French term (edited): appel � variantes

In some tenders, tenderers MUST stick to the letter of the call for tenders. In others, variant proposals might be accepted, without a formal undertaking to do so. In others, it will be written into the tender documents where variants will be accepted, as here, it would appear.

If the tender docs call for 5 litre polypropylene containers with screw fitting lids, the body issuing the tender docs might not be certain that better technology might not be available, and opens the field up to manufacturers who are, presumably, up with the play in the techniques and materials involved, and might be able to propose a different product that performs better and costs less (hopefully).