Business growth may feature heavily in your plans and bidding for tenders is an ideal way to achieve those goals.
But, how can you ensure your tender bid stands out over your competitors?
Here are our top tender tips:
- Have a clear contract strategy
Finding and developing your contract strategy is a great way to home in on exactly which bids will align with your overall business and growth plans. That’s why we offer a bespoke consultation service to develop this strategy with you, so we get to know your organisation from the inside out. It is the culmination of a team effort – strategic thinking, investigative research, clarity and focus. It also means you won’t get distracted by lucrative bids that are not a good fit for your business and the direction you want to take it in.
2. Analyse any potential contract opportunities
When a tender or contract opportunity presents itself, carry out an opportunity analysis to make sure it not only aligns with your business goals and contract strategy, but that you have the resources and skills to deliver the contract if successful. If you don’t, what do you need to put in place? Will that make the contract financially viable? Or will you be at a loss once you have invested in more people and equipment?
3. Assemble a tender team
Responding to a tender, particularly an NHS or public sector contract, can be a long, thorough process. Think hard about the information you need to gather and who can help you to do this. Also assign a project manager so there is someone leading and coordinating the whole process and providing a clear timeline of the project.
4. Understand the requirements
Thoroughly understand the requirements outlined in the tender document. Identify key deliverables, timelines, evaluation criteria, and any specific qualifications or documentation needed. This will form the structure of your bid and demonstrate to the client that you have a clear understanding of their needs.
5. Don’t rush the writing
It sounds simple but you need to ensure you answer each question fully. Every answer needs to present the correct information be compellingly written to score the highest points possible. As part of our tender writing management process, we have an open dialogue with clients, ensuring that no critical detail is missed. Make sure you also adhere to any word count limits or special directions regarding layout.
6. Emphasise experience and effectiveness
Where there is an opportunity, you need to showcase any relevant experience or achievements. Include case studies, testimonials and qualifications or certificates. Also emphasise cost-effectiveness or any other commercial, environmental or social benefits a potential client will gain from working with you over someone else.
7. Review and refine
Proofread your bid several times checking for accuracy, grammar and that word limits and criteria have been met. Ask colleagues to also review your bid. Do they have anything to add? Could you remove any words that don’t add anything to the submission to sound more concise? When we work with clients, we also ensure the sign-off process fully aligns to our client’s internal quality assurance and governance protocols. Uniquely, where appropriate, we also utilise specialist expert advisers to perform an additional panel review.
For more information or to discuss how we can work with your organisation to help you craft winning tender bids, contact us today on 0330 1331 041 or info@klowconsulting.com.