What does tenderable mean?
Tenderable is a formal business adjective meaning capable of being tendered: formally offered for consideration. In procurement and contracting, a tender is a bid or proposal submitted by a supplier in response to an invitation. Tenderable may therefore qualify a bid, quotation, price, contract, or related item, indicating that it can be issued or included in that formal process. The term is chiefly associated with procurement, construction, finance, and legal or administrative documents, and is much less common in ordinary conversation than tender itself. It describes form or capacity rather than quality: a tenderable bid is not necessarily the best or most successful bid, only one that can be formally tendered. Its usefulness lies in distinguishing an offer intended for formal acceptance from an informal expression of interest. The word transparently combines tender with the suffix -able, meaning able to be tendered.
adjectiveCapable of being tendered; able to be formally offered for consideration, especially as a bid, proposal, quotation, or price.
- Capable of being formally submitted as a tender, bid, proposal, quotation, price, or similar offer for acceptance.
"The council invited tenderable bids from contractors holding the required licences."
"The client requested tenderable quotations for the construction work."
"Only tenderable bids will be considered under the procurement rules."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tenderable come from?
Tenderable was formed in English from tender, in the sense of an offer made for consideration, and the suffix -able, meaning capable of being. The suffix comes ultimately from Latin -abilis. The verb tender comes through Old French tendre from Latin tendere, “stretch out,” whose meaning developed toward “announce” or “offer”; the same Latin root underlies cognates such as tend, tendency, and tension.
How tenderable is actually used
Formal and chiefly used in procurement, contracting, finance, and legal or administrative contexts. It is uncommon in everyday speech and focuses on the capacity or eligibility for formal submission rather than the quality or attractiveness of an offer.
Easily confused with tenderable
A tender is the formal offer, bid, or proposal itself, whereas tenderable is the adjective describing something capable of being submitted as a tender.