Request for tender

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A Request for Tender, commonly abbreviated to RFT, is a structured invitation to suppliers for the supply of products and/or services.

As a consequence of the scale and complexity of the tender process the majority of RFT’s are published by government sector agencies at the local, state and federal levels. Companies in the infrastructure and utilities sectors may also periodically publish RFT’s

The closest equivalent to an RFT in the mainstream private sector is a Request for Proposal (RFP), which typically has a less rigid structure.

An RFT is usually an open invitation for suppliers to respond to a defined need as opposed to a request being sent to selected potential suppliers. The RFT often requests information gathered previously from a RFI. This will usually not only cover product and service requirements, but will also ask for information about the suitability of the business.^[1]

The more rigid structure of an RFT assists the submission normalisation process.

Related Proposal Types

Other members of the RFx family include:

EOI - Expression of Interest

RFA - Request for Applications

RFD - Request for Documentation

RFI - Request for Information

RFO - Request for Offer

RFQ - Request for Quotation

RFP - Request for Proposal

ROI - Registration of Interest