Simplified tendering: From repetitive work to strategic procurement
Public buyers carry long-term responsibility for decisions often made under immediate time pressure. Tender creation is where they lay the foundation for everything that follows, from the quality of bids received to supplier relationships and contracts managed for years to come.
Yet tender creation is also one of the most time-consuming parts of the procurement process. Manual and repetitive tasks can pull attention towards navigating tools and managing administration, leaving less time to focus on the procurement itself.
This creates a clear tension: the phase requiring the most strategic thinking is often the one in which buyers have the least time for it.
Tuuli Martikainen, Product Director at Mercell, described this challenge during Mercell Connect Norway:
The most consequential moment in the work is also the moment where buyers have least time to think strategically because the tooling is asking them to do something else.”
What simplified tender creation means
Simplified tender creation is about removing unnecessary complexity from the process.
It helps buyers reuse relevant work, maintain an overview as the tender develops and make adjustments without losing what they have already completed.
The value is not measured only in fewer screens or clicks. It is also found in the attention buyers can redirect towards the tender itself. This includes assessing whether the content is appropriate for the procurement, checking how the different elements work together and considering how the tender will appear to suppliers.
Simplification supports professional judgement rather than replacing it. Buyers remain responsible for deciding what belongs in the tender, what needs to be adapted and when it is ready to publish.
Bringing simplified tender creation to Mercell Tendering
Mercell is applying these principles through a new tender creation flow within Mercell Tendering.
The new experience brings the main parts of tender creation into a more coherent workflow. It is designed to make existing work easier to reuse, provide a clearer overview of the tender and allow buyers to adjust important choices before publication.
Start from existing work
A new tender does not always need to begin with a blank page. Buyers can choose an organisational template or clone a previous tender directly from the creation flow.
Before selecting a starting point, they can preview what a template or earlier tender contains, including its documents. Basic details can then be prefilled from the selected template or the organisation’s settings.
This reduces the need to search for and recreate existing material. The buyer still decides what is relevant and what must be adapted for the new procurement.
Manage the tender as one connected process
Creating and managing a tender can require buyers to move between different views to review documents, supplier-facing information and activity related to the procedure.
Mercell Tendering is bringing the structured document, supplier preview, questions and answers, responses and publications into one coherent workflow.
This gives buyers a clearer way to follow the tender as it develops and check what suppliers will see before it is published.
Make changes without recreating the tender
Tender requirements can evolve during the creation process. A buyer may need to change the procedure type or add a lot after work has already begun.
The simplified creation flow is designed to keep core choices editable until publication. Buyers can respond to changing requirements without having to discard their work and start the tender again.
More time for professional judgement
Good tender creation depends on the buyer’s expertise. By reducing repetitive work and making the process easier to manage, Mercell Tendering gives buyers more time to focus on the quality of the tender and the outcomes it is intended to achieve.
The simplified tender creation experience is planned for early adopters in Q3 2026, followed by a broader rollout during the remainder of the year.
See simplified tender creation in practice
Watch Tuuli Martikainen’s full presentation from Mercell Connect Norway to explore the thinking behind simplified tender creation and see the new Mercell Tendering experience in practice.