Software Requirements Specification (SRS)

e- tendering

1. Introduction

eTendering in its simplest form, is described as the electronic publishing, communicating, accessing,
receiving and submitting of all tender-related information and documentation via the Internet, thereby
replacing the traditional processes, and achieving a more efficient and effective business process for all
parties involved.

1.1 Definition of e-tendering

Tendering is a method by which organizations acquire products and services and includes the following
core activities:
 The advertisement of the requirement for goods or services,
 The preparation of tender documents (fixed format is also provided, which is optional to be
used),
 The registration of suppliers to receive tender documents,
 The opening of responses to the tender,
 The evaluation of responses to the tender (partially automatic evaluation)
 The award of the contract.

An electronic tendering (e-tendering) solution facilitates the complete tendering process from the
advertising of the requirement through to the placing of the contract. This includes the exchange of all
relevant documents in electronic format.

1.2 Definitions, Acronyms and Abbreviation

Term Definition
Buyer the person who issues tender
Supplier, Bidder the person who submits quotations
Quotation Response to the tender

2. General Description
2.1 Product Perspective

This website may be a standalone website if is used only up to submission of quotations phase. But if
the later phases are also to be incorporated then it must be integrated with other websites for example
for credit card details it must contact credit card handling website (credit cards are used as a means of e-
payment).
Thus the two perspectives may be as follows.

1) Independent

2) Integrated

2.2 Importance of product

The traditional approach to tendering is often characterized as time consuming and expensive.
This is because:

• Advertisements for the required goods or services are placed in newspapers and journals,
incurring publication costs,
• Tender documents are issued in hard copy format, incurring printing, copying and postage
costs,
• Tender responses are returned in hard copy, so that bidders incur printing, copying and
postage costs etc.

e-tendering can deliver savings and benefits to an organization by enhancing efficiency and control
in the process of purchases of goods or services. Savings and benefits can be categorized into
cashable and non-cashable.

Cashable benefits

Cashable benefits result in a reduction in expenditure. In terms of e-tendering, cashable benefits are
largely process efficiencies (time saved that results in headcount savings and hence reduced
expenditure) and reductions in overhead costs incurred during the tendering process as stated above.
These savings are achieved through automation of the tender process.

 The main elements of overhead cost savings are printing, copying, paper, postage and
stationery, which will mostly be avoided because tender documents and tender responses will be
issued/received electronically.

 This is also environmentally friendly since it reduces the use of paper.

 e-Tendering can also release additional office space as contract documentation (required to be
kept for at least the length of the contract period) can be stored online.

Non-cashable benefits

This website will provide a range of non-cashable benefits:

• it will lead to better management and/or co-ordination of the tender process.

• it will enable a consistent tender process. Having one system shared across the organizations ensures
that anyone involved in the tender process will work within a consistent and unambiguous framework.

• The time spent analyzing numerical information (such as costs) is reduced. It will also have
functionality that can immediately send out an email notification to suppliers who fail to provide all
expected information.

• this site will have the ability to create an evaluation report on each tender, including an outline of the
methodology used in evaluating the tenders etc.
• It is important for the tendering process in the public sector to be fair and for that fairness to be
documented. This site will provide a secure history from advertising the tender to awarding a contract.
This history encourages openness and integrity in all contractual decisions.

•With a traditional tendering process, responses arriving late due to courier delay or
Incorrect addressing would have been disqualified from the tendering process. This website will ensure
this does not occur because suppliers receive an immediate confirmation by email that their tender has
been received, thereby avoiding potential disputes and ill feeling.

• less time taken to process responses for evaluation; means that less person time spent
administering but also responses can be evaluated faster, so end-to-end tendering time is
reduced.
 2.3 Product Features

 This website will give potential suppliers 24 hour a day access to view all tender opportunities
including contract renewal dates, tender deadlines, status of tenders etc.
 Suppliers will be able to submit tender documents electronically on this site, thereby using the
time that would have otherwise have had to be allowed for postal delivery to complete the
response.
 As this is Internet based solution, suppliers will be able to easily view and engage in tendering
opportunities without being constrained by location.
 this website will maintain an approved list of suppliers that have responded to previous tenders
and categorizes them by set criteria, such as location and goods or services offered.
 This website will offer organizations to submit tenders online in electronic format thus saving
their time of post delivery.
 the evaluation of responses to the tender will also be done on this site.
 Finally award of tender will be given to the selected party.

