Public procurement is not just about meeting eligibility criteria. It’s about identifying whether a contract is strategically worth pursuing. The Risk Module, delivered as part of the unified Arkadian Terminal, enables SMEs to assess not only if they can bid, but whether they should. It provides a structured, data-led approach to avoid wasting time on bids that are unlikely to succeed.
Many tenders appear accessible on the surface but are operationally inefficient or structurally misaligned with SME capabilities. FRPs extending beyond 100 pages, vague scopes of work, or over-engineered requirements are early indicators of risk. The Risk Module detects these friction points and brings them to the surface before teams commit resources.
Each contract is scored using a weighted model that considers competition intensity, buyer behaviour, delivery timelines, technical complexity, and SME win rates on similar tenders. These variables are assessed in relation to your business profile, bidding history, and operational capacity, resulting in a tailored risk signal for each opportunity.
The module also identifies structural red flags often overlooked in early-stage bid filtering. This includes ambiguous scopes, unrealistic turnaround times, unprofiled or volatile buyers, and compliance burdens that disproportionately affect SMEs. By exposing these issues early, teams can reallocate attention to contracts that are better aligned with their strengths and resources.
At the centre of the Risk Module is Arkas’s proprietary effort-to-reward ratio. This metric quantifies the balance between bid preparation cost, delivery complexity, and projected contract value. For teams managing limited bandwidth, this becomes an essential tool for pipeline triage, focusing attention only on those contracts that are both achievable and strategically sound.
By applying the rigour of quantitative finance to public contracting, the Risk Module brings discipline and clarity to bid selection. It transforms reactive tendering into proactive pipeline management, helping SMEs reduce waste, mitigate exposure, and increase their chances of winning the contracts that matter most.
