Tips to improve the effectiveness of your bid strategy, to win more work at higher prices.
If you are producing a proposal for which there is no given structure, spend time planning before you start writing. You need to decide on the sections you will use, the order in which they will appear and the relative length of each. These decisions will save a lot of restructuring time later on and … Read more..
It is sometimes necessary to create a CV which suits the client’s requirements for a role. As an example, you may need an Account Manager but don’t have that role within your company so will have to adapt a CV from a Sales Manager. Ensure their CV highlights all their relevant Account Management experience and … Read more..
Before deciding to proceed with a tender, it is sensible to review the scoring criteria and think about the likely competitors. Buyers often weight the scoring towards the areas they feel are most important. This gives you valuable information which can link to your likelihood of success. If you are not as strong as your … Read more..
If you think of innovation as a new idea, device or method in this situation, you will find it easy to identify examples which can be written into a bid. In the context of tendering, ‘new’ means not expected, or not the normal. It does not have to be newly created or invented. A good … Read more..
The quality section of a bid usually includes areas such as methodology, H&S, sustainability, people, credentials and experience. When writing these it is important that you make it non-generic, consider different reader types, describe benefits, include proof and ensure it is a pleasure to read as well as encompassing a win theme. Above all though, … Read more..
The Quick Quote facility allows buyers to ask for quotes for low value/low risk procurement without the need to go through a full tendering process. To be considered for a Quick Quote invitation, you need to register with Public Contracts Scotland as a supplier. This is open to suppliers from all countries. Pay particular attention to … Read more..
Motivating subject matter experts to write responses can be tricky but it is essential to get their contribution. You can make it easier for them by breaking the question into its constituent parts and simply capturing what is required. Another option is to ask them to contribute verbally to an outline planning session. Finally, you … Read more..
When trying to achieve a tight word count limit, it is false economy to cut narrative which explains the benefits of your solution or shows previous experience. There is always a danger that you will end up with a generic, factual response which can only ever be marked as ‘average’. You must balance the requirement … Read more..
It can be frustrating to be asked slightly different versions of similar questions by different clients in different tenders. While the temptation is to use a standard response which covers all aspects of a topic, you should approach each question as if it is the first time it has been written. Ask yourself what has … Read more..
Writing bids and tenders is a skill which does not come naturally to most people, particularly those who come from technical disciplines. An in-house training course is a cost-effective way of improving the quality of bids and increasing win rates, without engaging additional resources. Once trained, staff are confident and skilled at producing highly relevant … Read more..
