Tendering in the OHADA zone: good practices for the private sector

Why the RFQ remains the key tool in the private sector

For a private organisation, the RFQ is not a legal obligation in the public-procurement sense. It is, however, a defensive tool for the buying decision. Facing the external auditor, the board, a lender, or simply internal audit, being able to document that three or five vendors were consulted on the same specification secures the decision.

Without an RFQ, the buying decision rests on the buyer's word. This is rarely enough for significant amounts or reputation-sensitive purchases.

Defining trigger thresholds

The procurement policy must set thresholds below which sole-source is allowed, and above which the RFQ becomes mandatory. A common three-tier shape: sole-source up to a low threshold, simple RFQ (3 vendors) in the mid range, formal RFQ (5 to 7 vendors) above. The exact amounts must be calibrated on your activity, supply risk and audit requirements, then revisited yearly.

These thresholds depend on the sector, the organisation's maturity, and the criticality of the purchase. What matters is that they are written, signed, and uniformly enforced.

The key process steps

One. Drafting a precise specification: functional description, weighted evaluation criteria, response modalities, submission deadline. Two. Vendor selection, ideally with rotation to avoid always consulting the same. Three. Simultaneous send to all, identical response window. Four. Bid opening in committee, at announced date and time. Five. Evaluation matrix, motivated decision, and notification to both the winner and the unsuccessful bidders.

Each step leaves a written trace. The full log is archived together with the contract or PO that results from the procedure.

Pitfalls to avoid

First pitfall: informing a preferred vendor before others, or sharing competitor bids. This breaks the procedure and exposes to claims for breach of fair dealing. Second pitfall: changing the evaluation criteria after bids are received. Third pitfall: awarding the deal to a vendor whose KYC has not been verified, the RFQ is won but the PO cannot be issued.

Fourth, more subtle pitfall: leaving unsuccessful vendors without feedback. Bad for the long-term relationship. A short, professional notification is enough.

Tooling the RFQ in the procurement software

A good RFQ module carries the specification, accepts vendor responses in a secure portal, automatically produces the weighted evaluation matrix per your criteria, keeps the full procedure log, and triggers PO creation to the winner without re-keying.

Procura ships this natively. The formal procedure becomes as fast as a sole-source one, without sacrificing traceability, and that is exactly what makes the difference in an audit.