Is it possible for a novice businessman to make money on government procurement? Is it possible for an ordinary person to make money on tenders and government procurement? How government procurement works

Banks 14.08.2023

Government procurement is a tasty morsel for any organization, both suppliers and contractors. Let's talk about how to make money on government procurement serious capital.

The mechanism of earning money from government procurement

First of all, you need to know how tenders from government customers are conducted.

According to the standards of the current Federal Law-94, any purchases with funds from the federal budget must be carried out in an open form. This ensures that tenders are open, informed and accessible to all.

After the announcement of the tender has been published in the media, the start date of the competition approaches. During the submission period, the organizer accepts them from all interested participants in the prescribed form. Only applications supported by a full package of documents and reliable security in the form of direct or indirect collateral are accepted for consideration.

Upon completion of the deadline for accepting applications, the tender commission begins their careful consideration. By analyzing the proposals of the competitors - both in terms of financial and qualitative components - the most profitable of them is identified. As a rule, applications with a lower price have an advantage, because one of the central requirements in relation to public procurement is saving state budget funds.

How to regularly make money on government procurement

In order to learn how to make money on government procurement, you must have certain skills and abilities, as well as knowledge regarding many aspects of tender policy and the legal background of this area.

How to be? Refusing state tenders, getting by with small commercial contracts, is a deliberately losing path in the context of enterprise development.

If you want to take part in large tenders, then contact the professionals of the Biko group of companies, and very soon the largest and most expensive government orders will fall into the company’s assets, and all you and your employees will have to do is execute them efficiently.

We offer a range of services:

  1. comprehensive and FREE consultation on any issues related to how to make money on government procurement;
  2. preparation of a full package of documents necessary for participation in tenders;
  3. assistance in obtaining collateral on the most favorable terms in any of our 50 partner banks;
  4. reliable legal support and support.


Glad to see you again, friends. Sergey Ivanisov is in touch with a new topic of making money. Tell me, how many of you believe in the integrity of tenders that are supposedly fairly won by certain companies that ended up being owned by the brothers or in-laws of a high-ranking bigwig? That's it... And the vast majority don't believe it either.

Do you know why? Because at first, young and experienced companies, headed not by someone’s relatives, but simply by successful entrepreneurs, too sincerely believed in the possibility of receiving profitable orders through fair competitive selection. And then the question arose for many: how to make money on tenders and government procurement, if everything has already been taken care of and paid for?

Yes, some bidders shared their impressions that the winning company approached the second-place bidder with an offer to give up its winnings and, accordingly, future scope of work for a certain amount. Moreover, the tender organizers swore that bidders cannot know the names and contacts of competitors, since all information is confidential and is not published on the website.

How, then, can we explain the awareness of the winner who decided to trade his victory? And how can you measure the level of honesty of the organizers? The picture turned out to be unenviable, but not everything is so bad in our tender kingdom. Do you want me to prove that making money on tenders is still possible?

1. Who are the participants?

Only very inexperienced or very short-sighted business leaders, or very lazy managers who are not at all worried about their career growth, can miss their chance to enter the government contract market. For the rest, all suppliers of goods, services or works, and not only residents of the Russian Federation, can participate in the auction.

To participate in the auction, it is enough to have formal compliance with the requirements of the tender commission (for example, quickly organize an LLC, having learned about the lots that are interesting to you), submit an electronic application and the necessary package of documents.

Some companies take part in tenders, competing for services in which they do not have the slightest experience; they simply set a minimum price and wait for the result. If they win, they either re-profile and provide services themselves, or resell their winning rights to another company. But not in the same way as described above, but they advertise on thematic forums, in communities, on websites.

There are companies, let’s call them in the style of Ostap Bender “For the procurement of horns and hooves,” which participate in tenders not in order to develop the won project into a stable business, but only because they know how to make money from tenders.

If you have ever seen announcements on forums like: “We will win the tender for you,” this is what they are. The comrades simply know how to win auctions and, for a certain fee, will easily and gladly win for any real company.

In order to somewhat restrain refuseniks, tender commissions introduce penalties and blacklists, but this does not scare anyone, since you can earn so much from your own clients, who are not very experienced in tenders, that the earnings will cover all the fines.

