Most suppliers meet a federal re-tender when the approach to market is already open. By then the time to respond is often only a few weeks. That is enough to write a response. It is rarely enough to find a partner, gather evidence you do not have, or decide calmly whether the work is yours to chase.
A useful start is the end date on the contract notice, counted back about a year. Twelve months is a pace, not a rule. An option, an extension, or a short variation can move the end date, and an approach to market can open earlier or later than you expect. The steps below are the work that fits in that year. This is general information, not legal advice. The notice, and the current Commonwealth Procurement Rules, still win if they disagree with it.
Read the contract you are watching
The notice is a public record of a contract already awarded. It is not an invitation to bid. Note the agency, the supplier, the value, the start and end dates, the category, and the procurement method. Treat the published value as the maximum over the life of the contract, not a yearly figure.
Then note any extension options and, if the notice has one, the maximum end date. In Commonwealth contracts, using an option is usually at the Commonwealth's discretion. If the end date already matches the maximum end date, there may be no option left. A later amendment that moves the end date, or lifts the value, can mean an option is already being used. Our guides to reading a contract notice and when federal contracts end walk through those fields.
Also note how the agency bought the work last time. An open tender, a limited tender, and a purchase from a panel lead to different next steps. A standing offer number can mean the next piece of work goes only to businesses already on that panel, and the wider chance is the panel refresh. Open tenders, limited tenders and panels explains the difference.
Close the gaps while there is no closing date
Once you know what the last buy looked like, compare it with your business. Common gaps are similar work you can evidence, insurance, security checks, a standard or certification, and the people who would do the work. Some of those take months, not days.
Build a bid library before anyone is waiting on you: a current capability statement, case studies your clients are happy for you to share, referee details, insurance certificates, and short CVs. If you need a partner, agree who leads and who does what now. Names of subcontractors can be disclosed on a later notice. The longer guide, how to prepare 6 to 12 months out, covers this middle stretch in more detail.
Be visible in the right places
Show up where the agency has asked suppliers to show up. This is not a list of people to email out of the blue. If the agency runs an industry briefing, or a request for information, attend it and answer only what is asked. Once an approach to market is open, use only the contact named in those documents. Do not ask for confidential information about another business.
If you bid with this agency before and missed out, ask for a debrief. Listen, and write down what you would change. A debrief is also available to the supplier that won. Getting the most from a tender debrief is the short version of how to use one.
If you already hold the contract, keep delivery steady. How the current supplier is performing is one of the things weighed before an extension.
An annual procurement plan can show that the agency expects to buy this kind of work, sometimes with an estimated date. Treat that date as a signal, not a timetable. Reading annual procurement plans explains how to read one.
Decide, then follow the dates that are real
A bid or no-bid call is easier before the documents arrive. Look at fit, evidence, a partner if you need one, and whether you can show value for money. On Pro and Team, the re-tender score says how often similar work changed supplier. It is history, not a forecast, and not a recommendation to bid. How the re-tender score works, and its limits sets out what the number can and cannot tell you.
An agency does not have to go back to market. If nothing is advertised, that can be normal. When an approach to market does open, read every document the agency publishes, put the closing time in your calendar, ask questions early through the named contact, and lodge before closing.
The same plan, as a checklist
The Re-tender Prep Kit is this plan written as a checklist and a month-by-month timeline, from 12 months out to the approach to market. You can tick items off in the browser, and you can print it. The first section, on reading the current contract, is free to read. Solo, Pro and Team include the rest of the checklist and the timeline.
Contract Horizon is one way to find the contracts to put on that plan. It lists federal contracts ending in the next 3 to 12 months, with the holder, the value, and the end date. Every plan, including Free, shows the expiry calendar and the extension timeline on a contract. Those figures come from published notices. They are not a decision the agency has made. A saved search can email you matches, and each saved search has a private calendar of end dates. Pro and Team add the re-tender score. The pricing page sets out what each plan includes.