The determinants of tender opportunities in consulting engineering firms in the Eastern Cape

Management of an engineering consultancy unit in the Eastern Cape Province is concerned about the costs incurred by project managers and specialist engineers pursuing tender opportunities that are not feasible. Annual losses in this unit due to unsuccessful tenders amounts to R2,5 million annually, which equates to about 12% of the revenue generated by the unit. The aim of the research study is to assist the consulting engineering firm by investigating and identifying the key determinants for making the decision of whether to bid on a particular tender opportunity. The study includes an assessment of relevant literature, academia and text to investigate key factors that could influence the decision to bid on tenders from which research questions and appropriate theories were drawn. Based on the research questions and theories that emanated from the literature, the study also includes the assessment of primary data through the administration of a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire is empirically analysed within the positivistic research paradigm through the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations are made based on the findings of the administered questionnaire