diff --git a/ritpytrading/tenders.py b/ritpytrading/tenders.py
index 739ea9f..68fdbd0 100644
--- a/ritpytrading/tenders.py
+++ b/ritpytrading/tenders.py
@@ -52,26 +52,29 @@ def __eq__(self, other):
         return self.__dict__ == other.__dict__
 
 # function requires a requests.Session() object as the ses argument with a loaded API_KEY
-def get_tender_response(ses, json=0):
+def _get_tender_json(ses):
 
     response = ses.get(base_url + "/tenders")
     if response.ok:
         tenders_json = response.json()
 
         # returns all attributes of the news json response object
-        if json == 1:
-            return tenders_json
+        return tenders_json
+    raise ApiException('Authorization Error: Please check API key.')
+
+# function to return a tenders_dict dict with Tender objects as values
 
+def tender_response_handle(tenders_json):
         tenders_dict = {Tender(tender_obj).tender_id: Tender(tender_obj)
                      for tender_obj in tenders_json}
 
         return tenders_dict
-    raise ApiException('Authorization Error: Please check API key.')
+
 
 # function requires a requests.Session() object as the ses argument with a loaded API_KEY
 # price Required if the tender is not fixed-bid.
 
-def post_tender_response(ses, tender_id, price=None):
+def _post_tender_response(ses, tender_id, price=None):
     payload = {}
     tender_id_parm = tender_id
 
@@ -91,7 +94,7 @@ def post_tender_response(ses, tender_id, price=None):
 
 # function requires a requests.Session() object as the ses argument with a loaded API_KEY
 
-def delete_tender_response(ses, tender_id):
+def _delete_tender_response(ses, tender_id):
 
     tender_id_parm = tender_id
 
@@ -109,22 +112,22 @@ def delete_tender_response(ses, tender_id):
 
 # function that returns the tender object
 def tenders_dict(ses):
-    return get_tender_response(ses)
+    return tender_response_handle(_get_tender_json(ses))
 
 # returns a list of JSON fomratted output for tender object
 def tenders_json(ses):
-    return get_tender_response(ses, json=1)
+    return _get_tender_json(ses)
 
 def accept_tender(ses, tender_iden, price_tender=None):
     tender_dict = tenders_dict(ses)
     if tender_dict[tender_iden].is_fixed_bid:
-        post_tender_response(ses, tender_iden, price=price_tender )
+        _post_tender_response(ses, tender_iden, price=price_tender )
     # if the tender is not fixed bid, price must be supplied
     elif:
-        if price == None:
+        if price_tender == None:
             print("Price is required since tender is not fixed bid.")
         else:
-            post_tender_response(ses, tender_iden, price=price_tender)
+            _post_tender_response(ses, tender_iden, price=price_tender)
 
 def decline_tender(ses, tender_iden):
-    delete_tender_response(ses, tender_iden)
+    _delete_tender_response(ses, tender_iden)