 | More and more SME’s are finding that one of the best ways of growing their business and improving their bottom line is to submit bids and tenders to both public and private sector organisations.
Writing bids, tenders and proposals is not like writing other documents. You need a different approach otherwise you are going to waste a lot of time and money and not win any projects. This advice, some obvious, some not so obvious, will help you to avoid the commonest mistakes when completing Bids, Tenders, Grant applications and proposals and will improve your chances of success.
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Before you even begin to think about writing read all of the documentation provided. These are the rules of the game, you can play a game without knowing all the rules but you cannot win it!!
Make sure that you fully understand what the bid is asking for and that you can deliver all of the required elements within the time limit and to the guide price. If you cannot it may be possible to submit a alternative bid but you will need to ask first. Never submit an alternative bid before finding out if they are allowed. Be careful!
How to be Compliant :
- Make sure your bid matches the project specification
- Use the schedule of rates table provided
- Use the font specified
- Make sure the font is consistent throughout
- Stick to the word count. Not one word over!
- Make sure you spell check the whole document
- Have it proof read by an independent third party
- Don’t allow text to bleed between pages
- Submit the bid early and not one minute before the deadline
If you don’t understand any element of the bid and before you begin to write ask for clarification. However, be aware that most companies have a mechanism for responding to requests for clarifications that will involve publishing all questions to all tenderers. So, be careful you do not give too much away!
You should scrutinise other company’s questions for any hints or inclination of how they may be pitching/structuring their bids. Do not forget to scrutinise the answers for ideas on what the client is looking for. This is another good reason for giving yourself plenty of time to write.
The bid should have a strong theme, an underlying thread that runs throughout the whole document. It does not need a hotchpotch of ideas and “unique abilities”. It is confusing to the client if in one section you are saying that your commitment to your people is your greatest asset and then in the next you tell them it is your logistics and distribution ability. Pick a theme and build all the other elements of your business around it. The theme should be consistent and easy to understand and be based around either your unique capabilities or your competitor’s weaknesses.
Think about the customer ALL of the time. Apart from technical specifications and standards every paragraph should be written from the point of view of the customer. If it does not interest the customer or add value to the proposition do not put it in. Conversely, remember that if you do not write something in the bid, the evaluator will not know about it.
Only write about things that matter to the customer and add value. Engage the evaluator and write about things they would want to become part of.
Remember value is in the eye of the beholder.
Too many bids are dry and stale. They answer the questions very well, they are correctly formatted with perfect spelling but they are boring. What is worse they are exactly the same as all the other bids submitted. Yes you have to be compliant, yes you must have a structured and systematic bid but you must put something of the business in the bid or you will just be like everyone else. Too often bids lack personality, they lack impact. It’s not just about compliance, it’s about being different, innovative and interesting. Don’t be like everyone else, provide character and individuality.
I can spot a copy and paste a mile off and they lose you points!
I am not saying that you should not use templates. They are useful for some standard Pre-qualification Questionnaire submission elements and occasionally for a section of a tender. The problem is, is that one word can make a substantial difference and sometimes teams and individual writers are in such a hurry to complete that they miss the nuances within the question/section. Try to submit original and fresh content in all of your bids. The only sections that should have copy and paste are technical and compliance.
You can fool yourself for as long as you want. You can complain that the bid was already awarded before you even bid, you can complain about the process or even the evaluators. Ultimately, if you are not winning bids you are either submitting sub standard bids or your business is not yet good enough to tender for these slightly larger projects.
If you are regularly submitting bids and not winning then you have three options.
- Stop Bidding-your business needs to grow via another route
- Develop a more robust bid/no bid system
- Get help from a professional
Bids and Tenders go wrong for all kinds of reasons but here are some of the most common reasons
- Submission of a non compliant bid
- Late submission
- Fail to answer the customer needs or misunderstanding the specification
- Design deficiencies
- Full requirements cannot be supplied
- Inadequate experience
- Personnel skills are inadequate
- Weak after sales service
- Equipment deficiencies
- Inadequate quality management systems
- Weak financial standing and historical background
- Cost control inadequate
- Essential information missing from the PQQ, bid or tender.
- Unacceptable delivery period
- Poor organisation and administration
Do Not:
1. Exceed the word count, not even by one word.
2. Submit the bid or tender late
3. Express an interest and then not submit without giving an explanation.
4. Tell lies in any part of the bid or Tender
5. Use slang words.
6. Just describe you company. Tell them what benefits you bring.
7. Rush. Give yourself plenty of time to complete the bid or tender
8. Ignore your competitors.
9. Make assumptions
Conclusion
Bidding for projects in the private and public sector is a fantastic way of growing your business. Providing that you follow some basic housekeeping rules, read the specification and bid guidance accurately, you should produce a compliant tender and be in with a great chance of winning.
Remaining focused on the customer, selecting a good theme for your bid and telling a consistent story will ensure that your success rate will increase.
Remember “Value rather like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder” make sure your business looks attractive to the customer. They don’t kiss frogs more than once!
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Bidding,
Bids,
Tenders