Common mistakes that disqualify a bid (and how to avoid them)

Most bids that get excluded don't lose on price or on the technical proposal: they lose because of an administrative oversight that a checklist could have prevented.

Eligibility first, evaluation second

In a tender, your bid first goes through an eligibility filter: it either meets the minimum requirements set by the tender document or it doesn't. Only eligible bids go on to be scored. If you fail eligibility, your best price and your best technical proposal never get to count.

The most common mistakes

Incomplete eligibility requirements. The tender document asks for sworn statements, certifications, minimum experience or specific documents, and one is missing. Make a list with every requirement in the tender document and tick them off one by one.
Expired documents. Proof of legal representation, certifications, financial statements, being up to date with the obligations the tender document requires (for example with the CCSS, Costa Rica's social security fund). Check validity against the opening date, not against the date you put the bid together.
A badly issued bid bond. Wrong amount, insufficient validity, a format or issuing entity the tender document doesn't accept. It's a classic, entirely avoidable reason for exclusion.
Not meeting the technical specifications to the letter. Offering an "equivalent" model when the tender document asks for an exact feature, or not providing the data sheet that proves compliance.
Price errors. Totals that don't add up, the wrong currency, quoting with taxes when they were requested without (or the other way around), or mixing units of measure.
Submitting late. Connection and digital signature problems always appear in the last few minutes. Upload the bid hours in advance.
Not answering a correction request in time. If the administration asks you to fix something, you have a short deadline to respond. Letting it pass is the same as being excluded.

What can be fixed and what can't

Not every mistake is fatal. In general, formal aspects that don't change the bid or give an undue advantage can usually be corrected within a deadline. Substantial elements —those that would change the price, the scope or give an advantage over others— normally can't. The exact line depends on the current regulations and on the criteria of each procedure, so don't count on fixing on the fly what you should have submitted correctly.

How to bulletproof your bid

Build a checklist from the tender document: one item per eligibility requirement and per document requested.
Check validity dates using the opening date as the reference.
Check the bond against the exact wording of the tender document: amount, term, form.
Have someone else review the full package before sending it.
Submit early and confirm that the platform recorded the bid.

For the rest of the process, see the guide on how to prepare a competitive bid.

Start by choosing the right tenders

Fewer bids, better prepared, win more than many rushed ones. LicitaSmart alerts you to the tenders that match your sector and gives you the context —historical prices and competition— to decide where to focus your effort.

This guide is general information and may become outdated. It is not legal advice. Always check the current requirements, deadlines and regulations in the official sources (SICOP and the Contraloría General de la República, Costa Rica's comptroller) and, for specific questions, consult a public procurement professional.