1. Introduction

Tender Logbook is a complete, enterprise‑grade tool to manage your tenders from start to finish. It helps you track every detail – from publishing to submission, bid results, and team collaboration. This manual covers every feature so you can get the most out of the application.

2. Getting Started (Login)

Sign In: On the login screen, enter your registered email and password, then click Sign In.

Sign Up: If you do not have an account, click Don't have an account? Sign Up and fill in your details. You will receive a confirmation email from Supabase to verify your account.

Forgot Password: Click Forgot Password? and enter your email – a password reset link will be sent to your inbox.

3. The Dashboard

When you log in, you see six summary cards:

• Total Tenders – all tenders you have access to.
• Submitted – tenders that have been finalised.
• In Progress – tenders currently being worked on.
• L1 Identified – tenders where the lowest bidder has been recorded.
• Quoted – tenders for which you have entered a quoted percentage.
• Reminders – tenders closing today or tomorrow (click the card to see them).

Below the cards, you see an Upcoming Deadlines ticker – it scrolls through tenders that are closing soon. Click any entry to view that tender's full details.

4. All Tenders (Main List)

This page shows a table of all tenders. You can:

• Search – use the search box to filter by Tender ID, Work Name, or Publisher.
• Filter – click the Filters button to narrow by Status, Date, Location, or Team (My Tenders / My Team's Tenders).
• Sort – the list is automatically sorted by Submission End date (newest first).
• Navigate pages – use the pagination buttons at the bottom of the table.
• Inline editing – double‑click any cell in the Publisher, Tender ID, Work Name, or Sub End columns to edit that value directly (if you have permission).

The Actions column gives you quick buttons:

• 👁️ View – see the full tender summary and print it.
• ✏️ Edit – opens the tender in the Add/Edit form (only if you are allowed).
• 🗑️ Delete – permanently deletes the tender and its uploaded files.
• 🔗 Share – generates a link to share the tender via WhatsApp, email, or copy to clipboard.
• Workflow buttons – depending on your role, you may see Submit, Approve, Rework, or Finalise buttons to move the tender through the approval workflow.

5. Add / Edit Tender (The Form)

The Add/Edit form is split into logical sections. Fields marked with a red * are mandatory.

• Basic Details – Publisher, Tender ID, Tender Ref. No., Type (Open/Limited), Name of Work, Published Date, and Job Location.
• Bid Schedule – Submission Start, Submission End (with time), and Opening Date.
• Financial & Validity – Value (Excl. GST / Incl. GST), GST %, EMD Criteria (Payable/Exempted), Exemption checkbox for MSME/NSIC, EMD Amount, EMD Validity, Tender Validity, and Completion Time.
• Open Tender Specifics – appears only when Tender Type is "Open". Includes Pre‑bid Meeting, Reverse Auction, Annual Turnover, Definition of Similar Works, three Similar Work values, and Purchase Preference.
• Bidding Status & Results – Bid Status (Draft / In‑progress / Under review / Submitted / Regretted / Cancelled), Results Disclosed checkbox, Quote Status, Quoted %, and an automatic calculation of Quoted Amounts (Excl/Incl GST). You can also upload a Bid Results file (Excel or PDF) and enter L1–L5 bidder names and quoted percentages.
• Contact Information – Authority Name, Designation, Phone, Email.
• Scope & Documents – a rich‑text editor for the Scope of Work (supports bold, italics, lists, and indentation). Upload SOR files (multiple types allowed) and Corrigendum files (PDF/DOCX/XLSX).
• Role Assignment – optional emails for Checker and Approver (used in the workflow).
• Internal Review Notes – a free‑text area for internal comments, flags, or updates.

Once you fill in the form, click Save Tender to store it. You can also Preview & Print to see how it will look before saving, or use Clear to reset the form. The Load Sample button populates the form with example data.

6. Workflow (MCA – Maker, Checker, Approver)

Tenders follow a four‑stage workflow:

1. Maker creates the tender (Draft or In‑progress). Once ready, they click Submit on the tender table – this moves the status to Under review.
2. Checker receives an email notification. They review the tender and can either Approve (moves to Approved) or Rework (status becomes Re‑work, with a comment). If rework is requested, the Maker edits and re‑submits.
3. Approver (if assigned) reviews the Approved tender and clicks Finalise – this moves it to Submitted.
4. Once Submitted, the tender is considered final and cannot be edited or deleted. Statuses like Regretted / Not Quoted or Cancelled are used for closed tenders.

All status changes are logged in the audit trail (visible inside the tender summary).

7. Printing a Tender

From the All Tenders table, click the 👁️ View button on any tender. The summary modal opens. At the top, you can select which sections you want to include in the printout (by checking/unchecking the tickboxes). Use the 🔒 Mask Bid Values checkbox to hide sensitive quoted percentages and amounts with ****.

Click Print Selected – the browser's print dialog will open. The layout is optimised for A4 paper, with clean section borders, grey headers, and a footer showing the Ref. No / Tender ID on the left, "Designed/Developed/Owned by: SDB" in the centre, and page number on the right.

8. Sharing a Tender

In the All Tenders table, click the 🔗 Share button. A floating popup appears next to the button with three options:

• Copy Link – copies a unique URL to your clipboard.
• WhatsApp – opens WhatsApp with a pre‑formatted message containing the tender details and link.
• Email – opens your default email client with the subject and body pre‑filled.

