Tender Documentation Translation

TARGMANEBI translates tender documentation in both directions: the conditions of a foreign tender into Georgian, so that your team understands the requirements exactly, and your proposal into a foreign language, so that the evaluation committee can assess it in full. On a large package we mobilise a team of translators at the same time and deliver the translation the same or next day.

The three layers of a tender package

The legal part: one word decides an obligation

If "shall" and "may" get mixed up in the conditions of contract, an obligation turns into a recommendation. "Liquidated damages" is a penalty fixed in advance by the contract, which in Georgian is "პირგასამტეხლო", not a literal "ლიკვიდირებული ზარალი" ("liquidated loss"). "Employer", "Contractor" and "Engineer" are specific roles in FIDIC-type contracts and must be named the same way throughout the package.

The legal part is handled by a translator with experience in legal translation. Translation and certification of company registration documents: registry extract translation.

The financial part: the figures do not change

In the financial part, no figure, unit or decimal separator may change. Excel formulas, the sheet structure and cell references stay unchanged; only the text fields are translated: the names of the works, the units and the notes.

In the BoQ, the name of an item of work must match the technical specification exactly. If the specification says "ბეტონის მოსამზადებელი ფენა" (concrete blinding layer), the BoQ will use exactly the same form, so the evaluator can easily match the two documents.

The technical part

The Terms of Reference and the specifications are the core of a tender: they are what the proposal is assessed against to decide whether it meets the requirements. Every ToR clause is translated in full, so that your team does not miss a single "mandatory requirement".

We translate tender drawings directly in the CAD file, keeping the layers and dimensions: engineering drawing translation. Equipment instructions and datasheets are translated with the same terminology as the specification.

How we deliver a large package on a tight deadline

A large tender package cannot be entrusted to one translator. Our process is built on teamwork that does not lose consistency:

• The project manager receives the package, counts the volume and splits it into legal, financial and technical blocks;
• A termbase is created before the work starts: the names of the client, the project, the facilities and the key concepts are fixed once;
• Parallel translation - each block is handled by a translator with the relevant specialisation. Everyone uses one Translation Memory in real time;
• Unified editing - one editor reads the whole package, so that terms and roles are rendered the same way in every document;
• Format check - the tender forms come back in exactly the structure the organiser required: the same numbering, fields and signature places.

Irreversible mistakes we check for

• An incomplete response to a requirement - a missed ToR clause can become a reason for disqualifying the proposal;
• Inconsistent terms - the same work must have the same name in the technical proposal and in the price schedule;
• Errors in figures - deadlines, quantities, percentages and units are checked against the original at a separate stage;
• Altered forms - if the organiser requires a specific form, we keep its structure and do not create a version of our own.

Your proposal in a foreign language: what the committee reads

When a Georgian company takes part in an international tender, the evaluation committee sees the proposal only in translation. The technical score depends on how clearly it shows that the company meets every requirement. That is why we follow a few rules when translating a proposal:

• Mirror the language of the ToR - if the Terms of Reference say "The Contractor shall provide", the response starts with the same term, so the evaluator can link the requirement and the response in seconds;
• Compliance matrix - if the organiser asks for a Compliance Matrix, every row of the table is translated with the clause number of the original;
• The tone of the methodology - the text is written in active, specific wording, which is the usual standard for an international evaluator;
• CVs and experience - positions, project names and clients are named the same way in every CV and in the experience table.

A well-translated proposal does not make the committee ask for further clarification, which saves time at the evaluation stage and reduces risk.

Bilingual proposals and the prevailing language

Some organisers require the proposal in two languages, for example Georgian and English, and state in the contract which language prevails in case of a discrepancy. In that case the two versions must mirror each other: the same structure, numbering, tables and figures.

We prepare bilingual documents in parallel columns or as separate files, as the organiser requires, and at the end we compare the two versions clause by clause. We pay particular attention to figures, deadlines and the wording of obligations, because this is exactly where a discrepancy leads to a dispute.

Clarifications, addenda and the final hours before the deadline

Tender conditions often change before submission. The organiser publishes Addenda, answers to bidders' questions (Clarifications) and amended forms. Each such document can change the deadline, the scope or a technical requirement.

• we translate addenda with the same termbase as the main package, so the change is visible at once;
• we translate your questions to the organiser briefly and precisely, with references to the ToR clauses;
• if an addendum changes a document that has already been translated, we correct only the changed part and mark the changes for you separately.

After the tender: the contract phase

After a win, the translation volume often grows: the contract for signature, Method Statements, progress reports, correspondence with the Engineer and acceptance certificates.

The Translation Memory and the termbase created at the tender stage keep working in the contract phase. This way the same work, facility and role have the same name in the contract, the reports and the correspondence, which matters especially in case of a dispute.

Notarization, apostille and confidentiality

Some tenders require a notarized translation of the company documents or an apostille. We arrange notarization in parallel with the translation, so the package is finished within one timeline. The time needed to issue an apostille is set by the relevant state authority, and it has to be planned separately. More details: notarization and apostille.

A tender proposal contains trade secrets: prices, methodology and subcontractor data. Only the project team has access to the files, and we sign an NDA on request.

Most often we translate from Georgian into English and from English into Georgian, and also into and from Russian, Turkish, German and French. A large share of tenders financed by international financial institutions are in English.

How to plan a tender translation

Frequently asked questions

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