BidBot's question extraction is accurate and fast, but it is only as reliable as the check that follows it. A few minutes of verification after each extraction gives you confidence that you are answering the right questions, in full, before anyone spends time storyboarding or drafting.
This article sets out the verification routine we recommend for every extraction, and what to do when a question cannot be traced back to its source.
The routine at a glance
Approve or reject each question as BidBot inserts it.
Check questions against the source with View References.
Reconcile the set against the tender's own instructions.
Investigate anything still Linking after 10 minutes.
Confirm the question set before any storyboarding or drafting starts.
Who verifies, and when
Verification is the responsibility of whoever ran the extraction. They know what they asked BidBot for, so they are best placed to judge whether the result matches.
Verify straight away, after every extraction, whether the questions arrived normally or are still showing Linking. If you extract in blocks (by tab, section, lot or question type), verify each block before extracting the next.
Step 1 - approve or reject as questions arrive
Extraction is human-in-the-loop. As BidBot inserts questions into the question table, it asks you to approve or reject them.
This is your first check, so treat it as one. Read what BidBot is proposing and reject anything that does not belong to the set you asked for. Approving a question tells BidScript it is correct, so do not approve on trust.
Step 2 - check questions against the source with View References
View References shows you exactly where a question sits in the original tender document, so you can confirm it with your own eyes.
Open the question table, at project, document or section level. See Viewing questions by document and section.
Select one question. View References works on a single question at a time.
Click View references, next to Select all questions at the top of the table.
A document preview opens to the right of the table, with the question highlighted where it appears in the tender pack.
Use Next question and Prev question to step through the rest of the questions in your current view.
For each question you check, confirm:
It is verbatim. The question text in the table matches the source word for word, with nothing cut off.
Nothing around it was missed. Word or character limits, weightings, scoring notes, guidance text, sub-parts and "your answer should include" lists have all been captured.
It belongs to the right set. The highlighted location is the document, tab or section you intended to extract from.
How many questions to check
You do not need to check every question on a very large set; spot-checking is acceptable. Scale the check to the complexity of the source:
Simple Word or PDF document | One or two questions, enough to confirm BidBot has understood the structure. |
Large or multi-tab Excel workbook | A much higher proportion, including questions from every tab and every section, and the first and last question of each block. |
Any question showing Linking | Always check. See below. |
Step 3 - reconcile the set against the tender instructions
The tender itself tells you which questions will be evaluated, usually in the instructions to tenderers, the ITT or the evaluation methodology. Use it to check the set as a whole, not just individual questions.
Ask BidBot to do the comparison for you:
List every quality question that the tender instructions say will be scored, with its reference number, weighting and word limit. For each one, tell me whether it is in the question table. Then list any questions in the question table that do not appear in the tender instructions.
Anything missing from the table, or anything in the table that the instructions do not mention, needs investigating before you go further.
Questions that stay in Linking
Once a question is extracted, BidScript links it to its exact location in the source document. That link is what powers View References. While this is happening, the question shows Linking beneath its ID.
Most questions link within moments and then appear as normal. A question stays in Linking when BidScript cannot locate it in the source document. If you open View References on it, you will see No references found.
A question that stays in Linking is unconfirmed. It may be correct, but BidScript cannot show you where it came from, so do not draft against it until you have checked it.
If a question is still in Linking 10 minutes after BidBot finishes the extraction, investigate it.
How to investigate
1. Ask BidBot. This is the main route. Reopen BidBot in the project and ask where the question came from:
Question {ID} is still showing Linking. Which document, tab or section did you extract it from? Is it in hidden content, or anywhere a supplier would not normally see it? Could it be a false question, or one we do not need to answer?
2. Check the source document yourself. This is the fail-safe. Open the document where you expect the questions to be and find them yourself in the in-app viewer. It is manual, but it gives you certainty.
3. Act on what you find.
If the question is genuine, keep it, and note where it lives.
If it comes from hidden content, or is a question you do not need to answer, delete it.
If several questions are affected, or you are unsure the set is right, delete the extracted set and re-extract with BidBot, now giving it a more precise instruction based on what you have learned about where the real questions are. See BidBot question extraction for targeted prompts.
Hidden content in Excel workbooks
Tender workbooks sometimes contain hidden sheets, rows or columns. Questions extracted from hidden content may stay in Linking because BidScript cannot reliably show you where they are. If you suspect a workbook has hidden content, check any Linking questions from it manually before you rely on them. We are actively improving how BidScript handles hidden content.
Delete a question
You can delete Linking questions individually, without removing the rest of the set.
[CONFIRM STEPS - e.g. select the question in the question table]
[CONFIRM STEPS - e.g. open the ⋯ menu at the top of the question table]
[CONFIRM STEPS - e.g. click Delete and confirm]
When the question set is unclear, ask the buyer
If the tender documents leave you unsure which questions you are expected to answer, raise a clarification question with the contracting authority through the procurement portal, within the clarification deadline.
If you find content that looks intended for the evaluation panel rather than for suppliers, such as evaluator-only questions or scoring notes, do not answer it as if it were part of your submission. Raise it with the contracting authority.
Confirm the question set before drafting
After every extraction, confirm the question set before any storyboarding or drafting work begins. Once writers are working against a question, correcting it costs far more time, and the closer you are to the deadline the more it costs.
A question set is confirmed when:
Every question has been approved in BidBot.
You have spot-checked an appropriate proportion with View References.
The set reconciles with the tender instructions.
No question is left in Linking without explanation.
Related articles
BidBot question extraction - targeted prompts for Excel, Word and PDF documents.
Viewing questions by document and section - narrowing the table so you can step through one document or section.
Managing the question table - columns, word limits, weightings, assignment and statuses.
Document classifications - where the tender instructions and evaluation documents are filed.