Understanding the vocabulary and terminology of public sector procurement is essential for thriving in the B2G sector and win government contracts. 

This glossary defines the key terms you’ll encounter when selling to the public sector, from buyers and contractors to opportunities and frameworks. Each term includes its definition, common synonyms, and how Hermix uses these concepts to provide market intelligence.

With this reference guide we try to organise terms by category for easier navigation, as we know how busy life can be at times. 

Whether you’re new to government tendering or an experienced bidder, this glossary helps you understand procurement terminology and how these concepts connect in the B2G market.

Let’s start…

Core B2G Market Concepts

The public procurement market revolves around three fundamental concepts:

Buyer

A public organisation that procures (buys) services, products, or works. Buyers spend money for any type of purpose on the Business-to-Government market.

• Examples: European Commission, European Parliament, ministries, city councils, NHS trusts
• Also called: Authority, client, donor, contracting authority, public organisation, public body, public administration, government agency
• How Hermix uses this: Detailed buyer profiles show procurement history, spending patterns, preferred suppliers, and contract renewal cycles

Contractor

Winner of a procurement procedure (opportunity). Suppliers of services, products, or works to a buyer. Sometimes a contractor is your competitor, sometimes a potential partner.

• Can be an NGO, private company, or even another public buyer delivering services to other buyers
• Private contractors typically have VAT code, registered address, phone number, and other official details
• Also called: Seller, supplier (in a contract award), tenderer, participant (in an opportunity), beneficiary (of a grant)
• How Hermix uses this: Contractor profiles reveal win history, typical contract values, geographic focus, and partnership networks

Contractor Group

A group of contractors likely to act in a concentrated manner on the public sector market. Multinational corporations are the typical example.

• Example: IBM Group consists of hundreds of companies and subsidiaries located in 177 countries
• Each IBM subsidiary is an individual organisation with specific address and registration information
• All ultimately controlled by single parent company (International Business Machines Corporation, registered in New York)
• Group members typically don’t compete against each other due to internal policy and formal procurement regulations
• Also called: Brand
• How Hermix uses this: Groups are consolidated to show true competitive landscape and avoid miscounting competitors

Opportunity

A business opportunity in the public sector. Typically a procurement procedure for buying specific services or products, but can also be a call for proposals, call for solutions, or grant.

• May be future, past, possible, open, or closed tenders or other procurement procedures
• Has one or several lots
• Can result in no award or in one or several contract awards
• Also called: Tender, procurement procedure, negotiated procedure, rarely contract or project
• How Hermix uses this: Automated monitoring alerts you to relevant opportunities matching your criteria across European portals

Procurement Document Types

Notice

Individual piece of official information about procurement. Can be a contract notice, prior information notice, contract award notice, payment information, corrigendum, or addendum to another notice.

• Also called: Procurement notice, tender notice, contract notice, award notice
• How Hermix uses this: Monitors notices across multiple portals to provide comprehensive opportunity coverage

Contract Notice

Official announcement of a procurement opportunity containing full tender details, requirements, evaluation criteria, and submission deadlines.

• Published on official procurement portals
• Signals start of competitive procurement process
• How Hermix uses this: Daily alerts notify you of new contract notices matching your filters

Prior Information Notice (PIN)

Advance notification of buyer’s intention to launch future tender. Provides early visibility into upcoming procurement.

• Allows suppliers to prepare before formal opportunity publishes
• Not a binding commitment to procure
• How Hermix uses this: Tracked to provide early warning of upcoming opportunities

Contract Award Notice

Announcement of the winner(s) of procurement procedure. Shows which contractor won, contract value, duration, and key terms.

• Published after contract signature
• Provides competitive intelligence about market outcomes
• How Hermix uses this: Award data reveals competitor performance, pricing benchmarks, and buyer preferences

Corrigendum

Official correction or amendment to published tender notice. Changes requirements, deadlines, or other tender terms.

• All bidders must be notified of changes
• May extend submission deadline if changes are significant
• Ensures all suppliers have access to correct information

Procurement Structure Terms

Lot

A tender may have several lots. Contractors can typically apply to each lot independently. Each lot is awarded to one or several contractors or consortia.

