Bid normalisation is the conversion of supplier bids — submitted in different currencies, units of measure, and delivery terms — into one comparable basis before evaluation. Without it, a tender comparison ranks formatting, not value.
What gets normalised
Three dimensions do most of the damage. Currency: bids in euros, dollars, and manats compared at face value ignore both the exchange rate and its date. Unit of measure: a price per piece against a price per pack of ten is a 10x error waiting for an approval signature. Incoterms: an EXW price excludes freight and duty that a DAP price includes, so the “cheaper” bid may simply be the one that moved cost off the page.
Why it belongs in the system, not the spreadsheet
Manual normalisation is retyping under deadline — the exact conditions that produce transposed digits and stale rates. In dmp’s sourcing workspace, responses normalise on arrival against declared currency, UoM, and terms, so the comparison matrix is ready when the tender closes, and every conversion is on the record for the evaluation that follows.
The takeaway: normalisation is not clerical work. It is the step that decides whether the rest of the evaluation means anything.