Start with the work you want to deliver
A useful AI tender alert needs more than an industry label. “IT services” can cover software development, infrastructure, staffing and equipment. Describe the deliverable you sell, the customers you serve and the work you would decline.
For example, a managed security provider could start with this brief:
We provide ongoing security monitoring and incident response for public organisations in the UK. Include managed services and security assessments. Exclude hardware-only purchases, recruitment and training-only contracts.
This is an illustrative brief, not a recommended scope for every security company. Change the markets, services and exclusions to match your business. Check source coverage before narrowing to a particular country.
Separate finding a candidate from judging its fit
In Tenqual, country, source and keyword filters retrieve candidate notices first. AI then assesses the title and available source description against your approved criteria. A notice excluded by the search filters never reaches that assessment.
For alternative services or synonyms, an Any keyword rule is usually the right starting point: “security monitoring”, “incident response” or “cyber assurance”. An All rule requires every configured term and can eliminate notices that describe only one service you sell. Use it when the combination itself is essential.
Put business exclusions into the matching criteria as well as reviewing the search terms. “Low fit” is still a positive match eligible for delivery; it should not be used for work you explicitly excluded.
Match the confidence to the available evidence
Tenqual’s matching uses the notice title and source description. It does not analyse tender documents to decide the match. Treat a fit explanation as a reason to investigate, then confirm scope, eligibility, dates and submission requirements at the official source.
Answer a clarification only when it changes your shortlist
“Cybersecurity” can mean software, managed services, consultancy or staffing. If both interpretations are plausible, choosing between them changes which tenders you receive. That is a useful clarification. Repeating a service you already specified clearly adds little.
Tenqual’s alert setup can ask a short clarification when a material boundary is unresolved. Review the resulting brief and criteria before activating the alert. If your business accepts several kinds of work, say so rather than forcing an artificial choice.
Check the first results before tightening the alert
- No candidates: check markets, sources and whether an All rule accidentally requires unrelated service terms together. A recent alert may still be waiting for its first scan.
- Candidates but no matches: review visible No Fit decisions and their reasons. Check whether your exclusions reflect the work you actually want.
- Too many weak matches: make the required deliverable and exclusions more specific. Avoid removing whole markets just to hide one irrelevant notice.
- A useful match: open the official source, check the current participation deadline and review the requirements before committing bid effort.
A historical volume estimate shows activity over its observation window; it is not a count of opportunities still open today. New opportunity alerts exclude identified awards and past deadlines. Unknown deadlines remain eligible and need a source check.
Choose the way you want to review opportunities
Use daily tender emails for a regular shortlist, ChatGPT or Claude to explore notices and manage alerts conversationally, or the tender API to connect your software. The underlying alert criteria should describe the same business need.
Next: learn which notice types invite participation and which report an award.