It’s possible it’s just a formality.
Yes hopefully so. I have come across quite a number of tenders that are written in such a way, that it favours a specific supplier. If we have a product that others just can't match, then I could forsee this.
That said. I can't just igonre their long standing relationships with their current suppliers. They will definitely put up a strong fight.
Hope to see this final payment news today or at least on Monday.