• Separate requirements and budget for each lot
• Allows smaller suppliers to compete for portions of larger contracts
• Buyers often reserve lots specifically for SMEs
• How Hermix uses this: Lot structure shown in opportunity details

Consortium

A grouping of contractors that participate together in a procurement opportunity to sign jointly a single contract with the contracting buyer.

• Formed of several contractors called consortium members
• First contractor in consortium typically called consortium leader
• Combines capabilities to meet requirements no single company satisfies
• Also called: Grouping, association, partnership
• How Hermix uses this: Partnership analysis shows which companies collaborate in consortia

Contract Award

The result of a procurement procedure (opportunity). A contract is awarded by a buyer to one or several contractors or consortia composed of several contractors.

• Specifies contract value, duration, and key terms
• Multiple awards possible if tender had multiple lots
• Also called: Contract
• How Hermix uses this: Historical awards provide intelligence on buyer patterns and competitor performance

Contract

The result of a contract award. In each lot, the order of the contracts is usually important. Execution is usually cascaded from the first contract to the last.

• Defines obligations, deliverables, payment terms, and performance requirements
• May be single contract or part of framework agreement
• Order matters when multiple contracts awarded in same lot

Framework Agreement

A contract that is executed through several individual independent orders or specific contracts.

• Establishes terms applying to multiple purchases during contract period
• Typically runs 2-4 years with estimated total value
• Individual orders called specific contracts, call-offs, or purchase orders
• Also called: Framework contract
• How Hermix uses this: Framework awards tracked to show market access patterns

Purchase Order

Parts of a framework contract. Individual orders placed under the framework terms.

• Also called: Order, specific contract, specific request
• Uses terms established in parent framework
• May involve mini-competition amongst framework suppliers

Procurement Procedure Types

Open Procedure

A procurement procedure where any qualified supplier can submit a bid. No pre-qualification stage required.

• Most transparent and competitive procurement type
• All evaluation criteria must be published upfront
• Common for straightforward, well-defined requirements
• Suitable for goods and simple services
• How Hermix uses this: Procedure type shown in opportunity details to help you understand competition level

Restricted Procedure

A two-stage procurement process. First stage pre-qualifies suppliers, second stage invites only selected suppliers to submit full bids.

• Stage 1: Suppliers submit Selection Questionnaire showing capability
• Stage 2: Shortlisted suppliers (typically 3-5) invited to tender
• Used for complex requirements requiring proven capability
• Reduces evaluation burden on buyers
• How Hermix uses this: Historical use of restricted procedures by authority indicates they favour proven suppliers

Competitive Dialogue

An iterative procurement process for complex requirements where the solution isn’t predetermined. Buyer conducts dialogue with shortlisted suppliers to develop solutions.

• Multi-stage process with successive rounds
• Allows refinement of requirements through dialogue
• Used for major infrastructure, complex IT systems
• Eventually leads to final tender based on developed solution
• Also called: Competitive procedure with negotiation

Negotiated Procedure

A procurement procedure where the buyer negotiates terms with one or more suppliers rather than evaluating fixed proposals.

• May be with or without prior publication
• Used in specific circumstances (extreme urgency, technical exclusivity, etc.)
• Less common due to transparency requirements
• Often requires justification for use

Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)

An electronic system for commonly purchased items that remains open to new suppliers throughout its duration.

• Suppliers can join at any time during system lifetime
• Individual competitions run within the DPS
• Common for IT services, consultancy, office supplies
• Reduces procurement timescales for repeat purchases
• Also called: DPS

Invitation to Tender (ITT)

Formal invitation to submit a bid. UK term broadly equivalent to Request for Proposal.

• Contains full tender specifications and requirements
• Includes evaluation criteria and weighting
• Specifies submission deadline and format
• Also called: ITT
• How Hermix uses this: ITT documents from EU Funding Portal can be downloaded as ZIP files

Grant-Related Terms

Grant

A sum of money given by a government or other organisation for a particular purpose.