2.4 User Characteristics

there will be three types of actors of this site

(a) Buyers: the persons who are responsible for issuance of tenders

(b) Suppliers: the persons who will submit their response for tender

(c) Other users (unregistered): other people who only want to see the tenders but do
not want to respond.

3. Basic Requirements.
.
3.1 Allow buyer to post tender

3.2 Allow supplier to respond to the available tenders

3.3 User interface with a list of current tenders

3.4 Search facility based on various categories of tenders like organization, type of product etc.

3.5 This website will provide various templates for tender and quotation generation.

3.6 Controlled access to tenders using passwords, user profiles and permissions

3.7 Changes to the quotations

3.8 Repository of previous tenders

3.9 User interface with a list of response to a particular tender

3.10 Workflow functionality, which routes documents to appropriate people or alerts individuals of actions
in the system.
 all the suppliers are notified that a tender of their interest is available
 if a supplier registers after a tender is submitted, then, a mail about the available
tenders is also sent to him.
 Any notification is sent only once on an email id i.e. a track of sent mails is
maintained in order to avoid repeatedly sending of mails and also not to annoy
the supplier.

3.11All the suppliers are registered and all buyers are having list of suppliers according to the service
that latter provides (or products that they can supply). When a tender is available then a notification
through mail is sent to suppliers (who can give those kind of services) that a tender is available and
if they want they can respond to it by clicking on the link provided in the mail

3.12 Collaboration facilities enabling a number of people to work on creating a tender document or to
evaluate tenders

3.13Partially automated evaluation of tenders and award notification

4 Functional Requirements

Buyer

1. Login
1.1 Enter username and password
1.2 If forgotten password, enter username and answer security question
1.3 If answer is correct, password will be sent to mail Id provided at the time of
registration
1.4 If security answer is not matching with username then, the person is not a valid user

2. Registration
2.1 enter account details
2.2 A confirmation mail is sent to the buyer(more than one email id may be provided by
the supplier)
2.3 username and password will be sent through confirmation mail
2.4 confirm registration by clicking the link given in the confirmation mail
2.5 login by given username and password
2.6 if desired change username and password (no duplicate username is allowed)

3. Post tenders
3.1 Login with username and password
3.2 Select appropriate category and subcategory of tender
3.3 Enter all details corresponding to tender e.g. it’s location (i.e. in which it will operate)
etc
3.4 Select tender that is to be uploaded
3.5 View tender before uploading it.
3.6 Upload tender
3.7 Enter threshold parameters which if not fulfilled by any quotation then a mail is sent
to the quotation owner saying that you are not fulfilling the threshold requirements.
3.8 Enter preference parameters on which final top entries will be selected.
3.9 Enter weighatge of each preference parameter so that pointa got by tender
quotations will get calculated.
3.10 After successful upload, a mail is sent to the buyer saying that the tender has been
uploaded.
3.11 If finished logout

4. View responses to tenders (quotations) submitted by supplier

4.1 login with username and password
 4.2 Select the tender whose response you want to see (there may be various tenders
corresponding to one Buyer)
4.3 Information (important points) corresponding all tender responses (quotations) will
get displayed
4.4 If desired, categorize them according to evaluation parameters entered at time of
posting the tender
4.5 These parameters cannot be altered after posting tenders
4.6 Select any particular quotations and view it completely
4.7 If finished, logout

5. Evaluate tender responses

5.1 View response to a particular tender
5.2 Arrange them according to evaluation parameters
5.3 Tenders will be evaluated as to whether all the Threshold parameters are satisfied.
Tenders that meet these parameters will proceed to next stage. Tenders that do not
meet threshold parameters will not be considered further.
5.4 At the next stage, select the tender which is best with respect to maximum number
of preference parameters
5.5 Weightage may be provided to preference parameters depending on which
preference parameter is how much important.
5.6 Five tenders( or ten dpeneding upon what number the tender owner want to be get
selected) are selected which have got maximum points depending upon preference
parameters.
5.7 Selectionn of final quotation will be done manually.
5.8 Declare that a particular tender has been selected
5.9 A mail is sent to the selected supplier saying that your tender response has been
selected.
5.10 A mail is also sent to all other suppliers saying that your response was rejected
5.11 At the conclusion of the evaluation process, an evaluation report is prepared. This
report will include:
5.11.1 An outline of the methodology used in evaluating the tenders;
5.11.2 An outline of the responses received;
5.11.3 Recommendations.
5.12 This report will be sent to all suppliers who have submitted their quotations for this
particular tender
5.13 If finished, logout

