Why Tendera
Government work is good work. Getting it shouldn't be this hard.
You already know government contracts are solid. They pay on time. The work's there. No chasing invoices. No dodgy clients. But actually winning the work? That's a different story.
The problem: Tenders are built for big companies
Most tradies never bid on government work because the system wasn't designed for them. You're competing with your tools, not just other businesses.
You're hunting blind
There are 8 different government tender portals across Australia. AusTender for federal. NSW eTendering. QTenders. VIC Tenders. SA Tenders. WA, TAS, ACT, NT all have their own systems. Plus commercial platforms like VendorPanel. You'd need to check 10+ websites every single day just to see what' available. By the time you find a relevant tender, you've got 3 days to respond. Most tradies don't even know half these portals exist.
The documents are written in a different language
"The contractor shall demonstrate compliance with AS/NZS 4801:2001 and provide evidence of capacity to deliver services in accordance with Technical Specification 3B, Appendix C, Section 2.4.7..." You're a qualified tradie. You can do the work. But reading 47 pages of procurement jargon just to figure out if you're even eligible? That's a day gone.
You're pricing blind
Here's the killer: You have no idea what similar work has been awarded for. A school maintenance contract in your area — is that a $60K job or a $150K job? You don't know. The big firms do. They've got procurement analysts tracking this stuff full-time. You're guessing. They're not. So you either bid too high and lose, or bid too low and win a job that'll lose you money.
Writing responses takes forever
Even when you find a good tender, you're staring at a blank page trying to figure out how to write a "Methodology" section that sounds professional. You've done this work 100 times. You know how to do it. But writing about it in the formal way they expect? That's a different skill. Most tradies either: hire a tender consultant ($2K–$5K per bid), spend 10+ hours writing it themselves, or just don't bid. All three options suck.
The cost of not bidding
Let's say there are 50 relevant government tenders in your area this year. You see maybe 5 of them. You bid on 2. You win 0 because you priced it wrong. That's 48 missed opportunities. At an average contract value of $80K, that's $3.8 million in work you never even knew existed. Even if you only win 10% of what you bid on (industry average), that's still $380K in revenue you left on the table. Not because you can't do the work. Because the system made it too hard to even try.
What Tendera actually does
We didn't build another tender portal. There are enough of those. We built the system that should have existed in the first place — one that actually works for small trade businesses.
1. We find everything for you
Every morning at 6am, we scan every government portal in Australia. Federal, state, territory, commercial platforms, and ICN Gateway work packages. We're looking at 1,900+ live tenders and thousands of work packages right now. You tell us your trade and location once. We show you only the tenders and work packages that match. No more hunting across 10 websites. No more missing opportunities because you forgot to check.
2. We translate the jargon
Every tender gets a plain English summary. What they actually want. What licenses and insurances you need. What the scope really is. Read it in 2 minutes instead of 2 hours. We also show you a match score. 85%+ means you tick almost every box. Below 60%? Probably not worth your time. Decide if it's worth bidding before you invest the effort.
3. We show you what to bid
This is the big one. Market Intelligence. We've ingested every awarded contract from AusTender. Electrical maintenance in Brisbane? We'll show you what similar contracts were awarded for — $124K, $89K, $156K — who won them, what department issued them. You're not guessing anymore. The big firms have always had this data. Now you do too.
4. We help you write the response
Our AI Response Builder helps you write the sections that sound professional — Relevant Experience, Methodology, Capability Statement. Save your past projects as snippets. Insert them. Adjust for this specific tender. Export as Word or PDF. It's not writing the whole thing for you. But it's stopping you from staring at a blank page at 11pm the night before it's due. You bring the experience. We help you communicate it the way they expect.
Who this is for
Tendera is built for established trade businesses that do good work but haven't cracked government contracts yet.
You're a good fit if
- • You've got 3+ years in business and a solid track record
- • You're licensed, insured, and financially stable
- • You do quality work and want quality clients
- • You're sick of chasing payments from dodgy developers
- • You want to grow but you're not hiring a procurement team
You're not a good fit if
- • You're a sole trader doing cash jobs (government work requires ABN, insurance, compliance)
- • You're looking for quick residential leads (this is B2G, not B2C)
- • You want us to write your tenders for you (we help, but you still need to bring the experience)
- • You're not willing to learn the tendering process (it's easier with Tendera, but it's still a skill)
What it actually costs you right now
Let's say you currently bid on 1 government tender every 6 months.
