The bottom line (or as they say now TL;DR version) is that the more you help the process of pricing the bid, the more you benefit. This is best done by easy work, that is well-organised and thought through clearly.
Firstly to the cynics - who ask : "How can helping bidders price their bid lead to benefits - surely I want to drive their price down ?"
This is simply wrong - though the selection process is a competition that you run, the result must be a collaboration.So, if you accept that anyone pricing a performance contract has to price something they do not completely understand (because they will not win all tenders they bid for - and the costs of preparing bids is not zero), it is a small step to the reasonable assumption, that they will include a risk premium in their pricing. You want to minimize any pricing premium.
English: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (illustration of the Appleton edition). (Photo credit: Wikipedia) "All for one - and one for all" is a summary of a good bidding process |
One of their biggest cost variables is risk premium - therefore if you can reduce risk not for one, but for all (if it sounds like The Three Musketeers my apologies I have been a fan since I read Dumas under the bed-covers as a kid), all can offer their services at lower prices. In effect by informing them you assist competitiveness (amongst themselves to collaborate with you).
The same applies to any known problems - anything that is (or may be) an investment opportunity constitutes potentially reduced risk - The enhanced potential up-side makes the bidder more attracted to winning the bid - so they price more keenly.