9. Analytics

The Analytics page shows a line chart comparing the L1 Quoted Percentage against your own Quoted Percentage for tenders that have bid results. You can filter the chart by Team (if you belong to multiple teams).

Below the chart, you see Similar Tender Recommendations – this suggests other tenders with similar work names (based on keywords) to help you benchmark your bids.

10. Teams

You can create a team (if you are an Admin or Manager) by clicking the Create Team button. Enter a team name and optionally an invite email. A unique invite link is generated – share it with your colleagues so they can join.

Once you are a member of a team, you can filter the All Tenders list by "My Team's Tenders" to see what your colleagues are working on.

11. Settings

The Settings page (visible only to Admins) offers:

• Customise Dashboard – show/hide the six stat cards.
• Two‑Factor Authentication (2FA) – a placeholder to enable extra security (requires further setup).
• Data Retention – set the number of months after which tenders are automatically deleted (requires a cron job).
• Compliance Reporting – generates a summary report with total bid value, submission rate, and success rate.
• Email Notifications – toggle automatic emails for workflow events (requires a Supabase Edge Function).

12. Data Management

On the All Tenders page, you have tools to manage your data:

• Export – downloads a CSV file of all displayed tenders.
• Import – upload a CSV file to add new tenders in bulk (must match the expected columns).
• Backup – creates a full JSON backup of all tenders and bid results.
• Restore – upload a previously created JSON backup to restore all data (overwrites existing data).

13. Mobile Access

On phones and tablets, the layout adjusts:

• Use the ☰ hamburger icon to open the sidebar navigation.
• Tables are fully visible with horizontal scrolling – pinch‑to‑zoom works to see the whole table.
• The Filters button expands to show all filter options.
• All actions (View, Edit, Delete, Share, workflow buttons) remain available.

14. Roles & Permissions

• Admin – full access to all tenders, teams, settings, and can perform any action.
• Maker – creates and edits tenders (Draft/In‑progress/Re‑work). Can submit for review.
• Checker – reviews tenders (Under review status), can Approve or Request Rework.
• Approver – reviews Approved tenders and can Finalise (move to Submitted).
• Manager – similar to Admin but with limited access to Settings.

Q1: How do I upload a Bid Results file?

A: In the "Bidding Status & Results" section, click "Choose File", select your Excel or PDF file, then click "Upload Bid Results". The file will be stored securely and a download link will appear in the print preview.

Q2: Why is my Quoted % field disabled?

A: If the Bid Status is "Regretted / Not Quoted" or "Cancelled", the Quoted % field is disabled as it is not required.

Q3: How do I format the Scope of Works?

A: Use the toolbar above the Scope field to apply bold, italics, lists, and indentation.

Q4: Can I restore a deleted tender?

A: Deleted tenders are permanently removed from the database and storage. Please ensure you have a backup before deleting.

Q5: How do I get reminders for upcoming deadlines?

A: The dashboard shows "Reminders" for tenders closing today or tomorrow. Click the card to filter the list.

Q6: What file types can I upload for SOR?

A: PDF, Excel (.xlsx, .xls), Word (.docx), JPG, and PNG are supported. The file size limit is 5 MB.

Q7: Can I print a tender without uploading it first?

A: Yes – use the "Preview & Print" button on the Add/Edit form to preview and print without saving.

Q8: How do I change my role?

A: Roles are assigned by an Admin. Contact your Admin if you need your role updated.

Q9: What does the "L1" column show?

A: The L1 column shows the Lowest Bidder (L1) for that tender. The value in parentheses indicates the quoted percentage difference (e.g., "Minus (12.600%)" means L1 is 12.6% lower than your quoted price).

Q10: How do I edit a tender after saving it?

A: Go to the "All Tenders" table and click the ✏️ Edit button next to the tender. You can also double‑click on a cell (Publisher, Tender ID, Work Name, or Sub End) to edit it inline.

Q11: What is the difference between "In‑progress", "Under review", and "Submitted"?

A: In‑progress – you are still working on it. Under review – it has been submitted to a Checker for review. Submitted – it is final and approved by the Approver.

Q12: How do I share a tender with someone outside my team?

A: Click the 🔗 Share button in the Actions column. You can copy a link, send it via WhatsApp, or email it. The link works even for external users (they only need the link).

Q13: What does the "Mask Bid Values" checkbox do?

A: When checked, it hides the Quoted % and Quoted Amounts with **** in the print preview – useful when sharing a printout with external stakeholders or vendors.

Q14: Why is my tender not showing up in the "All Tenders" list?

A: Check your filters (Status, Date, Location, Team). Also, ensure you are on the correct page. You can also use the search box to find it by Tender ID or Work Name.

Q15: How do I use the "Closing Today" filter correctly?

A: The "Closing Today" filter shows only tenders that end on the current calendar date. "Closing This Week" shows tenders ending within the next 7 days, and "Closing This Month" shows tenders ending within the current calendar month.

Q16: What is the "Results Disclosed" checkbox for?

A: This checkbox controls whether the Bid Results (L1‑L5) section appears in the print preview. Check it only if the bid results have been officially published and you want them included in the printout.

Q17: How do I use the "Similar Tenders" feature?

A: On the Add/Edit form, click the Similar Tenders button. The system will analyse the Work Name and suggest other tenders with similar keywords, helping you benchmark your bid.

Q18: What does "Risk Assessment" do?

A: The Risk Assessment tool analyses the tender's value, deadline, and pre‑bid meeting status. It then flags the tender as High, Medium, or Low risk, helping you prioritise your efforts.