A request for tender and a request for information (RFI) are two different stages of a public procurement process. They look alike, but their legal effect and the response they demand differ significantly.
The practical difference is this. A request for tender is a contract you can still respond to. An RFI is a contract you can still change the shape of.
The short version
- An RFI binds neither side, and answering one confers no advantage in the competition that follows.
- It is still the only stage at which a supplier can influence the requirements, the timetable and the scoring.
- A response costs a fraction of a bid, so the question is rarely whether it is worth answering.
- The confusion is expensive in the other direction too: full bid preparation against an RFI is work with no recipient.
The request for tender in brief
A request for tender (RFT) is the contracting authority's formal invitation to bid. It is the central document of the procurement procedure.
A request for tender:
- binds the contracting authority to the competitive process
- contains every condition of bidding (suitability, award criteria, technical description)
- opens the tender period, which in an EU open procedure is at least 35 days, 30 where tenders are submitted electronically, and 15 at the shortest
- leads to an award decision and a procurement contract
The request is published on the national notice portal, at EU level on TED, and in the contracting authority's own system.
The request for information in brief
An RFI is the contracting authority's lighter enquiry to the market before the procedure proper. It is part of market dialogue, regulated as preliminary market consultation under Article 40 of Directive 2014/24/EU.
An RFI:
- commits the contracting authority to nothing
- does not lead to a contract
- asks for information about market supply, pricing or technical solutions
- collects non-binding responses from suppliers
An RFI is published under its own notice type, and some authorities use a prior information notice for the same purpose, so both are worth watching. Answering does not oblige the supplier to bid later, and it confers no advantage in the eventual competition.
Side by side
| Feature | Request for tender | Request for information |
|---|---|---|
| Legal effect | Binding competition | Not binding |
| Form of response | Binding bid | Free-form feedback |
| Response time | 15 to 35 days in EU procurements | Typically 2 to 4 weeks |
| Notice type | Contract notice | Request for information or prior information notice |
| Influence on requirements | None left | Direct |
| Consequence | Award decision and contract | A possible request for tender later |
The row that usually decides the matter is the second from the bottom. The requirements in a request for tender can no longer be changed. Through an RFI, they can.
Why an RFI is almost always worth answering
Three reasons:
- You influence the request for tender. Feedback given to an RFI shapes the contracting authority's thinking: the requirements, the timetable, the scoring. At this stage a disproportionate turnover requirement or an unnecessary reference condition can still be changed.
- You learn what is happening in the market. Answering gives you a sense of the scope and the timetable before the request for tender is published.
- It costs little. The gap in effort is wider than most suppliers assume.
RFI response
Free-form, no annexes
2–4 hTender
ESPD, annexes, pricing, quality answers
30–40 h
Orders of magnitude for an ordinary services procurement, not measured averages. For works and complex system procurements, the bid figure is considerably higher.
The same ratio runs the other way. Mistake an RFI for a request for tender and tens of hours go into preparation that has no recipient.
The most common mix-up
A supplier mistakes an RFI for a request for tender and puts full bid preparation into it. The notice is in the right place, but its type is "request for information" or "prior information notice".
Three signs that tell you it is an RFI before the work starts:
- The notice type is not "contract notice".
- The documents contain no award criteria and no weightings. Without those there is nothing for a bid to optimise against.
- The response is not requested through an electronic tendering system, but by email or on a form.
Any one of them is reason enough to check before booking the bid team.
Frequently asked questions
Should an RFI be answered in writing or verbally?
Usually in writing, following the instructions in the notice. Market dialogue meetings may be arranged separately, but their outcomes are documented as well.
Is an RFI response public?
Responses are public documents as a starting point, and the contracting authority may use what it learns from them when drafting the request for tender. Trade secrets have to be marked as such separately.
Can a procurement contract follow directly from an RFI?
No. A contract requires a formal competitive process.
How do I recognise an RFI in a notice portal?
By the notice type: "request for information" or "prior information notice". The request for tender proper is a "contract notice".
Do suppliers who answered the RFI get priority in the competition?
No. The principle of equal treatment forbids it. Suppliers who answered do gain market knowledge, which can help when drafting the bid.
Can answering an RFI disqualify us from the competition that follows?
Not as a rule. Article 41 of Directive 2014/24/EU requires the contracting authority to take measures ensuring that participation in the preparation does not distort competition. In practice that means sharing what emerged in the dialogue with every candidate, not excluding the supplier who took part.
What we think
The RFI is the most undervalued stage of a public procurement. It does not appear in a sales pipeline, it carries no value, and it produces no decision, so it is the stage most easily skipped.
It is nonetheless the only point at which a supplier can influence what is bought and on what terms. Once the request for tender is published, two levers remain: the clarification question and the appeal.
Viran monitors notices across national portals and TED, and separates requests for information from contract notices automatically, so that preparation-stage notices are not missed while there is still time to shape them.