• Specific type of opportunity aimed to fulfil needs of the contractor
• Contractors typically called beneficiaries
• Buyer also called donor
• Evaluation criteria differ from traditional procurement
• How Hermix uses this: Grant opportunities monitored alongside traditional procurement

Beneficiary

In the grant context, the contractor receives grant funding. Delivers project outcomes using grant funds.

• Subject to reporting and compliance requirements
• Can be NGO, research institution, or private company

Donor

In the grant context, the buyer provides grant funding. Sets grant priorities and evaluation criteria.

• Examples: European Commission research programmes, national innovation agencies

Pilot Project

Mixed project opportunity combining characteristics of both grants and tenders. Finances a private entity to fulfil a general public interest need.

• Tests innovative approaches before wider implementation
• May lead to subsequent larger procurement opportunities
• Sometimes called programmes when very large in scale

Classification and Categorisation Terms

Industry

Largest classification level for services and products procured on the public sector market. Contains domains and topics. Forms part of hierarchical classification structure.

• Examples: Construction, IT
• If an opportunity is classified to specific topic, it is automatically classified to parent domain and parent industry
• Also called: Vertical
• How Hermix uses this: Filter opportunities by industry to find relevant tenders

Domain

Contains a grouping of topics (CPV codes) as defined by official Common Procurement Vocabulary. Direct correspondent of CPV division in official classification.

• Example: For Construction industry, domain is “Architectural, construction, engineering”
• Full official specifications available at official CPV documentation
• Also called: CPV division
• How Hermix uses this: Refine searches within industries to specific domains

Topic

Specific classifications of all public procurement services or products, as defined by official Common Procurement Vocabulary.

• Most detailed classification level
• Example: For Construction industry, in “Architectural, construction, engineering” domain, topic is “Architectural and related services”
• Full official specifications available at official CPV documentation
• Also called: CPV code
• How Hermix uses this: Search by topic for precisely targeted opportunities

Market Analysis Terms

Fragmentation

Measures the degree of diversity of project opportunities on a specific market segment. Shows diversity of buyers and opportunities.

• Indicates how many and how varied or diverse are opportunities, products, services, delivery locations on specific market segment
• High fragmentation means many diverse opportunities
• Low fragmentation means concentrated, similar opportunities
• How Hermix uses this: Analytics show market fragmentation to assess opportunity diversity

Diversification

Measures the level of competition on a specific market. Shows degree of diversity of the market from the point of view of contractors.

• Low diversification means few suppliers (less competition)
• High diversification means heavy competition
• Indicates how many suppliers are active on specific market segment, from how many different locations services and products are delivered
• How Hermix uses this: Competitive analysis reveals market diversification patterns

Renewals

Opportunities for contracts that have specific duration and which are likely to be continued through another procurement opportunity very similar to the initial one.

• Occur when existing contracts expire
• Typically similar requirements to original procurement
• Predictable based on contract duration
• How Hermix uses this: Renewal forecasting shows when contracts expire and retendering likely occur

Organisational Terms

Contracting Authority

A public body with legal authority to conduct procurement. Must follow procurement regulations when spending public money.

• Also called: Buyer, authority, public body
• Examples: Government departments, local councils, NHS trusts, universities
• How Hermix uses this: Authority profiles show complete procurement history and patterns

Public Bodies

Organisations in the public sector that may conduct procurement. Includes central government, local authorities, devolved administrations, and other public sector organisations.

• Subject to public procurement regulations
• Must ensure transparency and competition
• How Hermix uses this: Coverage across all public body types

SME (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise)

Companies with fewer than 250 employees and turnover under €50 million.

• Public sector increasingly focuses on SME participation
• May face barriers around qualification requirements
• Often access opportunities through lots or consortium membership
• Also called: Small and medium-sized enterprises
• How Hermix uses this: Data helps SMEs identify SME-friendly buyers and appropriately sized opportunities

Evaluation and Award Terms

MEAT (Most Economically Advantageous Tender)

Evaluation approach balancing quality and price, not just selecting lowest cost. Considers whole-life value and benefits.

• Replaced by “most advantageous tender” in Procurement Act 2023
• Typical weightings: 60-70% quality, 30-40% price
• Reflects value for money rather than just cheapest price
• Standard approach for services and complex goods
• Also called: Most advantageous tender, quality-price evaluation

Award Criteria

Published factors used to evaluate and score proposals. Must be stated in tender documents.

