Structured feed tender — the 8-week process
Annual feed and ingredient contracts should not be awarded by phone. A structured tender takes 6–8 weeks, unlocks 4–9% cost savings versus rollover pricing, and creates the paper trail your board, auditors and finance partners increasingly demand.
- 8-week timeline
- Pre-qualification through award
- Audit-ready
Visual scope of procurement · tender
Week 1–2: Pre-qualification (RFI)
Long-list 8–12 suppliers, send RFI covering certifications, capacity, references and financial standing. Shortlist 5–6.
Week 3: RFQ issued
Send normalized RFQ (nutrient specs, incoterms, volume by month, tolerance clauses) to shortlist. Suppliers get 10 working days.
Week 5: Clarifications
Consolidate supplier questions, publish clarifications to all bidders simultaneously to preserve fairness.
Week 6: Evaluation
Score against weighted matrix. Normalize to same incoterms and payment terms before comparing headline prices.
Week 7: Negotiation round
Top 3 suppliers get a BAFO (Best and Final Offer) round on price + payment terms. Do not reopen scope.
Week 8: Award & contract
Award letter, framework contract with agreed price mechanism (fixed / index-linked / basis), quality tolerances, SLA and exit clauses.