The theoretical part of the training course for furniture makers “Participation in tender procurement”, organized by the Ukrainian Association of Furniture Manufacturers with the support of the USAID Competitive Economy of Ukraine Program, has ended.

We asked several students of these courses how interesting and useful in practice was the information they received from an experienced speaker of the course – lecturer and consultant in the field of procurement of goods, works and services, tender consultant UAFM Julia Snizhko.

Antonina Bayura, Project Manager of Cassone:

– Our company is a regular participant in tender procurement, so for those of us who are directly involved in the company, the implementation of tender procedures – has long been commonplace. Nevertheless, the courses arranged by UAFM still interested us. First of all, the fact that the speaker has extensive practical experience in what she talked about, so we, who have more than one successfully implemented tender, have learned so much more useful, found with the help of Julia so many more tender “underwater reefs” about who did not suspect. In addition, the speaker’s course was very competent and presented and intelligible, and, importantly, very interesting. The set of practical nuances that Julia shared is the most useful thing for us, which has enriched the courses, because the basics of tendering that beginners need, we have long mastered independently and established by experience.

For me personally, the topic of writing appeals correctly was important. This is not only important but also relevant specifically for our company. We used to “stumble” on this issue more often, but after filling in the bumps, we are much more skilled. The courses in some ways confirmed the correctness of our approaches in this difficult procedure, and in some ways suggested how to act more competently, more effectively.

I was happy for the novice tenderers, most of whom were in these courses (as far as I understand, they were mostly built and designed for them) and I am very sorry that at one time when I was a beginner in the tender business, I did not have the opportunity such training. And they were very lucky. That systematic, step-by-step presentation of topics, comprehensiveness of tender issues, interactive form of mastering the knowledge they need, which was offered by the speaker of the courses, is a real school of tender literacy.

Artem Palyutin, Cassone company:

– Antonina Bayura is my colleague. The two of us in the company are implementing a tender policy, which has significantly intensified since the beginning of this year. I could not help but share with her interest in the courses offered by the Association. And did not regret it. Also, given that there is always a need for training and skills improvement. In addition, our legislation often changes – supplemented and improved – so we need to keep our hands on the pulse of tender innovations, so to speak. In general, I try not to miss any educational programs, seminars, events related to tender procurement. And it gives a tangible result. The effectiveness of our work with Antonina has often almost doubled. We win tenders more often and get more profitable, solid contracts. And largely thanks to the excellent, well-prepared course of Yulia Snizhko. In fact, there were no completely new tender things for me, but, for example, delving into the topic of disqualification of bidders by customers proved to be very useful. I consider this topic the most important, based on the already significant experience in tender procurement. Practice shows that surprises and troubles can often lurk here. There are many cases when the company wins the tender and is already in winning euphoria. Premature, because at the stage of confirmation, analysis of documents, the victory can easily be selected by disqualification. How to avoid this, Julia told in detail. I also consider the topic of preparation of qualification documents, writing complaints and requirements to be very important. In this, and we who have the experience, there is a need to improve. The topic of contract tenders remains relevant and painful for Ukraine – when the tender is especially “sharpened” for a specific participant, which is determined in advance. This can be fought, and the courses from UAFM proved to be very helpful for us. In particular, in the sense of how to behave in this case.

There are two ways: to fight for your victory by all available means or to surrender. We came to the conclusion that it seems more profitable. Although in the moral sense it is very annoying and even humiliating, in the economic sense it is expedient. If you get involved in a fight, you spend so much money, you waste so much time, for which you can implement several other tenders, maybe even more profitable than the controversial one, which is unknown whether you will win back in the end. In general, the topic, as well as situations on this topic, are complex, multifaceted, non-standard. They need to be given not one or two lectures, but a separate special course. And the one we are talking about is adapted for beginners. It is comprehensive in terms of subject matter, to the credit of its speaker, but there are topics that beginners have not yet mastered in all their depth and complexity. It is not even courses that will be even more expedient here, but individual consultations with such specialists as Yulia Snizhko.

Victoria Zhukovska , Sales Manager, Premier Mebli:

– As a person who is just beginning to delve into the “kitchen” of tender operations, as not just satisfied with the course taken by Julia Snizhko. I love it. And not only from the completeness, detail, availability of the information provided but also from the validity of its illustrative and instructive real examples from the practice of tender procurement. Julia, as first-graders, explained everything to us in such detail and clarity that nothing was left incomprehensible. I had no idea how difficult and intricate this business really was – holding tenders, so many subtleties in it, which surprisingly turned out to be for tenderers with experience. Julia told and showed how reading the regulations concerning tender procurement, in particular the relevant law, to see and understand what is hidden, as they say, between the lines, how to recognize the many pitfalls that may lie in wait for you in the process of concluding tender agreements. And how many paradoxical situations were given, when for the success of the tender everything seemed to be done correctly, verified in accordance with the law, and in practice, it turned out to be unsuccessful – the tender was lost.