• Examples: Technical approach, relevant experience, team qualifications, pricing
• Each criterion has defined weighting
• Must be objective and related to contract subject matter
• Cannot discriminate against any supplier type
• How Hermix uses this: Historical analysis reveals which criteria specific buyers weight most heavily

Weighting

Points or percentage allocated to each evaluation criterion, showing relative importance.

• Example: Technical 40%, Experience 20%, Team 15%, Price 25%
• Must be published in advance
• Guides bidders on where to focus proposal effort
• How Hermix uses this: Past tender analysis shows typical weighting patterns by authority and contract type

BAFO (Best and Final Offer)

Final round where shortlisted bidders are invited to improve their offers after initial evaluation.

• Typically requested from top 2-3 ranked bidders
• May involve clarification meetings before BAFO submission
• Cannot introduce new requirements at this stage
• Final scores determine winner
• Also called: Best and final offer, final tender

Pass/Fail Criteria

Mandatory requirements that automatically disqualify non-compliant bids regardless of other strengths.

• Examples: Required certifications, insurance minimums, security clearances
• No discretion in application
• Must be clearly identified in tender as mandatory
• Also called: Mandatory requirements, essential criteria, minimum standards

Technical Capacity

Ability to deliver the required technical solution based on qualifications, experience, and resources.

• Demonstrated through case studies, certifications, facilities
• May require specific technical accreditations
• Often includes CVs of key personnel
• Part of supplier qualification assessment

Economic and Financial Standing

Financial stability requirements ensuring contractor can deliver without financial failure risk.

• Typical requirements: Minimum turnover (often 2x contract value), specific insurance levels, credit ratings
• May require audited accounts, bank references
• Parent company guarantees can satisfy requirements
• Protects buyer from contractor insolvency during delivery

Qualification and Selection Terms

PQQ (Pre-Qualification Questionnaire)

First stage document assessing supplier capability before invitation to tender. Used in restricted procedures.

• Assesses technical capacity, financial standing, relevant experience
• Determines who progresses to ITT stage
• Typically results in 3-5 suppliers being shortlisted
• Also called: Pre-qualification questionnaire, expression of interest stage
• How Hermix uses this: PQQ usage by authority indicates preference for proven suppliers

SQ (Selection Questionnaire)

Standard UK form for supplier qualification, replaced previous PQQ formats to create consistency.

• Part of Procurement Act 2023 standardisation
• Covers exclusion grounds, selection criteria, insurance, financial standing
• Intended to reduce burden on suppliers
• Also called: Selection questionnaire, standard selection questionnaire

Exclusion Grounds

Reasons a supplier can be rejected from procurement regardless of their proposal quality.

• Mandatory grounds: Criminal convictions, tax non-compliance, insolvency
• Discretionary grounds: Poor past performance, serious misrepresentation, conflicts of interest
• Must be declared by suppliers in SQ
• Can result in automatic exclusion from competition

Turnover Requirements

Minimum revenue levels contractors must demonstrate to qualify for tender.

• Commonly 2x annual contract value, sometimes 3x
• Assessed over 2-3 year period
• Can be aggregated across consortium members
• May be challenged as disproportionate barrier to SMEs
• How Hermix uses this: Historical turnover requirements help SMEs identify accessible opportunities

Financial and Commercial Terms

Performance Bond

Financial guarantee (typically 5-10% of contract value) that contractor will deliver according to terms.

• Bank or insurance company issues bond
• Buyer can claim against bond for non-performance
• Returned after successful contract completion
• Common for construction and high-value contracts
• Also called: Contract bond, tender bond

Parent Company Guarantee

Legal commitment from parent company to back subsidiary’s contract obligations.

• Allows subsidiary to satisfy financial standing requirements
• Parent guarantees payment if subsidiary defaults
• Common when subsidiary’s turnover doesn’t meet requirements
• Must be properly executed legal document
• Also called: PCG, corporate guarantee

Insurance Requirements

Mandatory coverage levels contractors must maintain throughout contract delivery.

