Questions buyers actually ask.
Honest answers, including the ones that don't make the marketing pitch easier. If yours isn't here, email us — we'll add it.
Product
How is TenderWright different from Loopio or Responsive?
They're built for software RFPs and security questionnaires — content libraries that an SDR team mines. TenderWright is built for the engineering tender. We parse jurisdiction-specific procurement formats (NZ Section L equivalents, US Section L/M, AU AusTender), enforce client DOCX templates per-proposal, ground every AI claim in your firm's actual project data, and ship a single compliant submission ZIP. Vertical beats generic.
How long does it take to draft a tender response in TenderWright?
Typical time from RFP drop to first complete draft is 5–15 minutes for a small RFP, 30–60 minutes for a 60-page Crown agency RFP. Drafting the AI sections takes 2–5 minutes; the rest is review and ⌘I refinement. Compare to half a day with the manual workflow.
Does TenderWright replace my proposal writers?
No — it shifts their role from typist to editor. The AI does the first 70% (gathering relevant projects, drafting methodology, populating fee tables, validating compliance). Your writers spend their time on the 30% that wins the bid: nuance, client knowledge, the technical-discriminator paragraphs.
Can TenderWright fill the client's mandated Word template?
Yes. Upload the client's DOCX template per-proposal — TenderWright fills every {{merge_field}} from the proposal context. No gating — every firm gets it.
Will the AI fabricate project names, fees, or standards references?
It tries to. We catch it. Every AI output is post-processed by a 30-pattern fabrication scanner that strips placeholder leaks, invented project names, fake [Lead Engineer] residue, and "Lorem ipsum"-style filler. Anything we can't ground in your data becomes a [clarify] placeholder you can review before submission.
Pricing & commitment
What's the typical price?
There's no public price list, because the right number depends on your firm. Pricing is a one-time concierge onboarding plus an annual platform subscription, scoped to your tender volume and the senior-engineer time it recovers — we quote within 48 hours of a 30-minute discovery call. See /pricing/ for how an engagement is structured.
Is there a free trial?
We run paid pilots, not self-serve trials. A pilot is a scoped engagement on your live tenders that ends with an Impact Report — so you see real ROI on your own bids before committing to an annual term.
Is there lock-in?
No. You can export your full proposal data — DOCX, PDF, JSON — at any time without our involvement. If you cancel, your generated documents are yours; the workspace deactivates after 30 days. We make money from product value, not lock-in friction.
NGO, educational, or Pacific civil-society discounts?
Yes. Engineering schools, registered NGOs, and Pacific NGOs have access to discounted rates. Email hello@tenderwright.com with context.
Data & security
Is my proposal content used to train AI?
No. Anthropic (Claude) and Google (Gemini) process per-call only on their API tiers. Your proposals never enter any training corpus. We surface the AI fabrication scanner on every output so you can audit what the model returned.
Where does my data live?
Fly Postgres + an encrypted file volume in Sydney (syd region, ap-southeast-2). Daily encrypted database backups — an offsite Tigris dump (14-day retention) plus Fly volume snapshots (5-day). Other regions on request.
What if Anthropic / Google have an outage?
We failover to the alternate provider automatically. If both are down, the manual editor still works — you can still write proposals, run compliance checks, generate exports. The AI surfaces degrade; the proposal pipeline doesn't stop.
How do I get my data out?
Settings → Data Export at any time. Returns a ZIP with all proposals, projects, people, fee data, and audit logs in JSON + DOCX. Or hit the REST API directly — every entity is queryable.
Can other tenants see my data?
Mathematically, no. Every database query filters by organization_id at the query layer (not just the API). A dedicated test suite verifies cross-tenant isolation on every commit. Read the full architecture in /security/.
Do you have SOC 2 or ISO 27001?
Controls are in place; SOC 2 Type II audit is scheduled for FY26 Q3. ISO 27001 alignment in progress, targeting certification post-SOC 2. Read the full compliance posture in /security/.
Onboarding & rollout
How long does concierge setup take?
1–2 weeks for a small practice; 2–3 weeks for a mid-sized firm; 3–6 weeks for multi-office rollouts. Read /onboarding/ for the full process.
Do I have to migrate every past proposal?
No. The minimum useful set is your 5 best winning proposals (for brand voice training) plus your active project portfolio (for grounding). Everything else is optional and can be added later.
How long does it take to train a new joiner?
Most teams are productive within 90 minutes. The product mirrors the workflow your team already runs — drop RFP, draft sections, refine, export — with AI doing the first pass instead of a human.
Can I pilot it on one tender first?
Yes. The 90-day pilot programme is exactly that — pick one upcoming tender, we run the full workflow with you, and the Impact Report tells you the ROI before you commit to renewal.
Integrations
Does TenderWright integrate with my CRM?
Webhooks fire on proposal lifecycle events; the REST API gives full access to proposal/client/project data. We have native support for Stripe (billing) and OAuth-based providers; CRM-specific connectors (Salesforce, HubSpot) are scoped during concierge setup. Most teams wire their CRM in a morning.
Can TenderWright save to my SharePoint or Google Drive?
Yes — both are shipped. OAuth2 connect, per-org subfolder routing, round-tripped attachments. See /integrations/.
Does it sync with my calendar?
Yes — Outlook (MS365) and Google Calendar. Proposal due dates push to the team you assigned to the bid.
Can I use my own SSO?
Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace are shipped on Enterprise. SCIM provisioning available on request. Other IdPs on request.
Question we missed?
Email us and we'll answer directly — and add it here for the next person.