2. How to learn to win tenders yourself

If you constantly have doubts about the honesty of the auction organizers, then just wait until the state of mistrust passes, no, but what else can I recommend? Yes, not everything is as clean with auctions as we would like, but to refuse the opportunity to make money on government procurement and at the same time to participate in the process of shadowization of medium and small businesses, and at the same time still use the process for the benefit of your business - for this you need to be either very a self-confident or very uninitiative person.

In order to successfully develop your business or participate in tenders for other companies for money, you need to acquire at least basic knowledge about the contract system for providing government agencies and municipal organizations with services and goods. If you have knowledge, then you can eliminate risks and mistakes.

2.1. Please be patient and calm to track your application.

Due to inattention or for some other reason, the customer makes a mistake. For example, the most common is the discrepancy between the total cost of a product and the market price. An entrepreneur engaged in the supply of a specific product sees on the website an application for the supply of 1000 units for 2000 rubles, and on the market it costs 4 rubles individually. Such conditions - working at a loss - do not suit the entrepreneur, and he does not consider it necessary to waste his time on meaningless competition.

At the same moment, another supplier, suspecting a mistake, asks the applicant to explain the price and he finally notices the discrepancy and corrects 1000 units of goods by 500. But by this time, 85% of applicants have already abandoned the application.

Is this so bad for those remaining at the auction? Not at all! The less competition, the higher the chance of winning. But to do this you need to follow the application to the end.

2.2. Participation in suspiciously profitable trades

It is no coincidence that I emphasize the overly suspicious profitability of the application: many of them were created specifically for “their” company and the conditions there are appropriate. What the applicant would not even dare to promise to other companies, the applicant is ready to fulfill for “his own” with joy and exactly according to the conditions.

Don't ignore such requests. Using an example, I’ll give you an idea of ​​what they roughly look like: the posted project contains an amount of 10,000 rubles, while the price of the product, taking into account the margin, cannot exceed 2,000. Such a price tag confuses “not our” bidders, the first thing they think is: “This, probably just a visually similar product with much superior characteristics.”

Think what you want, but be sure to check the technical specifications. If they match, then feel free to apply. If you win, you will use all the “chocolate” conditions provided by the applicant - during the tender process and after their completion, no one has the right to change them.

2.3. Your own blacklist

If you are a frequent visitor to tender resources, you cannot help but notice which organizations behave dishonestly and give applications to the same people or companies. Study such patterns as for several years in a row two entities win a tender from a company: a certain individual entrepreneur O.P. Petrov and Peresvet LLC (name and title are fictitious, possible similarities are accidental), whose legal addresses coincide.

Such monogamous firms should definitely be in your emergency situation - you won’t win from them.

2.4. Courage and integrity

The principle “Let them do what they want” in this case is inappropriate and harmful. If you notice obvious violations (incorrect date, specific model and manufacturer), do not pass by and point them out to the applicant - he is obliged to respond. Otherwise - penalties of up to 100,000 rubles.

If the above method did not help...

You can only be a snitch in childhood, when the stakes in games are not so serious... And complaining about violators to the FAS (what an appropriate abbreviation, mind you) is a way to protect your rights. If you observe a violation of the law, complain to this agency - the Federal Antimonopoly Service - in most cases, violators are punished, and others are discouraged. Only activity with

You can, of course, continue to think that everything has long been divided, and how to make money on tenders without investments Tweet

In the last few years, tendering has become very popular. Mostly customers are government and commercial enterprises, so you can make good money at such auctions by supplying your products to institutions. This is a good opportunity to promote a small business. Various enterprises are looking for suppliers of goods and contractors, and the winner receives a stable consumer, financial support, work and a good income. Tenders are held very often, but not everyone knows how to make money on tenders, and whether this is possible in principle.

How the system works

The essence of the game is the same: all participants offer their services and goods, while complying with the customer’s conditions, in order to win. The tender organizer has the opportunity to choose the most profitable contractor, and the participant who wins the tender is a regular consumer, the amount of work and the sale of goods, thereby receiving economic benefits.

How to participate

The customer can be individuals and organizations, commercial structures and state enterprises. The state is one of the largest consumers, so most entrepreneurs and small businesses try to take part in such auctions. By law, individual entrepreneurs and legal entities can participate in the tender.

To start participating in auctions, you need to open an individual entrepreneur or LLC, be a conscientious taxpayer and meet the requirements of the commission. If the application is submitted electronically, you will have to issue an electronic signature in advance, or collect the entire package of required documents and take it to the appropriate office.