• Professional indemnity: Typically £1-10 million depending on contract
• Public liability: Typically £5-10 million
• Employers’ liability: Minimum £5 million (UK legal requirement)
• Must be in place before contract commencement
• How Hermix uses this: Historical analysis shows typical insurance requirements by authority and contract type

Retention

Percentage of payment (typically 5-10%) withheld until satisfactory contract completion or defects period.

• Released after successful delivery and acceptance
• Protects buyer against defects or incomplete delivery
• Common in construction, less common in services
• Also called: Retention money, holdback

Payment Terms

Contractual terms defining when and how contractor receives payment.

• Public sector typically: 30 days from invoice
• May be milestone-based or time-based
• Some authorities commit to faster payment (10-14 days)
• Late payment interest applies under UK law
• How Hermix uses this: Contract terms visible in awarded contracts

Timeline and Process Terms

Standstill Period

Mandatory 10-day pause between award decision notification and contract signature, allowing unsuccessful bidders to challenge.

• Required for above-threshold contracts
• Starts when all bidders notified of decision
• Contract cannot be signed during standstill
• Allows time for procurement challenge
• Also called: Alcatel period, cooling-off period, voluntary standstill (for below-threshold)

Contract Commencement Date

When delivery must start and contractor obligations begin.

• Specified in contract or determined after signature
• May be several weeks after signature (mobilisation period)
• Important for resource planning
• How Hermix uses this: Contract dates shown in awarded contracts help forecast when retendering likely

Contract Period

Duration from commencement to end date, excluding any extension options.

• Typical durations: 1-5 years depending on contract type
• Must be stated in tender documents
• Separate from extension options which may add 1-2 years
• How Hermix uses this: Contract duration data powers renewal forecasting calendar

Extension Option

Pre-agreed ability in original contract to extend duration without new competition.

• Must be specified in original tender (cannot add later)
• Typically 1-2 years additional duration
• Usually at buyer’s discretion, not automatic
• Counts toward total contract value for threshold calculation
• How Hermix uses this: Extension options tracked to forecast actual contract end dates

Post-Award Management Terms

KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)

Metrics measuring contractor performance against defined standards throughout contract delivery.

• Examples: Response times, uptime percentages, customer satisfaction scores
• Specified in contract with target levels
• May be linked to payment (performance deductions)
• Reported regularly (monthly/quarterly)
• Also called: Key performance indicators, performance metrics

Service Levels

Required performance standards defining acceptable delivery quality.

• Example: 99.5% system availability, 4-hour response time
• Breach may trigger service credits or remedies
• More specific than general KPIs
• Form part of contract monitoring
• Also called: Service level agreements, SLAs

Contract Management

Ongoing oversight of contract delivery ensuring contractor meets obligations and buyer gets value.

• Includes performance monitoring, issue resolution, change management
• Usually assigned contract manager on buyer side
• Regular review meetings between parties
• Critical for successful delivery

Variation

Formal change to contract scope, price, or terms after signature.

• Requires written agreement from both parties
• Significant variations may require new procurement (avoid circumventing rules)
• Must be justified and documented
• May extend contract value or duration
• Also called: Contract variation, change order, amendment

Contract Mobilisation

Period between contract signature and service commencement where contractor sets up delivery capability.

• Typical duration: 4-12 weeks depending on complexity
• Activities: Staff recruitment, system setup, training, transition from incumbent
• May have specific mobilisation deliverables
• Critical for smooth contract start
• Also called: Mobilisation period, transition period

Subcontracting and Supply Chain Terms

Prime Contractor

Main contractor holding the contract directly with the buyer and responsible for overall delivery.

• Legal relationship with buyer
• Manages subcontractors
• Carries delivery risk
• Also called: Prime, main contractor, lead contractor

Subcontractor

Company delivering part of contract scope under the prime contractor, not directly contracted to buyer.

• Contractual relationship with prime, not buyer
• May be specialists for specific work elements
• Must often be declared in bid
• Buyer may have approval rights
• Also called: Sub-contractor, supply chain partner

Tier 1 Supplier

Prime contractor level with direct contract to buyer.

