Tenders

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The Canton of Zurich and its municipalities regularly award contracts for supplies, services, and construction work. This can be an attractive market for businesses. However, participating in tenders requires a clear understanding of the conditions for participation, eligibility criteria, and formal requirements. This page shows you how to successfully participate in tenders

Key Points at a Glance

Key points for successful participation in tenders:

  • Meet the eligibility requirements and qualification criteria
  • Read the tender documents carefully
  • Meet deadlines and comply with formal requirements
  • Provide references, supporting documents, and self-declarations in a timely manner
  • Understand the award criteria so that the bid can be tailored accordingly

Anyone wishing to participate in tenders should familiarize themselves with the rules early on and set up internal processes so that bids are submitted completely and on time.

Requirements, Specifications, and Formalities

Depending on the procedure, companies must demonstrate that they have the technical, organizational, and financial capacity to fulfill the contract.

Typically required:

  • References: Previous projects and client reviews
  • Financial capacity: Annual financial statements, proof of creditworthiness
  • Personnel documentation: Qualifications, certificates, insurance
  • Quality assurance: processes, certifications, control measures
  • Self-declarations: Confirmation that there are no grounds for exclusion

Please submit all documents in full. Formal deficiencies may lead to disqualification, regardless of the quality of your proposal.


Important notes:

  • Not every tender is suitable for every company—check early on whether the effort, requirements, and opportunities are in a reasonable balance.
  • Missing deadlines results in automatic disqualification—allow for internal buffers in a timely manner.
  • Questions must be submitted within the specified deadline—do not delay.

How to proceed

Use the accordion controls to toggle the visibility of each panel (below the controls).

Find relevant tenders and check for initial eligibility:

  •  SIMAP (Swiss IT Platform for Tenders and Bids): https://www.simap.ch
  • Canton of Zurich Procurement Platform
  • Local municipal websites
  • Industry portals and associations

Review the bid documents thoroughly and systematically:

  • Eligibility criteria: Who is eligible to participate? What criteria must be met?
  • Eligibility criteria: Financial, technical, and organizational requirements
  • Award criteria: How is the best bid selected?
  • Deadlines: Bid submission deadline, clarification deadline, submission of supporting documents deadline

Create a checklist of all required documents.

Define clear responsibilities within the company:

  • Project manager: Who coordinates the preparation of bids?
  • Cost Estimator: Who prepares the scope of work and price proposal?
  • Document collector: Who compiles references, certificates, and supporting documents?
  • Quality controller: Who checks for completeness and consistency?

Set internal deadlines that are earlier than the official deadline.

If anything is unclear, use the clarification period:

  • Submit questions in writing through the designated channels
  • Document all questions and answers
  • Observe the deadline and formatting requirements

Uncertainties can lead to inferior bids—don’t hesitate.

Prepare your submission with the utmost care:

  • Check for completeness: Are all required documents included?
  • Check the format: Ensure compliance with the specified formats (PDF, Excel, etc.)
  • Observe deadlines: Submit before the deadline
  • Submission: Digitally, by mail, or in person

Keep a record of your submission.

Note:
The information on this page is for guidance only and is not exhaustive. Details should be clarified with experts or the relevant authorities as early as possible.

Contact

Baudirektion

Address

Walcheplatz 2
Postfach
8090 Zürich
Route (Google)
ch.zh.web.internet.core.components.contact.copyaddresssuccesslabel ch.zh.web.internet.core.components.contact.copyaddresserrorlabel

Phone

+41 43 259 28 00


Bürozeiten


Montag bis Donnerstag
8.00 bis 12.00 Uhr und
13.30 bis 17.00 Uhr

Freitag
8.00 bis 12.00 Uhr und
13.30 bis 16.00 Uhr

Email

info@bd.zh.ch

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