The 12-point tender readiness checklist
Council and government tenders keep checking the same 12 things. Count how many you can honestly say yes to today.
- Your business has an ABN and has traded for at least a couple of years
- You hold current public liability insurance, and know your cover level
- You hold workers compensation cover for your employees
- You hold the licences and tickets your trade needs (for example, a construction induction card for everyone on site)
- You have a written WHS (safety) management system, not just a folder of templates
- You have SWMS for your high-risk work that match how your crew really works
- You have a capability statement that's less than a year old
- You can name at least three finished jobs with values, dates and photos
- You have at least three referees who will take a call about your work
- You have a list of the plant and equipment you own or reliably hire
- You have spare crew and plant capacity to take on a new job in the next three months
- You know how to price a job from drawings and a bill of quantities
What your score means
- 10 to 12: you're close. The gap is usually presentation and the submission itself.
- 6 to 9: you have the business; you're missing documents. This is the most common result, and it's fixable in weeks, not months.
- 5 or fewer: start with insurance, safety and project records. Tendering now would likely waste your time.
Every tender sets its own requirements, so this is a guide, not a guarantee of eligibility.
Want a proper review?
Our free Tender Readiness Review is a 30-minute call. We look at what you actually hold and send you a short summary: what's in place, what needs checking and what's missing.