• First tier in supply chain
• Holds overall delivery responsibility
• Also called: Tier 1, first tier

Tier 2/3 Suppliers

Subcontractors (Tier 2) and sub-subcontractors (Tier 3) in the delivery supply chain.

• Tier 2: Subcontractors to prime
• Tier 3: Sub-subcontractors to Tier 2
• Further removed from buyer relationship
• How Hermix uses this: Consortium analysis reveals prime-subcontractor relationships and typical supply chain structures

Supply Chain

Network of companies involved in delivering the contract, from prime through all subcontractor tiers.

• Includes all Tier 1, 2, 3+ suppliers
• Buyers increasingly require supply chain transparency
• May have specific SME or local supplier requirements
• Also called: Value chain, delivery chain
• How Hermix uses this: Partnership graphs visualise supply chain relationships across multiple contracts

Additional Terms

Alias

A different name for exactly the same organisation. Both contractors and buyers have aliases.

• Examples: Abbreviations, trading names, former names, legal name variations
• How Hermix uses this: Aliases consolidated to show complete organisation history under unified profile

EC (European Commission)

The executive branch of the European Union. Major buyer of goods and services across all member states.

• Publishes thousands of tenders annually
• Uses specific procurement portals like eTendering and EU Funding Portal

FTS (Financial Transparency System)

Financial Transparency System of the European Commission. Database showing EC payments and contracts.

• Covers grants, contracts, and other financial commitments
• Provides historical data on EC spending patterns going back 19 years
• How Hermix uses this: FTS data integrated to provide complete view of EC procurement and analyse partnerships

Project

A business project implemented through several contracts, some in parallel, some subsequent. Large projects sometimes called programmes.

• Multiple related contracts delivering single objective
• Can span several years and involve multiple contractors
• Also called: Programme (for very large projects)

Programme

Very large business project implemented through several contracts. Similar to project but larger in scale.

Legal and Compliance Terms

Procurement Challenge

Legal challenge to procurement decision, claiming process was flawed or unlawful.

• Must be raised during standstill period or within 30 days
• Grounds: Breach of procurement regulations, unfair evaluation, inadequate reasons
• Can result in contract set aside or damages award
• Relatively rare but significant risk for authorities
• Also called: Legal challenge, procurement dispute

Remedies Directive

EU law (retained in UK) allowing challenges to procurement procedures and providing remedies for breaches.

• Gives suppliers right to challenge before and after contract award
• Sets time limits for challenges
• Defines available remedies (set aside contract, damages)
• Enforced through High Court

Transparency

Requirement to publish procurement information publicly, ensuring openness and accountability.

• Includes tender notices, award notices, contract details
• Published on Contracts Finder, Find a Tender, authority websites
• Contract values, winners, and key terms must be public
• Core principle of public procurement
• How Hermix uses this: Transparency requirements enable comprehensive market intelligence by making data publicly accessible

Non-Discrimination

Principle that all suppliers must be treated equally regardless of nationality, size, or other characteristics.

• Cannot favour local/national suppliers in evaluation
• Cannot set unnecessary barriers favouring specific suppliers
• Evaluation criteria must be objective and justifiable
• Core principle of fair competition

Public Contracts Regulations 2015

UK law governing public procurement from 2015 until Procurement Act 2023 implementation.

• Transposed EU procurement directives into UK law
• Defined procedures, thresholds, remedies
• Largely replaced by Procurement Act 2023 (from late 2024)
• Still governs contracts awarded before new Act implementation
• Also called: PCR 2015, 2015 Regulations

Value and Social Impact Terms

Social Value

Benefits beyond core service delivery, such as jobs, apprenticeships, community investment, or local economic impact.

• Weighted criterion in many evaluations (typically 10-20%)
• Required consideration under Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012
• Examples: Creating apprenticeships, supporting local SMEs, reducing carbon
• Becoming more prominent in Procurement Act 2023
• Also called: Added value, community benefits, wider benefits

Sustainability Criteria

Environmental requirements and evaluation factors addressing climate and ecological impact.

