Welcome to utender.ie, the premier online platform for private project tendering in Ireland.
Our mission is to revolutionize the procurement process, connecting Service Providers and
Service Consumers in a seamless and efficient manner. With our extensive database and
user-friendly interface, we simplify tender discovery and submission, empowering businesses to
succeed.
The primary objective was to develop a comprehensive and user-friendly interface for advertising goods, serving as a professional one-stop solution. Recognizing the shortcomings in existing platforms, I, as an undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science at UCD, took it upon myself to address those gaps. Consequently, the Eckomarket platform was launched in 2014. However, within six months of its inception, it became evident that the updated services offered by existing platforms were overpowering the competition in the market.
One rainy morning in 2015, while enjoying my coffee in the car and having a chat with a childhood friend We were talking about the eckomarket.ie website, which, unfortunately, had failed. At some point, he said, “why don’t you start another project on services?” At first, I ignored the idea, pretending I didn't hear. But as the day went on, the question kept coming back to me. Finally, I thought to myself, "Why not give it a try?"
In 2016, the project ( Bid Wars) began with three developers striving to make it a success. Unfortunately, due to various challenges, development ceased in early 2017. Financial constraints forced me to take on different, undesirable jobs (worked on the picking line in a well-known waste company) , but my dedication to the project never wavered. Despite facing personal hardships, I remained committed. It was a difficult journey, but my passion endured.
In 2018, fuelled by great sacrifice, we (myself and my wife) invested our savings into an educational programme and secured a cleaning contract. My task was to prepare approximately 80 newly constructed houses for the clients before their move-in dates.
We carefully revised and updated the development document to make it ready for the developers. Afterward, we patiently handed over the project to the developers, and by the end of the year, we had our first meetings. It was during this period that my wife came up with the name "UTender" for our new platform, capturing its essence, leaving behind the Bid Wars and the Services Wars.
After a year of dedicated efforts, we successfully launched the first version of our ambitious tendering platform. Following thorough functionality tests, we made the decision to introduce several additional upgrades to enhance the user experience.
UTender has officially gone live and present in Ireland, UK and Romania! As we worked on the platform, three new members joined our team, contributing their skills and expertise. Our main focus was to attract as many Service Providers as possible to the platform, creating a diverse and extensive network. We were dedicated to fostering a thriving community of Service Providers on UTender, offering numerous opportunities for collaboration and growth.
2022 was a year of ups and downs. We began the year with significant achievements, such as expanding our team, launching effective advertising, and marketing campaigns, and securing a collaboration contract with whatswhat.ie, a prominent business directory in Ireland. However, the year concluded with a major setback—a server crash resulted in a permanent loss of 20% of our code, forcing us to make a difficult decision.
With a heavy heart, I chose to rebuild the platform from scratch, leveraging improved technologies and advanced algorithms to deliver a new and enhanced tendering experience. Although it was a challenging decision, it meant going back to square one. However, we saw it as an opportunity to build a stronger and more resilient platform.
UTender has made a triumphant return! After nine months of dedicated effort, the tendering platform has been reborn from the ashes. With a renewed sense of energy and determination, we are now prepared to venture into uncharted territories and conquer new frontiers. Our mission is to unlock a "door of new possibilities" for businesses in the global market, providing them with unprecedented opportunities. We are excited to embark on this journey and make a significant impact on the business landscape.
