline, and must follow the solicitation's format and submission instructions. Read the instructions for each solicitation to confirm whether it calls for hard copy or electronic submission, and which address or portal applies. Submit early, keep confirmation of receipt, and treat any change or withdrawal as a controlled action that the buyer will log.