To trade on the Internet, you will need to select a suitable platform, register on it and obtain accreditation, that is, provide all the information about the company and about paying taxes.

Type of auctions

There are several types of trades:

  • Open bidding - when information about the tender is publicly available, and anyone who meets the conditions of the competition can take part. All competitors submit applications and the necessary package of documents. When all applications have been submitted, the bidding committee selects the most profitable contractor.
  • Closed bidding. As a rule, only those enterprises that are approved by the customer or are engaged in a narrow specialization participate in such an auction.
  • Electronic trading. Contractors from other regions can participate in this, since the submission of applications and the drawing take place electronically.

There is a greater chance of winning state lots, since there are stricter regulations and, according to the law, the customer should not be interested in who exactly will be the winner. It is this principle that helps many beginning entrepreneurs win and make money on tenders without investing at the initial stage. So, is it possible to participate in auctions without initial capital?

Advantages and disadvantages

Tenders are not a way to make money for beginners, because customers give greater preference to enterprises with experience in the services market. In addition, you need:

  • Have a digital signature, depending on the selected trading platforms.
  • Own or open your own enterprise, register a legal entity.
  • Spend some time tracking the process and choosing better deals.
  • Register on the sites. Sometimes you need to pay for registration.
  • You must have financial security in the form of 15 percent of the amount offered by the customer. This amount of contractor's money is reserved before the start of the competition.

For beginners, the above rules are not always feasible. But if you look from the other side, there are also advantages to this, thanks to which anyone will learn how to make money on tenders without investment or with minimal costs:

  • You can choose competitions that do not require an electronic signature and submit documents in paper format.
  • It is not necessary to register on public procurement sites.
  • Not all tenders require a security deposit prior to the auction. Money is paid after its completion or fulfillment of the terms of the contract.
  • Individuals can also participate in the auction, but only if the organizers are local authorities or enterprises. For a wider selection of applications, you need to open an individual entrepreneur.
  • Registration of a legal entity does not require much time.

Even as the owner of a business, you can have both physical and legal registration, increasing your chances of winning.

The nuances of earnings at the tender

Representatives of small businesses and private entrepreneurs are wary of the idea of ​​participating in tenders, explaining that everything is captured, purchased, and it is known in advance who the winner will be. Inexperienced and short-sighted managers may not risk wasting their time on bidding. But how can you make money from tenders and not make a mistake if you are supplying goods or services?

To become a participant in the tender, you need to familiarize yourself with what the customer wants and what types of services he needs. Government orders are published on special websites, and if you look through them, you can quickly find exactly the order you are interested in. Even if the cost of the work does not correspond to the market price, you can contact the organizers for information on this issue. Many potential applicants, seeing the inappropriate price, will independently refuse the competition, and you may have a chance to become a participant and, perhaps, even a winner.

Or, on the contrary, the trading price is too tempting. Perhaps such prices for services are set specifically for a particular company. It also makes sense to take part in the fight for such a tender, especially if you know how to bargain, and your goods and services meet the customer’s requirements. It would be a good idea to check the reputation of the customer company to identify fake winners. If the same legal entities became winners in previous tenders, then the likelihood of making money on tenders is reduced to a minimum, and it is not worth wasting your time on such a competition.

Bidding practice over the past few years has proven that the commission gives preference to those participants who do their job and supply goods at an affordable price. However, you should not deliberately underestimate the cost of services. Then how can you make money on tenders? The answer is simple - prove your performance.

Competent approach

The shadow of doubt that auctions are not always fair is always present. But if you think only about this, then you will not be able to make money from trading and expand your activities. If you are already wondering whether it is realistic to make money on tenders, then it’s time to start taking action. To eliminate risks and possible errors in bidding, it is recommended to obtain as much information as possible about how the contract system of providing organizations with services and various goods works. Next, we’ll look at how to make money on tenders in principle.

Some tricks

Patience: Monitoring customer requests carefully and patiently can lead to winnings. Anything can happen. A technical error, a change in the cost and type of services required by the organizer, as well as other points may play into your hands, while others have already given up competing for this lot.

Frequent bidding: the more often you take part in different competitions, the greater the likelihood of winning and finding out whether it is possible to make money on tenders in this way. This is a real valuable experience.

Adequate assessment of opportunities: there have been cases when the contractor deliberately underestimated the cost of services in order to win a lot, and then could not fulfill the set conditions even at the price that he himself offered.