• May include carbon reduction targets, circular economy, biodiversity
• Increasingly weighted in evaluations
• May be pass/fail requirement or scored criterion
• Net zero commitments driving stronger sustainability requirements
• Also called: Environmental criteria, green criteria

Local Suppliers

Companies based in or near the contracting authority’s area, often receiving preference in evaluation.

• May be evaluation criterion (especially for local authorities)
• Defined by geographic boundary (e.g., within region/county)
• Must not discriminate against other UK or EU suppliers
• Often linked to social value objectives

SME-Friendly

Procurement structured to enable small and medium-sized enterprise participation.

• Features: Appropriate lot sizes, proportionate qualification criteria, simplified processes
• May include reserved lots for SMEs
• Avoids unnecessarily high turnover or experience requirements
• Government target: 33% of spend with SMEs
• How Hermix uses this: Authority profiles show SME award patterns, helping small suppliers target SME-friendly buyers

Hermix-Specific Platform Features

AI Tender Summarisation

Hermix feature that extracts key information from lengthy tender documents in minutes.

• Analyses 100-300 page documents automatically
• Extracts: Requirements, budget, evaluation criteria, deadlines, mandatory requirements
• Reduces document analysis time from 2-4 hours to 5 minutes
• Enables faster opportunity qualification
• Also called: Tender summarisation, AI summarisation

AI Chat

Interactive feature allowing you to ask specific questions about tender requirements and get instant answers.

• Ask questions like “What certifications are mandatory?” or “How many case studies required?”
• Extracts answers from tender documents automatically
• Saves time searching through hundreds of pages
• Available for tenders across multiple procurement portals
• Also called: AI assistant, tender chat

Opportunity Flags

Labels and categories you can assign to opportunities for team tracking and workflow management.

• Custom flag names (e.g., “High Priority”, “Qualified”, “Bidding”, “Won”, “Lost”)
• Shared across team members in your organisation
• Enables systematic opportunity tracking
• Integrates with Kanban board for visual management
• Also called: Tags, labels

Kanban Board

Visual workflow board for managing flagged opportunities through your bid process stages.

• Drag opportunities between columns (e.g., “To Qualify” → “Qualified” → “Bidding” → “Submitted”)
• Filter by team member, flag, or deadline
• Provides overview of entire pipeline
• Customisable columns and flags
• Also called: Flags board, opportunity board

Saved Reports

Pre-configured searches and filters you can save and reuse for quick access to relevant information.

• Save complex filter combinations (geography, industry, authority type, contract value)
• One-click access to your most important reports
• Can be shared with team colleagues
• Library of standard templates available
• Saves time versus rebuilding searches repeatedly
• Also called: Bookmarks, saved searches

Daily Alerts

Email notifications of new opportunities matching your criteria, delivered each morning.

• Configure filters: Keywords, industries, countries, authority types, CPV codes
• Receive multiple alerts per day if needed (morning and afternoon)
• Ensures you never miss relevant opportunities
• Alerts sent within hours of publication on source portals
• Also called: Email alerts, opportunity alerts, notifications

Authority Profile

Complete procurement history and analysis for a specific buyer organisation.

• Shows: All past tenders and contracts, spending patterns, preferred suppliers, typical contract values
• Includes geographic coverage, procurement frequency, domain focus
• Helps assess buyer fit before bidding
• Reveals buyer preferences and patterns
• Also called: Buyer profile, client profile

Contractor Profile

Win history and market analysis for a specific supplier organisation.

• Shows: All contract awards, buyers they work with, typical values, geographic focus
• Includes win rates, partnership patterns, domain specialisation
• Enables competitive intelligence on rivals
• Identifies potential partners
• Also called: Supplier profile, competitor profile

Partnership Analysis

Feature showing which contractors form consortia together and their collaboration patterns.

• Visualises frequent partnerships
• Shows consortium leader patterns
• Identifies potential partners for your bids
• Reveals competitive threats from established partnerships
• Based on historical contract award data
• Also called: Consortium analysis, collaboration analysis

Competition Graph

Visualisation of market relationships and patterns between buyers, contractors, and opportunities.

• Network graph showing connections
• Node sizes indicate activity levels
• Reveals market structure and key players
• Customisable depth and scope
• Also called: Market network, relationship graph

Renewal Calendar

Visual timeline of contract expiration dates with forecasts of likely retendering opportunities.

