Technical Query (TQ) Template: Raising and Closing Questions with Bidders

A technical query (TQ) is a formal written question about the technical requirements of a tender or contract. It is raised when something is unclear, conflicting, wrong or missing, or when someone wants to propose an alternative, and it is answered in writing so the answer becomes part of the record. In a process equipment tender, bidders raise TQs to the buyer, the buyer raises them to bidders during evaluation, and every agreed answer is carried into the purchase order.

This is general information, not legal advice.

Why this matters now

A Saudi government project manual puts the core rule plainly: a TQ is not an authorised change document [1]. Yet TQ answers change scope all the time. Project software now bundles TQs with formal contract administration, and in November 2024 the UK's Civil Engineering Contractors Association warned NEC users that an answer which changes the scope can slip through without the formal instruction it needs [2]. Equipment purchases face the same risk: a casual answer about a seal plan or a test can become a price claim months later.

For public buyers there is a second reason. Under the Procurement Act 2023, a contracting authority must treat suppliers the same unless a difference between them justifies different treatment [3], and government guidance asks for clarification answers to be made available to all bidders at the same time [4].

TQ, clarification, deviation or change?

Deviations need their own place. Bharat Heavy Electricals' tender conditions require deviations to be listed in a separate schedule, say that deviations stated elsewhere in the bid will not be considered, and allow bids with deviations to be rejected or price loaded [5]. If a TQ answer does not satisfy the bidder, the point should become a listed deviation, not stay open.

What a good TQ contains

The procedure cited above asks for one subject per TQ, the originator's name, the information requested and the related documents, with sketches where useful [1]. Hexagon describes a TQ in its project software the same way: a managed exchange between stakeholders, holding the relevant documents and images, linked to documents or tags, with a reply deadline [6]. For equipment tenders, the template below adds two fields that save time: a proposed answer and an impact statement.

Running the register

Keep one register per package, number TQs in sequence and never reuse a number. The project procedure above targets an answer within three working days and no more than two weeks unless the contract says otherwise [1]; for a tender, set your own deadline in the RFQ and say when the last TQ may be raised. CECA suggests adding a red, amber or green column to flag queries that could affect cost or time if they are not answered quickly [2].

Share answers with every bidder unless the question reveals one bidder's design or price, and record why when you keep one confidential. For the wider tender process, see our RFQ best practices.

Closing TQs into the purchase order

Before award, every TQ should be closed, turned into an RFQ addendum, or turned into a listed deviation that you have accepted or rejected. Our guide to technical bid evaluation shows where those deviations are scored.

Then list the closed TQs, by number and register revision, in the purchase order's technical documents. That turns a trail of emails into part of the contract. After award, keep using TQs for questions, but if an answer would change scope, price or delivery, issue it as a change under the contract [1, 2].

Practical example

In this illustrative example, four bidders on a package of three agitated vessels raise 18 TQs. Eleven are answered with no effect on price or scope. Four reveal gaps in the RFQ, so the buyer issues one addendum to all bidders. Three, from one bidder, ask to use a different gasket material; the buyer declines, and the bidder lists them as deviations. That is 11 + 4 + 3 = 18, all closed before evaluation, and the purchase order lists register revision 3 as part of the technical basis.

Where ChemCapital fits

In ChemCapital, each RFQ, purchase order and project has its own message thread, so questions and answers sit with the package they belong to. Buyers can ask for quote revisions with comments, every revision is kept, and interactions, revisions and decisions are logged with timestamps and linked to the person who made them. See how it works.

Ready to keep every bidder question and answer in one record? Start free with ChemCapital.