Tendering

Tendering is the acquisition of goods and/or services at the best possible total cost of ownership, in the right quantity and quality, at the right time, in the right place for the direct benefit or use of governments, corporations, or local authorities, generally via a contract. Simple tenders may involve nothing more than repeat purchasing. Complex tendering could involve finding long term partners – or even "co-destiny" suppliers that might fundamentally commit one organization to another.

Tendering is also known as pitching or procurement in some areas. Pitching is commonly referred to as the previsualisation of ideas and concepts in very rudimentary or written form. This is mostly presented in the television and media trade as well as graphic, web and architectural instances.

In television, a company pitches to its producers a concept or an opinion of a concept to be taken on in work later. This includes rough sketches and ideas drawn up, even filmed, and shown to the clients who then request the work is subsequently undertaken to produce a clean, polished form for broadcast. Often this is or part of an advertising campaign.This method is similar to the film industry's treatment submission, which is not an opinion or visualisation of a brand or project requirement, but actually a whole concept or idea submitted as a possible project of its own. This also happens in television for yet unchartered territory and concepts that have not been greenlighted. A pitch may be made during the submission, and subsequently, a pitch may be submitted to award the most appropriate director, studio, production agency etc.Pitches are usually compensated for time if a significant amount of work has already been undertaken or requested to be undertaken.

A similar lineage is employed in many different industries.

This is a variant of tendering, which is soon to be made illegal in the UK after a long union battle against intellectual property rights infringement. Tenders are actual finished, or near-finished pieces of art, concepts, televisual pieces and design jobs. Tendering is not illegal in the architectural trade for which specific laws protect designers, artists and engineers. "Compensated tendering" is not planned to be outlawed in any sector, as the artists are paid a pre-agreed sum to cover base materials and time, to protect the artist or company from lost earnings in the duration. The sum paid is not a premium nor is it a payment for copyright or licencing of the artform.

Procurement is the act of submitting previous examples of work quality, a timeframe and estimated costs plus any extra integers in a simple form to the outsourcing company or individual. Mostly government-based method, this is the safest way for companies to put themselves forward for projects as they do not need to complete any actual work on the jobs which may result in unpaid time and materials if the pitch is rejected. It also gives employing entities the choice without making committals.

Being 'awarded' a contract, or 'winning a pitch' is when a company or individual has been selected from tenders, procurement lists or pitched ideas. The company is then given a contract detailing the legal requirements of both or all parties which has been preapproved by all upon acceptance of the project responsibility.

Companies are more often creating a legal substitute to tendering, which involves creating, editing or visualising an imaginary project (such as a marketing poster or ad campaign) to which no IP is of worth, and all tender applicants are given an equal plane to compete. Both parties must agree to not later use the produced pieces in any form. Tendering can also refer to the job of transporting fish from fisherman to processor, or canneries. Tendering to the fisherman; providing groceries, fuel, hardware, or laundry and a hot shower so the fisherman can keep fishing and not have to deliver his fish to town.