A good application: a well-written application for participation is your calling card. You need to clearly formulate your proposal, and most importantly, write it without errors. In most cases, customers ignore sloppy requests. Show your serious approach to business and that you are truly ready to cooperate.

Specialist help

Most likely, if you have never participated in a tender before, you should consult with your accountant, who will assess the economic situation of the enterprise and tell you whether it is realistic to make money on tenders in a given case.

Participation and victory in the competition can improve the financial condition of the company. Providing the customer with information and documents confirming the quality of the services provided and the profitability of further cooperation increases the chances of winning. And there are a lot of little things and documentation that an experienced economist is well versed in.

In addition, in order to become a full-fledged bidder, it will be useful to stay up to date with events on the market and have information about how much they earn at tenders and how in demand your product is. A specialist in this matter will help you correctly prepare documents, issue guarantees and even accompany your participation in the auction.

Financial guarantor

One of the requirements of the tender is a financial guarantee. The customer requires 10 to 15 percent of the tender amount to be included in the application in order to be confident in the solvency of the future contractor. In the future, this money will be used as a penalty or financial losses in case of failure to fulfill the terms of the contract. There are three types of guarantees:

  • Tender guarantee - 5 percent of the lot price. Guarantees the organizers that the winner will fulfill his obligations after the auction. The amount is paid at the time of signing the contract.
  • The guarantee under the contract is about 10 percent to cover fines, penalties and other unforeseen situations.
  • Bank guarantee - up to 30 percent of the amount invested by the customer. Used to pay advances to the contractor and paid by the bank.

Almost all auctions require a certain amount of money to be deposited, which guarantees the organizers the candidate’s solvency. If the winner unilaterally refuses to fulfill the contract, the contribution amount will not be returned.

Bank guarantee

One of the answers to the question of how to make money on tenders and government procurement without having a lot of money at your disposal will help you find the answer. This method helps you gain financial wealth “from scratch.” Banks provide various conditions when issuing such guarantees to firms, but more often this is issued as a loan. And for organizers of tender auctions this is more than a reliable guarantee. Even if you have a minimum guarantor amount, you can deposit it and then complete your work (if you win) using the advance payment paid by the customer.

How else to make money on tenders

There are companies that participate in the competition for a lot, but do not have the slightest experience in the service sector for which they compete. They just lower the price and wait. If their bid wins, companies either provide the services themselves or sell the winning lot to those who can realistically fulfill the contractual requirements. You may ask: is it possible to make money on tenders in this way? Yes, if you have good experience in such transactions.

On forums you can find advertisements for assistance in tenders. To win, you can use the services of such comrades who know their business. For a fee, they can win any deal for you. Even blacklisting and tender fines do not frighten anyone, because a successful deal completely covers any costs.

There are special support centers for entrepreneurs that can advise on this issue, assess the capabilities of the company, and even make advance payments on government orders on favorable terms.

Aim to win

To participate in tenders and start making money from them, you need to work a little, set goals and achieve them. You need to improve your skills and develop. You can attend thematic conferences or communicate with those who specialize in tenders.

Such activities require vital energy, since a large amount of information is processed in the head. By combining excitement and calmness, you can enjoy success and victories.

To participate or not

So, now that you have learned how to make money from tenders, the decision whether to participate in tenders or not is entirely up to you. Such auctions can significantly increase your profits, provide additional work and a stable consumer.

Doubts that the winner has already been chosen in advance and that the auction has been paid can be hidden in a dark chest. New legislative rules for tenders have made the selection process transparent among all participants.

Many modern businessmen are interested in: how to make money on government procurement without significant investments? The government procurement market is huge - last year its volume amounted to 36.5 trillion rubles. Selling goods and providing services to government agencies is quite profitable. This industry is suitable not only for large corporations, but also for individual entrepreneurs - after all, the law requires customers to comply with a certain share of small businesses among the performers.

How government procurement works

The public procurement system is a rather complex bureaucratic mechanism. It is virtually impossible for a beginner to understand it without outside help. But more advanced users can even build a profitable business on government procurement.

Government procurement is regulated by Federal Law No. 44-FZ. It formulates the basic concepts and principles of the competitive system: contract, customer and contractor, procurement plans, initial maximum contract price, identification of suppliers, types of competitive procedures.

The essence of the system is that municipal and state institutions (administrations of cities, districts, regions, departments of constituent entities of the federation, regional and federal ministries, budgetary educational and medical institutions) have the right to purchase goods and services for the needs of their activities only through a single centralized portal.

