Find a partner for a public tender or competition
Find tender partners the way the notice names them: structural and MEP engineers, landscape architects, cost consultants, a local architect in the country. TenderDesk's directory of architecture and engineering firms is searchable by discipline, country and sector, every firm is verified, and an invitation from the bid workspace brings the partner into one shared space for the submission (see bid management for architecture firms).
Partners by discipline
The disciplines public tenders ask for most, with the firms listed on TenderDesk today. Each link opens the directory filtered to that discipline.
Partners by country
For a competition or tender abroad, start with a firm registered in the country: a local architect for the execution phases, and engineers who know the local codes and the authority.
How a team comes together on TenderDesk
The tender says who is needed
The brief and checklist list the disciplines, references and registrations the notice requires, so the search starts from the right list.
Verified firms, real references
Each profile is claimed with the company's VAT or registry number and shows disciplines, sectors, countries, languages, certifications and project references.
An invitation from the bid
Invite the firm from the bid workspace with the role you propose. It sees the tender, the deadline and your profile before it answers; you follow who has joined, declined or asked a question.
One workspace, roles written down
Once accepted, the partner is in the bid workspace with its role, its folders and its tasks. Invited firms join through the email link, with their company email and company details.
Not sure whether to lead or to join, or how to split fees? The guides cover choosing an engineering partner, lead firm versus consortium and fee proposals. And the alerts tell you when a tender worth a team is published.
Make your firm findable, and find the others
Create your company profile once, with disciplines, sectors, countries and references. It is your entry in the directory, the basis of every bid you lead and the way other practices find you for theirs.
Create your company profileQuestions
- What partners does a public architecture tender usually ask for?
- Almost always structural and MEP (building services) engineers and a cost consultant; often landscape, acoustics, fire and sustainability specialists; for competitions abroad, a local or executive architect registered in the country. The notice lists the required disciplines and the references each must show; TenderDesk's brief and checklist pull them out.
- How do I find a local architect for a competition in another country?
- Search the TenderDesk directory for 'Local / executive architect' in that country, read the firm's references and sectors, and invite it to the bid from your workspace; firms not yet on TenderDesk can be looked up and invited by email. Firms on TenderDesk are verified against their company registry or VAT number, so you know who you are writing to.
- Consortium, group or subcontracting: how should the team be set up?
- It depends on the country and the notice. In France a groupement conjoint or solidaire, in Italy an RTI, in Spain a UTE, in Portugal an agrupamento, in the Netherlands and Germany a combination or an ARGE; or one lead firm with subcontractors. The guide on the blog, 'Lead firm or consortium', compares them; the workspace records the roles and shares whichever you choose.
- Is partner search free?
- Partner search, the directory and your company page are part of every TenderDesk plan, with the tender feed and the bid workspaces, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial. The partners you invite to a bid never pay: they add their company details and join that bid free.
- Can my engineering firm be found by architects?
- Yes. Create your company profile with disciplines, sectors, countries, languages and references, and architects looking for a partner for a tender will find it in the directory and can invite you to their bids.