6. Grade suppliers
6.1 Evaluate the tender responses
6.2 After assigning tender to a particular supplier (i.e. if he wins the tender bidding) the
buyer may watch his performance and grade afterwards.
6.3 This grade assignment is compulsory.
6.4 This grade will be visible to all, including users, who are not the registered ones.
6.5 Overall grade of a particular supplier will depend upon grades given to him by all
buyers.
6.6 If finished, logout

7. Report Generation
7.1 a report can be generated whenever the tender owner wants to generate it.
7.2 This report includes…
7.2.1 No of supplires who opened the tender document
7.2.2 No of suppliers who downloaded the tender document
7.2.3 No of suppliers who submitted their quotation for tender
7.2.4 Microsoft excel worksheet which will have details of all quotations.
7.3 This report will be generated automatically when the tender evaluation is complete
i.e. when the award the tender is given.

8. An online forum for each tender

8.1 enable buyers and suppliers to ask questions
8.2 seek clarifications relating to the notices that are published.
8.3 The forum is confidential and the suppliers details are only seen by tender owner.
 8.4 Whenever there is a posting of question from supplier to the forum ,the tender owner will be
automatically notified via email.
8.5 Buyer can then respond to the question via email or through online forum .
8.6 The buyer can decide about the time limit for which he want notifications of questions
submitted in the forum. After the declared date notifications will not be sent to the buyer, but
the forum can still be viewed.

9. Electronic tender box

9.1 this facility is optional for the buyer. if they want this kind of facility then they can use it
9.2 The suppliers upload their responses (files) to electronic tender box.
9.3 when the closing date and time for the tender expires, buyers are sent electronic keys.
9.4 buyer can then unlock his tender box and download/view the responses online.
9.5 this facility makes the provision that the buyers cannot view the quotations before the
tender expires.

10. Access Help forum

10.1 online ‘help files’, ‘tutorials’ and ‘start-up guides’
10.2 Help desk’ style of support available by phone and/or mail
10.3 An administrator is made available (by email) to assist registered suppliers with specific
queries regarding the tender.

11. News paper advertising

11.1 this facility is optional.
11.2 this is used to place a summary advertisement of the tender in any number of selected
newspapers.
11.3 the newspaper will be of your choice.
11.4 This buyer has to submit some amount of money to get this facility.

12. Allows buyer to select his own suppliers (Closed Tenders )

12.1 the closed tenders are the tenders which are meant for selected suppliers.
12.1 there will two ways of selecting suppliers .
12.2 the first way is to select manually, by using grading options.
12.3 the second way is based on suppliers profile held within the system.
12.4 In second way the system will match tender notice to all suppliers.
12.5 This matching will be based on their profile held within the system.
12.6 The matched list of suppliers will then be shown, to allow selection of the individual
suppliers.
12.7 The tender notice information will automatically be sent to selected suppliers
12.8 this notification will contain a username and password which will be used to submit
quotations.

Supplier

1. Login
1.1 Enter username and password
1.2 If forgotten password, enter username and answer security question
1.3 If answer is correct, password will be sent to mail id provided at the time of
registration
1.4 If security answer is not matching with username then, the person is not a valid user

2. Registration
2.1 Enter account details and email id (more than one email id may be provided by the
supplier)
2.2 A confirmation mail is sent to the supplier
2.3 Username and password through confirmation mail
2.4 Confirm registration
2.5 Login by given username and password
2.6 If desired change username and password (no duplicate username is allowed)

3. View public tenders submitted by buyer

 3.1 Click on view public tenders
3.2 Information (important points) corresponding all public tender will get displayed
3.3 Threshold parameters will also get displayed
3.4 Select any tender you want to view
3.5 View complete tender
3.6 If desired, download the tender

4. View private tenders submitted by buyerr

4.1. Login with username and password
4.2. Click on view private tenders
4.3. Information (important points) corresponding all private tender will get displayed
4.4. Threshold parameters will also get displayed
4.5. Select any tender you want to view
4.6. View complete tender
4.7. If desired, download the tender

