This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by mobius-crypt
Inside the Automated Tender Matching System: Engineering the Core of Tenders-SA
The heart of Tenders-SA is the automated matching system, an AI-enhanced engine that calculates compatibility scores for every company each time a new tender lands.
This post breaks down the engineering behind it.
🔥 Architectural Goals
- No manual reviewing of tenders
- Consistent scoring across all companies
- Sub-second matching for small datasets
- High accuracy for industry relevance
- Explainable results (AI reasoning)
🚦 1. Trigger-Based Matching
Every newly ingested tender triggers:
New Tender → Matching Engine → AI Reasoning → Notification Queue
We use event-driven processing:
interface TenderIngestedEvent {
tenderId: string;
timestamp: Date;
}
🧮 2. The Scoring Model
The scoring model is intentionally weighted and explainable, not a black box.
Industry Alignment: 35%
Geographic Fit: 25%
BBBEE Level Match: 20%
Financial Capacity: 15%
Certification Match: 5%
Each category uses normalized values:
- Industry → NAICS/SIC similarity
- Geography → province + region mapping
- BBBEE → compliance threshold
- Finance → turnover vs project size
- Certifications → prerequisites
This ensures fairness and transparency.
🧠 3. AI Reasoning Layer
After scoring, we run an LLM agent to produce human explanations:
- Why this tender matches
- What the company might struggle with
- What documents are required
- Recommended next steps
Example:
“Experience in ICT support aligns with tender's technical scope. Ensure your tax clearance is valid before submission.”
📡 4. Notification Pipeline
Detailed in
https://www.tenders-sa.org/documentation/user-guides/tender-application-guide
, the pipeline supports:
- In-app alerts
- Daily summaries
- Future mobile push
Each item includes:
{
score: 85,
reasoning: "...",
deadline: "2025-12-04",
actionUrl: "/tenders/123"
}
📈 5. Analytics & Feedback Loops
We track:
- Open rate
- Click-through rate
- Application rate
- Response time
- Engagement by company type
This lets us refine scoring weights and identify industry trends.
🧩 6. Why This Matters
SMEs were missing tenders because:
- Nobody checks tender portals every hour
- Too many irrelevant opportunities
- Hard to judge eligibility
- Compliance requirements are complex
Our system reduces missed opportunities by 80%.
📚 Further Reading
From our blog:
Tender Scoring Systems
https://www.tenders-sa.org/blog?category=tender-scoringProcurement Basics
https://www.tenders-sa.org/blog?category=procurement-basics
More posts are coming that detail the AI architecture and form automation system.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by mobius-crypt
mobius-crypt | Sciencx (2025-11-28T16:05:08+00:00) Inside the Automated Tender Matching System: Engineering the Core of Tenders-SA. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/11/28/inside-the-automated-tender-matching-system-engineering-the-core-of-tenders-sa-2/
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