Any purchase is carried out on a competitive basis: among competing contractors, the one who offers the best conditions or lower cost is selected. Government customers have the right to buy something without a competition only for a strictly defined amount of funds per year. Most of the information is absolutely open to everyone. For example, knowing the tax authority of her city administration, an entrepreneur can easily find out whether she plans to purchase something from her industry.

All purchases must be posted on the single portal “zakupki.gov.ru” at least 7 days before the competitive procedure. Knowing the customer’s TIN, you can easily see what he has already bought, what he plans to buy, what requirements he places on contractors and the maximum contract price - that is, how much money he is willing to spend on it.

The goal of the system is to save budget funds by giving priority to suppliers with low prices and openness of competitive procedures. This procedure should exclude the corruption component. But in fact, prices for government procurement often exceed market prices, and businessmen manage to make good money from this.

All purchases of state and municipal institutions are placed on a single portal

Types of auctions

Federal law provides for several types of competitive procedures by which customers identify suppliers:

  1. Open competition, including electronic competition. The customer places a notice of the competition on the portal, and participants submit applications. They indicate a complete list of information that will be indicated in the notice. The winner of the procedure is the applicant who offers the best conditions.
  2. Request for quotes. This is the simplest type of procurement. After notification of the request for quotation, applicants submit sealed envelopes indicating the amount for which they are willing to supply the product/provide the service. The bidder with the lowest price wins.
  3. Auction. Applicants successively reduce the purchase price according to the auction principle until a winner is determined. As in the request for quotes, the candidate who is willing to work for the lowest pay actually wins.
  4. Request for proposals. In many ways, this method is similar to a competition, but it is more variable. In this case, the customer chooses a supplier not at low cost, but based on the proposed conditions for performing the work or providing the service. In practice, this option is almost never used.

Sometimes customers conduct so-called closed procedures: competitions and procedures with limited participation. This is necessary when it comes to procurement related to state secrets and in a number of other cases (Article 84 44-FZ).

The most common procedures are request for quotations and auction. It is with them that you can organize earnings on government procurement. To better understand their content, study the relevant articles of federal law. It is also useful to monitor what forms of competitive procedures your potential customers prefer.

Requirements for participants

Is it possible to earn money by participating in public procurement competitions? It is possible if your company offers working conditions suitable for the supplier and meets the legal requirements. They are listed in Article 31 of Federal Law 44-FZ:

  • failure to carry out the liquidation procedure in relation to an individual entrepreneur or LLC;
  • non-suspension of the company's activities due to administrative violations;
  • absence of debts on taxes and obligatory payments to the budget;
  • no criminal record for economic crimes.

It is important to know that in most cases customers do not have the right to establish additional requirements for applicants: only those specified in Article 31. Exceptions apply to the supply of medicines and goods related to state secrets.

Currently, there are several successful models of earning money from government procurement

How to choose your field

Entrepreneurs and organizations from a wide variety of industries can participate in public procurement. The system includes the purchase of goods for many institutions: educational, medical, military, administrative. Therefore, the range of necessary goods is very wide. Among the most popular categories in government procurement are:

  • medical drugs and products;
  • Food;
  • stationery, paper, envelopes;
  • software;
  • various equipment (computers, printers, phones);
  • automobiles and maintenance;
  • typographical printing;
  • construction work and repair services;
  • delivery and courier services;
  • development of changes to master plans, schemes, etc.

The list of popular goods and services is very wide. Almost any entrepreneur can find a specialized purchase and try to make money that way. Of course, you shouldn’t place high hopes on government procurement. This certainly cannot be the only source of profit. But at certain moments you can make good money by selling to the state.

Step-by-step instructions for participating in government procurement

Where to start a business in government procurement? Below you will find step-by-step instructions for several models of working on the portal. First of all, you should prepare for a lot of paperwork, permits, copies and confirmations of compliance. This system is very bureaucratic and only those who have learned to play by these rules can work successfully in it.

To participate in competitions, auctions or requests for quotations, you must already have an operating business. Government customers prefer not to contact newcomers and will find a formal reason to refuse if they consider that the company has little experience.

There is no point in focusing the entire enterprise on government procurement. It is enough to have 1-3 employees on staff who will constantly search for suitable applications on the portal and prepare documentation for them. After the company wins the competition, it performs its standard work.

