Procurement & finance
Addendum
A formal change or clarification issued to all tenderers during the tender period, becoming part of the tender documents. Everyone gets it, at the same time, in writing — which is the whole point.
The rule that gives the addendum its integrity is that an answer given to one bidder must be given to all. A clarification whispered to a favoured contractor is not a clarification; it is an advantage, and it destroys the comparability the tender depends on.
And the timing matters. An addendum issued two days before the deadline, materially changing the scope, produces bids that have not properly absorbed it — which is a self-inflicted wound, and it usually means extending the deadline.
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