One region, four standards
Germany exchanges tenders primarily via GAEB files and describes positions with STLB-Bau texts. Austria relies on ÖNORM A 2063, Switzerland on the NPK catalog maintained by CRB. Each standard defines how a bill of quantities is structured, how positions are numbered, and how offers are returned.
For a supplier active across the DACH region, this means every incoming tender can arrive in a different structure, a different language convention, and a different exchange phase.
Where manual handling breaks down
In practice, many teams export tender files to Excel or copy positions into their ERP by hand. Every conversion step introduces risk: lost long texts, shifted quantities, broken position hierarchies. A single misread unit can turn a profitable position into a loss.
The deeper problem is time. Re-entering a large bill of quantities takes days, and during those days the tender clock keeps running.
Treating formats as data, not documents
The alternative is to process tender files natively. When a GAEB or ÖNORM file is read as structured data, every position keeps its identity: number, short text, long text, quantity, unit. Matching, pricing, and offer generation can then operate directly on that structure.
The compliance dividend
Formats are usually framed as an obligation. Handled correctly, they become an advantage: offers returned in the requested exchange phase, without structural errors, signal professionalism to buyers and reduce clarification rounds.
Buyers notice which suppliers return clean, structured offers. It quietly builds trust before price is even discussed.
Key takeaways
Master the formats your customers use, eliminate re-entry, and let structure work for you. In a region built on standards, format fluency is a competitive weapon.