Government contracts can be a source of very high profits

How to get involved

Becoming a participant in government procurement is quite simple. To do this you need:

  • register on the portal as a supplier;
  • issue a digital signature (needed for electronic auctions);
  • look for suitable notices on the portal;
  • prepare and submit sets of documents for participation in competitive procedures (sometimes electronically, sometimes in paper form);
  • monitor the results of the competition;
  • enter into a contract if you win.

When preparing documents, be extremely careful: any discrepancy will cause the candidate to be excluded from the procedure. The presence of the applicant during the procedure for determining the supplier is not necessary: ​​the results are published on the portal, and a representative of the customer will definitely contact the winner.

How to become an intermediary

Another option for business in public procurement is intermediation services. Not all companies capable of winning competitive procedures participate in procurement. The reason is very simple - they don’t want to deal with a huge amount of paperwork. Thus, companies lose profits.

The solution to the problem can be called mediation: a company or entrepreneur who will undertake the preparation of all documentation for the competition. The fee for such services amounts to several percent of the transaction. The intermediary must be well versed in the procurement field, know all the rules and pitfalls. Therefore, it is advisable to first undergo specialized training.

If a person already has experience in procurement, he can simply register as an individual entrepreneur and promote the services of an intermediary.

This is a popular area: many people would like to make money on government procurement, bypassing all the bureaucracy.

A variation of this model can be called information services for suppliers: electronic distribution of current tenders, preparation of complaints to the antimonopoly service, legal review of contracts. That is, intermediaries can not only win contracts for suppliers, but also help them in related areas.

The public procurement system is bureaucratic; not everyone can learn to work with the portal on their own. The services of intermediaries are in great demand for this reason.

How to become a partner

This option is common in real estate and road construction. Small companies cannot win a tender (they cannot cope with a large amount of documentation or cannot provide the necessary financial guarantees). In this case, it is more profitable for them to act as a contractor.

For example, a small organization produces good quality asphalt. She cannot win the competition for road repair on her own (she has little experience and does not provide the full range of services). In this case, they can enter into a contract agreement with the winner of the competition and earn money as his partner. And at the same time, build a good reputation for the next competitions.

How to organize training

Another model of earning money from government procurement is training to work in this system. This option is suitable only for those who not only know the law and theory of procurement well, but have worked a lot in practice. It is impossible to teach anything in public procurement without practical recommendations.

Who is the client? Entrepreneurs who want to promote their business through government contracts, and aspiring professionals planning to build a career in this field. The practical component should dominate the training. To work successfully, you need to study not only the content of the law. It is extremely important to know the procedure for drawing up and submitting applications, “vulnerabilities” due to which the customer will refuse to conclude a contract and other important details.

Only a specialist with practical experience in this field can organize training in public procurement.

Offer services and tools to suppliers

A promising line of business in government procurement is the sale of specialized services for suppliers. This is any software (including online) that makes it easier for businessmen to participate in competitive procedures.

Such programs include:

  • notification services about suitable notices on the portal;
  • platforms that help you write and formulate applications correctly;
  • reference manuals;
  • legal services to verify contacts;
  • services that automatically generate requests to the FAS.

This direction is suitable for technologically advanced people who at the same time have a good knowledge of the public procurement system. More precisely, its most problematic areas for business are bureaucratization and short deadlines for submitting large sets of documents.

Victoria Ryabenko

Bsadsensedinamick

# Business ideas

The largest purchases are made by the Federal Air Transport Agency, the Moscow City Construction Department and the Ministry of Defense.

Article navigation

  • Types of bidding
  • Step-by-step instructions for participating in the tender
  • Difficulties that arise when participating in a tender:
  • How to avoid falling for scammers
  • How to become an intermediary

Winning a tender and selling products to government agencies is an excellent opportunity for medium and large businesses. To do this, the company takes part in tenders. But is it possible to make money on tenders in Russia? The state is one of the largest customers, and by supplying your products to budgetary institutions, you can make good money. Federal Law 44 “On Public Procurement” regulates the entire tendering process, so corruption in this area is kept to a minimum. Making money from government procurement from scratch has today become a real and profitable activity.

You can find suitable applications for the supply of products on the official website of the “Unified Information System in the Field of Procurement”. The state is the largest consumer, so even novice businessmen can find a suitable tender on the website and take part in it.

Both legal entities and individual entrepreneurs can participate in the auction. Moreover, according to the law, customers must annually give 15% of purchases to individual entrepreneurs.

