In case of the procurement of complex goods or services, the procuring entity will organize an explanatory meeting, usually within days after the invitation to tender.  Please note that the information whether an explanatory meeting will be organized, is usually not listed in the English summary of the tender notice. 

The procuring entity can decide to hand out the tender specification documents only to those suppliers who attend the explanatory meeting.  This can be ascertained by calling the contact-person mentioned in the tender notice.  In some cases the procuring entity will require you to send in a prescribed application form to participate in an explanatory meeting.

During the explanatory meeting the procuring entity will read/explain the outline of the tender specifications.  In most cases a meeting will last about 30 minutes, depending on whether there are many questions by prospective suppliers. 

Attending an explanatory meeting can have a number of merits:

• It will ensure that one has the correct information about the call,
• Possibility to ask questions about the tender documentation. (It is however usually also possible outside of the meeting itself),
• It provides an opportunity to gauge the competition and see how many other companies are interested in the tender,
• If participation is required, it will give the supplier the right to participate in the tender,
• It provides an opportunity to obtain more information about the evaluation of the tenders.

Source:   NJSS (In Japanese)