After the holiday I will undertake the practical application of the acquired knowledge. We want the first practical steps to be successful, effective, the first real, not educational tenders to be won, so that the first pancake, as they say, is not flashy. I feel a great responsibility because, in fact, I will have to start a tender practice in the company. That is, we are new to the tender business together with the company.

I was forced to miss the last two classes in connection with the vacation, but that’s not a problem, because the Association has videos of all classes, the whole course, so I’ll use them. I kept all the videos for myself so that I could refer to them again at any time – as a reminder, as a hint, for advisory purposes. In practical work, there will definitely be a need for that. By the way, this is another big plus of these courses, and therefore another huge thank you to UAАM – and for a very cool, helpful course on tender procurement, and for the fact that it was free for UAM members, and for being recorded and preserved, so anyone interested – and not just former listeners – can take advantage of it.

Olena Yevdokymenko, PERAL private enterprise:

– The company took the first practical steps in the tender activity before listening to the course of Yulia Snizhko. We have won tenders, but we have also lost, which is not surprising for anyone who does it.

Julia’s course will be, as they say, a table book for me – it is so complete and intelligible. I am sure that if I had been lucky enough to pass such training a little earlier when I was just starting to organize tenders for the company, there would have been fewer lost options because I entered the tender business on my own and mastered it on my own. In the UAFM directorate, it’s just good people who felt that the topic of tender procurement for furniture is so important now, and twice as good people who found such a wonderful speaker – experienced, trivial, skilled, emotional communicator with the audience, although communication was remote. Tender topics, especially in such a wide range, which was provided by the course, are generally difficult for beginners in tender procurement, but Julia laid it out in such a way that everything was surprisingly easy to learn. I was not the only student of Julia’s course. Both our director and the company’s lawyer joined. And not surprisingly, once you hear how she provides information, it is difficult to refuse further participation in the training event. I missed the first lectures because I was on a business trip, listened to them on tape, and realized that I would not miss any of Yulia’s speeches. Both within the course and outside, if any. And the saved videos of course topics are just a class. I’ve listened to some of them again and I’m sure I’ll come back to them more than once. And Julia herself will also have to seek in-depth consultations on some complex issues. I realized that she did not mind extracurricular counselling.

In our tender team, I mainly deal with the preparation and verification of tender documents, and the course has paid special attention to this topic. Performing the practical tasks given by Julia, I was once even unexpectedly named the best among other listeners, although I consider myself a novice bidder. The homework concerned the preparation of qualification documents, and Julia noted my performance of this task as the best. I really tried – like a sponge absorbed all the information provided, so, apparently, and excelled.

Oleksandr Yarovy, Blest Corporate Sales Manager:

– The content of the course provided by Yulia Snizhko is simply impressive. She arranged everything, as they say, on the shelves, systematically presented the material, step by step, logically connecting one topic with another. We can say that she approached the needs of listeners individually. For me, as a beginner in the subject of tenders, everything was important and useful, even when, at the request of experienced tenderers, she delved into a problem, deviating slightly from the main canvas of the lecture.

Very useful in this training was that Julia as a practical task did not offer abstract things, and offered to choose the real company needed by the listener of the tender, and taught him to implement, going through the course of all stages. But I failed to implement such a real and at the same time training tender for our company. Tenders that were interesting to companies in real-time required such a long preparation that went beyond the course. In addition, the course concerned tenders in the public sector, for which our company is not quite ready. So it turned out that I had previously prepared for this company. In fact, I was directed by the management to take this course so that the company could start testing in the public sector, which it has not done before. After listening to the course, I informed the management that the company is not yet ready to meet the deadlines provided by public procurement. We will reform, improve production in order to be able to participate in government tenders, which are significantly different from the conditions of commercial tenders.

For other students whose companies participate in public procurement, Julia set a practical task – the maximum successful implementation of a real tender project for the company, the minimum task: even if the training tender is not successful, it will still be useful, because the student is real, practical will pass all stages of its preparation and carrying out. And will understand with all obviousness, in what the reason for failure. This was the course training.

We thank all the participants of the course and encourage you to continue to be active, use the help of our consultant Yulia Snizhko and win tenders! Because all the winners are former newcomers, and newcomers who have supported are one step ahead.

Together to a common victory!