Types of bidding

According to the law, the contractor is selected through bidding. They come in different types.


If the contractor is selected openly, then information about the order is distributed in all possible channels: in the media, on the official website, and so on. The conditions of the competition are clearly stated and documented. As soon as the acceptance of applications is completed, the commission determines the winner.

Only companies approved by the customer can take part in the closed competition. This type of bidding is carried out if the information cannot be widely publicized or the order is highly specialized.

Electronic trading is now popular. Contractors can easily obtain a tender from another region. Submitting an application and tracking results takes place online.

Step-by-step instructions for participating in the tender

Today, all tenders are published on accredited websites, and applications are easy to submit online. To do this, you need to take care of obtaining an electronic signature in advance.

You can make an electronic signature within 3–8 days using special services. To do this, you will need a passport, SNILS, documents for an individual entrepreneur or LLC.

The first stage is to choose a site. There are four procurement portals accredited in Russia.

  • Sberbank-AST;
  • RTS tender;
  • OJSC "Goszakupki";
  • Agency for Government Orders, Investment Activities and Interregional Relations of Tatarstan (website).

The second stage is to undergo accreditation. You must register separately on each portal. For accreditation you provide the established package of documents. It includes an application form, extracts from state registers, and documents for the organization. If an intermediary or a representative of the company participates in the auction, the manager writes a power of attorney and submits it along with other documents.

The application is reviewed within 5 days, after its approval by the portal, the company receives access to orders.

The third stage is to top up your account on the portal. The auction participant must have a certain amount in his account, since when submitting an application for a tender, the portal freezes from 2 to 5% of the total order value. If there is not enough money in the account, the application will not be approved.

The fourth stage is drawing up an application. Completing an application correctly is an important stage of work. It consists of two parts: anonymous and informational. The first one is sent to the customer; it does not contain the participant’s details. This allows for an unbiased selection. In an anonymous form, it is necessary to correctly describe all the advantages of the company, experience, time on the market and services that the company can provide. The information part includes complete information about the performer.

After reviewing the application by the customer, the portal operator informs the participant about the decision made (positive or negative).

Difficulties that arise when participating in a tender:

  1. You will need a specialist who understands government procurement and knows how to conduct tenders. You can study all the necessary information yourself or hire a trained person.
  2. It is necessary to thoroughly know the products you are going to supply, as well as have an understanding of the current market situation. This information is necessary to complete the application and evaluate the product. The price should be competitive, but at the same time profitable for the customer.
  3. You will need free capital to complete the order, since money will be transferred to the account after the contract is completed.
  4. If the competition is held via electronic auction, then keep in mind that an electronic signature will be required.
  5. All documents and licenses must be in order, otherwise you will not be allowed to participate in the auction.

How to avoid falling for scammers

Despite the law that regulates the entire tender process for public procurement, it is possible to encounter customers and contractors who use illegal methods.

Follow some rules, and then the likelihood of falling for scammers will be minimal.

  • Conduct constant monitoring of new competitions and auctions. An experienced employee will immediately identify a dubious offer.
  • Pay attention to the legal address of the company. If he appears in different competitions, then most likely they are scammers.
  • Constantly check the conditions set by the customer. If he changes anything, your company will withdraw from the competition.
  • If the contractor set a price below the market price, then the product may be of poor quality.
  • If the customer sets too high conditions or requests a special batch of goods that is manufactured by only one contractor, then such a competition is fabricated for a specific company.
  • It is better to monitor the trades around the clock, then the probability of winning increases.
  • Don't forget to check the organization that holds the auction. If she gives her orders to one contractor, then it is not worth wasting her time on this tender.

If you have any suspicions that the auction was dishonest and the customer violated the law, file a complaint with the FAS.

Always carefully read the terms and conditions offered by the customer. If the document indicates a suspiciously low price, it is better to clarify the information yourself. For example, the tender states that you need to supply 1000 units of goods for 1000 rubles. However, the market value of one product is 2 rubles, that is, the manufacturer will work at a loss. The day before the deadline for submitting applications, the customer reports a technical error and changes the conditions: 1000 units for 2000 rubles, while the majority of contractors refused this competition. Such cases may occur in practice.

How to become an intermediary

An individual can make money on government procurement without any investment by becoming an intermediary. To do this, you need to study all the information and draw up documents in order to act as an independent entity.

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