5. Respond to tenders (enter quotations)

5.1. Login with username and password
5.2. Select the tender to which you want to respond
5.3. If tender is not closed then only the supplier can submit the quotation
5.4. Enter bid/quotations as a response
5.5. Pay 10% of the budget to the site (earnest money)
5.6. Payment will be made through credit card
5.7. Enter all details i.e. values of the parameters corresponding to your quotation
5.8. Select quotation that is to be uploaded
5.9. View quotation before uploading it.
5.10.Upload quotations
5.11.If required these quotations can be changed as many times before the tender is closed.
5.12.If the quotation is not fulfilling the threshold requirements then a mail is sent to the supplier.
5.13.After successful upload, a mail is sent to the supplier saying that the quotation has been
uploaded.
5.14.If finished, logout

6. Garde buyer
6.1 Login with username and password
6.2 The supplier can grade only the buyer, who has selected his quotation i.e. who has selected
him for supply. This grade assignment depends upon various parameters, which may include
treatment etc.
6.3 This grade assignment is compulsory.
6.4 If finished, logout

7. Additional documents which can not be downloaded

7.1 If tenderer have documents that cannot be attached to tender notice such as large-scale
drawings, or unusual file formats, suppliers can then request that these documents be sent
to them when they view the notice online.
7.2 This is a fully automated procedure.
7.3 The system will generate an email to buyer showing the suppliers name and address
details for buyer to forward the documents to via post or courier.

8. Access Help forum

8.1 Online ‘help files’, ‘tutorials’ and ‘start-up guides’
8.2 Help desk’ style of support available by phone and/or mail
8.3 An administrator is made available (by email) to assist registered suppliers with specific
queries regarding the tender.

9. Response to closed tenders

9.1 this response can be submitted only by supplier who have got a username and password sent
through a mail by the buyer.
9.2 The supplier can then login by this username and password and submit quotation.

10. News paper advertising

 10.1 this facility is optional.
10.2 this is used to place a advertisement of the services the supplier provides in any
number of selected newspapers.
10.3 the newspaper will be of your choice.
10.4 This supplier has to submit some amount of money to get this facility.

11. Notification to Suppliers

11.1 all the suppliers are notified that a tender of their interest is available
11.2 if a supplier registers after a tender is submitted, then, a mail about the available tenders
is also sent to him.
11.3 Any notification is sent only once on an email id i.e. a track of sent mails is maintained in
order to avoid repeatedly sending of mails and also not to annoy the supplier.

User (not registered)

1. View rank given to buyer and supplier

2. View public tenders submitted by supplier

2.1. Click on view public tenders
2.2. Information (important points) corresponding all public tender will get displayed
2.3. Threshold parameters will also get displayed
2.4. Select any tender you want to view
2.5. View complete tender

5. Non- functional requirements

5.1 The site is highly secure so, security problems do not occur. Potential security problems may
be the following ones

5.1.1 During registration

• Integrity violation: Malicious parties may change, alter, or delete the registration form
submitted by the buyer.

• Confidentiality violation: The registration forms submitted by a buyer may contain company-
sensitive information. A malicious party may gain access to this material.

5.1.2 During Invitation to tender

• Integrity violation: A malicious party may alter the tender specification document or advertising
information. Thus suppliers may submit offers for the wrong project or fail to complete all
requirements.

• Masquerading or impersonation: A malicious party may impersonate the principal and issue a
false tender advertisement, causing suppliers to waste time and money developing tender
submission documents.

5.1.3 During Tender submission

• Integrity violation: A malicious party can change; alter a submitted tender document prepared
by the supplier.

• Confidentiality violation: A malicious party can access sensitive information contained in the
quotation documents. The malicious party could then prepare their own tender document
undercutting other tender prices.
• Impersonation: A malicious party can submit a false tender under the name of a legitimate
supplier. The legitimate supplier may not be able to deny ownership of this false tender
document.

5.1.4 During Tender evaluation

• Integrity violation: A malicious party may gain access to the document during evaluation and
alter the submitted tender document to favour a particular supplier

5.1.5 During award of tender

• Integrity violation: A malicious party may alter the award of tender message so that an
incorrect supplier is notified that they have won the tender.

• Confidentiality violation: Sensitive information regarding the winning tender may be released.

• Impersonation: A malicious party may impersonate the principal to send a fake tender award to
an unsuccessful supplier or to notify the successful supplier that they did not win the tender.

• Non-verifiable evidence: If no integrity and confidentiality service is in place, people cannot tell
which award message is genuine.