Tips and advice on improving your bid process to reduce time input and produce higher quality and more effective bids.
You will help the reader retain concentration if you use plenty of section headings and sub-headings in your document. These titles can be used as little snippets of content to help the reader see what is coming next. By encouraging them to keep reading and not just skimming, you are more likely to get your message across.
Your bid and tender documents should be designed to win and not just to be compliant otherwise the client’s selection will be made on price. To structure a winning bid, you need to agree a win theme at the outset and then ensure all contributors weave it into their parts of the response. A win … Read more..
It can be very tempting to produce standard proposal templates and give staff rigid guidance about what to insert in each section. While this can help with consistency, it does tend to lead to very generic proposals. It is better for staff to understand what needs to be written so they can produce tailored material, … Read more..
Producing a bid or tender can be very stressful and it usually involves significant effort from those involved. A good time to reflect on this is immediately after the document has been submitted. This timing allows you to recognise the successes rather than wait for a final outcome, which may be influenced by factors which … Read more..
It is not usual to add figure or table numbers to graphics which are included in proposals. Your graphics should be introduced in the text and simply given a strong title which describes its key features and benefits. Figure and table numbering is normal in technical reports, where they are also shown alongside the table … Read more..
Bid and tender software can be very valuable when compiling large documents with multiple contributors. Most packages allow you to build a library of reusable material and will automate the notifications going to reviewers. However the quality of the response still relies on individuals thinking about what to include and tailoring it to individual clients.
Microsoft Word has excellent functions which allow you to see the readability scores of your tender responses. These can be found in the “check document” option, once preferences have been set in “settings / options / proofing”. In general, sentences should be kept as short as possible, using simple words and written in the active … Read more..
Beware of providing too much detail in the commercial section of your proposal. If you give a breakdown of the price, the buyer may try to haggle over hourly rates or deselect key parts of your service. To avoid allowing them to negotiate on individual items, simply offer an overall price for the whole project.
It can be worthwhile monitoring public sector portals, even if you do not want to bid for the jobs. You will find out which companies have been awarded contracts, allowing approaches to be made for partnership working. It is also possible to gather market intelligence such as details about which technology areas are receiving funding.
Most invitation to tender documents describe the work scope but few comprehensively capture the client’s objectives. It is very useful to find out why they are tendering the work and how the contract impacts on other parts of their business. Once you know this, you can offer a solution that provides added value and has a … Read more..
