Tenders
Responding to a Request for Tender or Request for Quote
Read the documentation supplied by the other party carefully. If a contract or standard terms are included or referred to, these will require review by the Research Contracts Group at the Melbourne Research Office prior to submission of your response (Statement of Departure). Our office will only review the contract or standard terms and not the remainder of your response, such as the proposed research, the format, the feasibility of the study or the allocation of staff and resources.Many requests for tender only allow a short time frame for the preparation and submission of responses, so make sure you submit your documentation as soon as possible.
Why is review necessary?
It is important for the contract or terms to be reviewed prior to the submission of a response for a number of reasons:- Only the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or the Vice-Principal (Research) can agree to the terms of research contracts on behalf of the University.
- If the University does not offer comments on the contract at this stage it may be unable to negotiate the terms at a later date if you are announced as the successful tenderer.
- For instance, the response to tender often requires the tenderer to agree to the terms and conditions set out in the tender documentation. If you agree in your response to tender, the University may be deemed to have accepted the standard terms.
- If the terms are unfavourable or contrary to University policy, the University may elect to relinquish the tender rather than proceed. Alternatively, the terms may be restrictive and you may not receive the benefits that you had hoped to obtain from performing the work. For example, you may not be able to publish the results
Submitting the agreement
Send to the address below:- Draft of the contract or standard terms
- One Tender Checklist
Ana Brown
Manager, Research Contracts
Melbourne Research Office
Level 5, 161 Barry Street
University of Melbourne
What happens next?
Your contract will be allocated to a research lawyer for review, if required. If needed, you will be supplied with comments and suggested amendments that can be submitted as part of your response. Many Government departments use standard contracts and our office may already have a table of comments prepared. Our office will be available to review or discuss any response received from the other party.Please note that, if succesful, the final contract will need to be approved and executed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or by the Vice-Principal (Research). If you are successful, before we are able to recommend the agreement for signature, a completed and approved Budget Form will be required.