• Shows when existing contracts expire
• Predicts retendering based on contract duration
• Gives months of advance notice before tender publishes
• Allows strategic preparation for recompetitions
• Sorted by date or contract value
• Also called: Contract renewal forecast, expiry calendar

Market Analytics

Analysis of spending patterns, trends, and opportunity distribution across the public sector.

• Shows: Spending by domain/industry/geography, market growth/decline, authority activity levels
• Identifies largest opportunities and most active buyers
• Reveals market trends over time
• Informs business development targeting
• Also called: Market intelligence, spending analysis

Win Rate

Percentage of bids won versus submitted, key performance metric for bid success.

• Track your performance over time
• Compare across opportunity types, buyers, contract sizes
• Industry average: 15-20% without intelligence, 40-60% with intelligence
• Identifies where you’re most competitive
• Also called: Success rate, conversion rate

Pipeline

Collection of opportunities you’re tracking, qualifying, or actively pursuing.

• Organise opportunities by stage: Watching, Qualified, Bidding, Submitted
• Forecast potential contract value
• Manage team workload and capacity
• Integrates with flags and Kanban board
• Also called: Opportunity pipeline, sales pipeline

Opportunity Qualification

Systematic process of assessing whether to bid on a tender before investing significant resources.

• Assess: Buyer fit, competition, win probability, resource requirements
• Use historical data: Past winners, typical pricing, buyer preferences
• Make go/no-go decisions based on intelligence
• Improves win rates by focusing on high-probability opportunities
• Also called: Bid qualification, go/no-go assessment

How Hermix Connects These Concepts

Hermix connects buyers, contractors, and opportunities to form a complex graph. The platform calculates advanced parameters and characteristics, mapping and analysing the market in detail with its various relations, patterns, clusters, and affinities.

The connection model:

• A buyer creates opportunities
• An opportunity is formed of several lots
• For each lot, contracts are awarded to a contractor or to a consortium
• Hermix maps all these relationships systematically

What this means in practice:

• When you view a buyer profile, you see all their opportunities and which contractors they award to
• When you view a contractor profile, you see all their wins and which buyers they work with
• When you view an opportunity, you see the buyer’s history and likely competitors based on past awards
• Partnership analysis shows which contractors form consortia together
• Competition graphs visualise market relationships and patterns
• Market analytics reveal fragmentation, diversification, and trends across segments

This interconnected approach transforms individual data points into actionable intelligence that helps you qualify opportunities, understand competition, price appropriately, and target business development effectively.

Key Takeaways: Essential B2G Terminology

• Three core concepts form the foundation of public procurement: buyers who spend money, contractors who receive money, and opportunities that connect them
• Buyers create opportunities which may have multiple lots, each resulting in contract awards to contractors or consortia
• Contractor groups consolidate multiple subsidiaries under single brands to show true competitive landscape rather than fragmenting one company across hundreds of legal entities
• Different notice types serve specific purposes from prior information notices signalling future opportunities to contract award notices revealing competition outcomes
• Lots allow buyers to divide large contracts into smaller portions accessible to SMEs and specialist suppliers who cannot deliver entire scope alone
• Consortia enable contractors to combine capabilities and jointly pursue opportunities requiring skills or capacity no single company possesses
• Framework agreements establish terms for multiple purchases over contract period, with individual orders called specific contracts or purchase orders
• Contract execution order matters with contracts cascaded from first to last when multiple awards made in same lot
• Grants differ from traditional procurement with beneficiaries receiving funding from donors rather than contractors providing services to buyers
• CPV classification provides standardised hierarchy of industries, domains, and topics enabling consistent categorisation across European public procurement
• Fragmentation measures opportunity diversity whilst diversification measures competition levels, both informing market attractiveness assessment
• Hermix connects these concepts systematically to provide market intelligence, revealing relationships, patterns, and insights invisible when viewing data points in isolation
• Understanding terminology improves efficiency in finding relevant opportunities, qualifying them effectively, and positioning competitive proposals based on buyer patterns and competitor intelligence