Can I Leave Some Questions Blank When Responding to a Tender?

The Perils of Missing Information

When you’re knee-deep in a 50-page Request for Tender (RFT) and stumble on a question that seems redundant, irrelevant, or just plain baffling, it’s tempting to skip it. 

You’re not alone in wondering: Can I leave some questions blank when responding to a tender? 

The short answer is no—not if you want your submission to be taken seriously, and scored high enough to win.

Why Blank Answers Are a Red Flag

Tenders are evaluated against strict, predefined criteria. Evaluators rely on your responses to score your bid accurately and fairly. 

Leaving a question blank doesn’t just look lazy—it creates ambiguity and can signal one of three things: you didn’t read the tender properly, you’re hiding something, or you’re unable to meet the requirement. 

None of these inspire confidence.

Even worse, many tenders include mandatory compliance questions. These are often simple yes/no questions about things like licenses, insurance, or your agreement to the proposed terms. If you leave any of these blank, your bid might be excluded automatically—no discussion, no second chances.

If It Doesn’t Apply, Say So

Sometimes a question genuinely doesn’t apply to your business. Maybe you’re a two-person consultancy being asked for fleet management processes, or your business is too new to have audited financials.

Even then—never leave it blank. Instead, explain your position. For example:

“Not applicable – our team works remotely and does not operate a company fleet.”

“As a new business (established 18 months ago), audited financials are not yet available. However, we’ve attached internal accounts and bank statements to demonstrate financial viability.”

This demonstrates professionalism and gives evaluators the information they need to assess your submission.

What Evaluators Really Think About Blanks

Procurement teams are under pressure to evaluate fairly, consistently, and quickly. Blank answers disrupt that process. Worse still, many government evaluators are not allowed to “fill in the gaps” or assume anything about your intentions. If something isn’t written down clearly, it might as well not exist.

From a scoring perspective, even an average answer gets you points. A blank gets you zero. That can be the difference between shortlisted and rejected.

Are There Any Exceptions?

Only if the tender documents clearly state that the question is optional—and even then, you should tread carefully. Optional responses are often a chance to add value or differentiate your bid. Skipping them suggests you’re only doing the minimum required, which doesn’t help your case in a competitive field.

If You’re Not Sure, Acknowledge the Gap

When you don’t have the answer or can’t provide it yet, be transparent:

“We are currently updating our insurance coverage to meet the stated requirement. A Certificate of Currency will be provided if selected for contract award.”

Better to be honest and show a plan than to say nothing at all.

Bottom Line: Never Leave It Blank

If a question seems irrelevant, explain why. If you can’t answer it, be upfront and outline your plan. If it’s mandatory, answer it clearly and completely.

Because in tendering, silence isn’t golden—it’s disqualifying.

Need Help Getting This Right?

If you’re not sure how to respond to specific questions—or if tendering still feels like a minefield—we can help. Our team supports businesses like yours in crafting strong, compliant submissions that actually win. Get in touch to find out how.

Are Cover Letters Important when Writing a Tender Response?

Why Cover Letters for Tenders Are (Largely) a Waste of Time — and What to Do Instead

Picture this.
It’s 11 p.m. on submission night. Your team has just spent three hours rearranging adjectives in a one‑page cover letter that nobody can agree on. The financial model still has red cells, and the risk matrix hasn’t been proof‑read. Yet the bid room is silent except for the tap‑tap of someone polishing that “Dear Evaluation Panel” opener. Sound familiar?

Most of us were taught that a warm, persuasive cover letter sets the tone of a tender. In reality, modern procurement has become a spreadsheet sport. Evaluators score against matrices, not manners. That’s why veteran assessment panels admit they skim or skip cover letters altogether — unless the RFx explicitly says the page is scored, it quietly becomes dead weight.

How We Got Stuck in the Cover‑Letter Trap

  1. Legacy muscle memory. In the pre‑eProcurement era, personable letters mattered. The myth simply lingered.

  2. Comfort work. Crafting pleasantries feels safer than grappling with compliance tables or pricing models.

  3. Politeness panic. Teams worry that omitting a letter will look rude. Yet every buyer we interview ranks “clarity” and “evidence” above etiquette 10 times out of 10.

Add the emotional cocktail many bidders live with—anxiety about missing strategic contracts, fear of leadership judgement, and the nagging worry that a rival is “doing something smarter.” and you have the perfect recipe for misplaced effort.

The Real‑World Cost of Polishing Unscored Pages

Instead of a tidy morals lecture, let’s meet Alex, a bid lead at a medium‑sized facilities firm.

  • First public‑sector tender.

  • 18 questions worth a combined 100 points.

  • Cover letter worth 0 points.

Alex spent six billable hours drafting, circulating, red‑lining and re‑drafting the letter. That same six hours could have:

Re‑allocated Time Likely Uplift
Tightening the method statement +5 – 8 scoring points
Triangulating reference projects Converts “medium” to “high” confidence
Running one last fatal‑flaw check on the pricing workbook Removes risk of arithmetical knockout

Result? The submission fell two points short of the winner—points the team later traced to an under‑developed methodology answer.

What Evaluators Actually Read First

  • Compliance matrix / returnable schedules

  • Executive summary (when explicitly requested)

  • Scored questions (capacity, methodology, pricing, risk)

  • Linked evidence (CVs, case studies, certificates)


Notice what they don’t mention? The narrative cover letter.

If the RFx Forces You to Include One

Sometimes a Form of Offer or Letter of Tender is mandatory. Treat it as a legal formality:

  1. Legal entity + tender number

  2. One‑sentence offer statement

  3. Authorised signature + date

Half a page is polite and sufficient.

Three Narrative‑Rich Alternatives That Earn Points

  1. Value‑Gap Storyboard. A single‑page diagram mapping buyer pain points to your quantified outcomes. Evaluators grasp it in seconds.

  2. Risk‑Reversal Mini‑Case. Two paragraphs telling how you mitigated a similar risk for another client—anchored in data, not adjectives.

  3. Evaluator‑Ready Headings. Mirror the exact language of the criteria so the panel can “score as they read.” These small cognitive kindnesses reduce their fatigue and boost your marks.

Each speaks to the panel’s biggest away‑from fears—non‑compliance, wasted time and public embarrassment—and their toward desires—confidence, validation and an easy‑to‑defend recommendation.

Emotional ROI: Turning Stress Hours into Score Hours

Teams that drop the cover‑letter theatre report lower last‑minute panic, fewer internal disputes and, unsurprisingly, higher win‑rate confidence. By stripping out unscored work you directly tackle the five worst negative drivers in bidding—anxiety, frustration, self‑doubt, fear of judgement and panic—while freeing bandwidth for the activities that do elevate scores.

Key Takeaways

Do Don’t
Follow the RFx instructions to the letter (no pun!). Assume a friendly narrative influences marks.
Invest effort where the scoring matrix lives. Spend scarce hours “perfecting” an unscored page.
Use data, visuals, and buyer‑language headings. Bury proof in appendices no‑one hunts for.

Final Word

Cover letters aren’t evil—they’re just irrelevant in criteria‑driven tendering. Treat them as a 60‑second formality and reinvest every spared minute in answers that move the needle.

Craving more straight‑talk bid advice? Subscribe to The Bidbuddy Bulletin for fortnightly, no‑fluff strategies that help you win work—without the midnight melodrama.