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DeepSeekProcurement & tendering

DeepSeek for procurement & tendering

Open-weight (MIT) Chinese language model with a 1M context window and a built-in reasoning mode, at very low API costs.

Not specifically recommended

DeepSeek is not on our list for procurement & tendering. Usable for general work, but first look at the options we recommend for procurement & tendering.

GDPR profileOur summary of what the provider itself publishes about your data: EU hosting possible, no training on your data for business use, and self-hosting available. Caution applies to a model with a documented problem, such as an investigation by a regulator. How we measure
GDPR: Caution
QualityQuality from blind duels on LMArena: users choose between two anonymous answers. A difference of about 20 points is noticeable, a few points is noise. How we measure
1475Elo, independent
Editorial scoreOur own assessment on 10 of suitability for professional work, price and privacy. This is a judgement, not a measurement; that is why it always sits alongside the Elo. How we measure
7,4
Entry price
Free
Full GDPR check

What DeepSeek does in procurement & tendering

Core tasks in procurement & tendering
  • Spend analysis: classifying spend, normalising suppliers and finding savings
  • Finding and assessing suppliers and monitoring risks (ESG, compliance)
  • Setting up RFIs, RFQs and eAuctions, comparing bids and awarding
  • Finding tenders, extracting requirements and writing submissions (bid management)
Where DeepSeek is strong
  • Very low API costs
  • Open weights (MIT), self-hostable
  • Strong at reasoning, maths and code
  • Large context window (1M tokens)

DeepSeek has a concrete GDPR concern. The DeepSeek service stores personal data in China and was blocked by the Italian regulator in January 2025. Not recommended for regulated sectors unless you host the model yourself within the EU. Weigh this heavily before using it in procurement & tendering.

Confidentiality and GDPR

GDPR: Caution

Quotes, prices, contracts and submissions are commercially confidential; supplier and contact details also contain personal data. Sign a data processing agreement, ask where the data is stored (EU hosting) and which AI sub-processors are used, and get it recorded that your bids and spend data are not used to train models. Never paste confidential documents from an ongoing tender into a free chatbot. In public procurement, the Dutch Public Procurement Act and the principles of equal treatment and transparency apply: do not let AI award or exclude on its own, and explain how an assessment was reached. If you as a public body procure AI yourself, use the PIANOo guideline 'Buying or having algorithms and AI developed' and take the AI Act into account. An AI-generated submission remains your responsibility: check every commitment.

The DeepSeek service stores data in China and uses it for training by default (with an opt-out). Only an EU self-hosted variant of the open weights is defensible for sensitive data.

Rule of thumb Use the business variant with a data processing agreement, and keep a human in the loop for decisions that matter.
Caution the DeepSeek service stores personal data in China and was blocked in January 2025 by the Italian regulator. Advised against for regulated sectors, unless you host the model yourself within the EU.

Prices

Chat / appFreeOn chat.deepseek.com
Self-hostingFreeOpen weights, your own compute costs
API (V4.1-Flash)$0.15 / 1M in$0.60 / 1M out (off-peak rate); peak hours (Mon–Fri 01–04 and 06–10 UTC) at double the price; cache-hit input $0.003 per 1M
API (V4-Pro)$0.66 / 1M in$1.98 / 1M out (off-peak rate); peak hours at double the price; cache-hit input $0.022 per 1M

Other models for procurement & tendering

Claude for procurement & tenderingAnthropic · editorial 9.01506Gemini for procurement & tenderingGoogle · editorial 8.61527ChatGPT for procurement & tenderingOpenAI · edition 8.91485Copilot for procurement & tenderingMicrosoft · editorial 8.31485
All options for procurement & tendering
Professional tools on DeepSeek

We know of no professional tool for procurement & tendering that runs publicly on DeepSeek.

Questions about DeepSeek for procurement & tendering

Is DeepSeek suitable for procurement & tendering?
Not specifically. DeepSeek is not on our list for procurement & tendering; it is broadly usable, but first look at the options we recommend for procurement & tendering. Keep a professional in the loop for every deployment.
May I put confidential data into DeepSeek?
Quotes, prices, contracts and tender submissions are commercially confidential; supplier and contact details also contain personal data. Sign a data processing agreement, ask where the data is stored (EU hosting) and which AI sub-processors are used, and have it recorded that your bids and spend data are not used to train models. Never paste confidential parts of an ongoing tender into a free chatbot. In public procurement the Dutch Public Procurement Act and the principles of equal treatment and transparency apply: do not let AI award or exclude independently, and explain how an assessment was reached. If you are a government body buying AI yourself, use the PIANOo guidance 'Buying or having algorithms and AI developed' and take the EU AI Act into account. An AI-generated submission remains your responsibility: check every commitment. The DeepSeek service stores data in China and by default uses it for training (with an opt-out). Only an EU self-hosted version of the open weights is defensible for sensitive data.
What does DeepSeek cost?
There is Chat / app (Free), Self-hosted (Free), API (V4.1-Flash) ($0.15 / 1M in), API (V4-Pro) ($0.66 / 1M in). Check current prices on the official site.
Next stepAll 26 options for procurement & tenderingProfessional tools and general assistants side by side, on GDPR profile, price and quality.

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