Time cost:
- • Finding the tender: 2 hours across multiple portals
- • Reading the documents: 3 hours
- • Writing the response: 8 hours
- • Total: 13 hours per bid
At a $100/hour opportunity cost (what you'd earn doing actual work), that's $1,300 in lost time per bid. Industry average for SMEs bidding blind is 5–10%. So you're spending $1,300 per bid, bidding twice a year, winning once every 6 years.
Cost per win: $7,800 in time.
Plus the opportunity cost of the 48 other tenders you never saw.
What Tendera costs
Free: 5 matched tenders per week. See if it's worth your time.
Founding Member: $59 for 3 months (normally $79/month). Unlimited matching, AI Response Builder, Pipeline Tracker, AI Chat.
Pro: $79/month. Everything above plus Market Intelligence (the awarded contract data).
If Market Intelligence helps you price just one tender correctly — either by stopping you from bidding too low, or giving you the confidence to bid higher — it's paid for itself for the year. If the AI Response Builder saves you 4 hours on one tender response, it's paid for itself for the year. If the daily email alerts put one good tender in front of you that you otherwise would have missed, it's paid for itself for the year.
What actually changes
With Tendera, here's what your tendering process looks like:
Monday morning: Email digest shows 3 new tenders that match your profile. You scan them over coffee. One's an 87% match for commercial electrical maintenance in your area. You save it.
Tuesday arvo: You check Market Intelligence. Similar contracts were awarded for $95K–$140K. You were going to bid $75K. You adjust to $118K.
Wednesday: You use the Response Builder to draft your Relevant Experience section. Insert your saved projects, adjust the wording, done in 45 minutes instead of 3 hours.
Thursday: You review the full response, export as PDF, submit through their portal. Move it to "Submitted" in your Pipeline board.
Total time: 3 hours instead of 13.
You bid on 12 tenders this year instead of 2. You win 2 instead of 0. At an average value of $95K, that's $190K in new revenue. Cost of Tendera Pro for the year: $948. ROI: 20,000%. Even if you only win one extra tender, you're up $94K.
The actual unlock
Government work isn't just about the money. It's about stability. When you've got $200K worth of government contracts in your pipeline, you're not scrambling for the next job. You're not taking dodgy work from dodgy clients because you need cashflow. You can plan. Hire properly. Invest in your business. You can say no to the jobs that aren't worth it. That's what Tendera actually unlocks. Not just more tenders. More control.
Start small, scale when it works
Free account: See if government tenders in your area are even worth chasing. 5 matched tenders per week. No credit card. If you see good opportunities, upgrade to Founding Member for $59 (3 months). Bid on a few. See if you can win. If you win one, upgrade to Pro for the Market Intelligence. Now you're bidding informed. If it doesn't work for you, cancel. No lock-in contracts. No BS. But if you're an established trade business that does good work, and you've been locked out of government contracts because the system's too hard to navigate? This is your way in.
Ready to see what's available in your area?
Free account: 5 matched tenders per week. Founding Member: $59 for 3 months. Pro: $79/month with Market Intelligence. No lock-in contracts. Cancel anytime.
Common questions
Is this just for big companies?
No. We built this specifically for SMEs and sole traders who've been locked out. The big firms already have procurement teams. You don't. That's the point.
Do I need tendering experience?
No. The AI Chat can answer questions. The Response Builder gives you structure. The Bid Ready Checklist tells you if you're qualified. We help you learn as you go.
Will this guarantee I win tenders?
No. You still need to be qualified, competitive, and good at what you do. But Tendera makes sure you're finding the right tenders, pricing them correctly, and writing responses that don't disqualify you on format.
What if there are no tenders in my area?
Possible, but unlikely. We're scanning 1,900+ live tenders and thousands of commercial work packages across Australia right now. Sign up for free and see what's available in your trade and location before you pay for anything.
How is this different from just checking the portals myself?
You could check all 10+ portals every day, read every tender, manually track awarded contracts, and write your own responses. Tendera does all of that for you in one place, with AI assistance. It's the difference between doing your books by hand vs using Xero.
What if I need help?
Email support. AI Chat assistant. We're a small team and we actually respond. If you're stuck, ask.
Tendera is built by a tradie, for tradies. I ran a painting business for 20 years before I built this. I know what it's like to miss out on good work because the system wasn't designed for us.
This is the tool I wish I'd had.