Writing tenders and bids that win is a skill

STEP 1 Download all the documentation

The first step is to get hold of the documentation associated with the tender. Unless it has been sent directly to you, this will involve registering on an electronic portal of some description. Login and get the documentation you need. Many of these systems give you a chance to create a supplier profile. This is worth doing, as the supplier profile can be used as a way of identifying potential companies to invite to tender. Remember your profile is an advertising pitch so make sure it's accurate, complete, and up to date. Once you have all the documentation READ IT! Yes, even the terms and conditions. You may find something in there you don't like or cannot live with or can't deliver.

STEP 2 Bid/No-Bid

There are many tools available to help you decide whether to bid on the tender once you have seen it. These tools range from simple checklists to spreadsheets with complex scoring systems. They are all designed to do the same thing: apply some logic to judge what are your chances of winning the bid. They often cover:

Ability to produce a quality response in time,

How well you know the client,

What you know about the product, project or service being procured,

Who your competition is likely to be and how you stand up to them,

Your ability to deliver the requirements should you win,

Other internal and strategic factors, including risks, that influence the decision

Remember, bidding costs money. The minute someone starts working on a bid it is using resources. If you buy-in expert bid writing resource, the cost is more obvious. So think carefully about your chance of success before you decide to proceed.

STEP 3 Checklist

Having decided to go ahead, go through all the documentation, and produce a checklist of the things you will need to pull together to submit a bid on time. This should include all supporting documentation required e.g. insurance certificates. You should also  gain familiarity with the online procurement system. It can take a long time to upload all the required documents into the right sections.

One of the main reasons for producing a checklist is that it gives an early sight of all the work involved in tendering. I have seen many bids fail because a required document or statement was not submitted. Even though you might expect the main ITT to define all the requirements, it is not uncommon for additional needs to be stated elsewhere. I once discovered a requirement to "produce a hard copy of the submission and post it to reach us by the deadline". That was at 3 pm the afternoon before a noon deadline. Fortunately, we found a courier capable of getting it there on time. You have been warned!

It is often worth loading supporting documentation on to the portal as you gather it, rather than waiting until the end. 

STEP 4 Differentiator

Finally, you can now start to think about your response or proposal. What is your differentiator over the competition? Generally, you are only likely to have one. If you think you have a long list, think again. The most common are:

• Location - you are on-hand
• Client knowledge - you've been working with them for years
• Value - this is the value as the client would perceive it. There's no point in pushing a product feature if the client has no interest in it. What are they really after? Reading between the lines of their ITT/RFP what do they really want? Reliability? Guaranteed delivery to budget and cost? Something else?
• Price - It will be obvious from the scoring criteria, if they have been published, whether the price is the main driver, or how important a factor it is. If the RFP talks about 20% technical, 80% MEAT you know it's all about the price.

STEP 5 Storyboard

Depending on whether the tender has to be submitted on a pre-formed template e.g. a series of questions, or whether you can write it how you like, will dictate the story you are telling. That story has to appeal to the client and emphasise your differentiator at every opportunity. 

If you can provide a freeform response I would always advise that you do the following:

Provide an Executive Summary. 1 page which describes how your offer meets their requirements.

Structure your proposal to directly match their specification documents i.e. your answers are in the same order as their requirements. Even reference which part of the specification you are addressing. If you make it easy for them to find your answers it increases your chances! Remember: someone has to read what you have written!

Use pictures and diagrams where you can.  The adage that a picture paints a thousand words still holds.

Pull information into summary tables where possible.

Answer everything but keep it as short as possible.

STEP 6 Clarifications

This is your only vehicle for getting clarity on the clients' requirements. Treat this with respect. Some key tips in using clarifications:

• Remember, your question and their answer will be shared with the competition - do you really want them to know what you are thinking?
• You can always use assumptions - you don't have to ask a clarification, instead, you can make and state an assumption in your proposal.
• Be polite - I have seen many blunt and rude clarifications e.g. "your specification is vague, how do you expect us to price it?". This will only serve to annoy the customer and reduce your chances. A better question would be "Are there any more details available on...."
• Don't ask a question when the answer is in the documentation they provided, read it properly. 
• Word your questions carefully, don't rush them. Often the answer may be provided by a procurement specialist not the end-user of the goods or services being provided. Closed questions should generate a yes/no answer. Open questions may give more scope for an answer, but you may not get the clarification you seek.

Finally, don't be surprised if you don't get clarification. You will almost certainly get an answer, but it's very common the answer just refers you to something already issued to you!

STEP 7 Write It

Having done all the above, you are now ready to write your proposal! 

The main fault I see when reviewing proposals, is that the author of the proposal makes assumptions, in particular when they are the current contract holder. They assume that the client knows them. DON'T ASSUME. Spell out everything. If it's not in your proposal they cannot score it. If you want to refer to the success of a previous project, include a case study or write a paragraph to describe the VALUE you brought.

Other things to watch out for:

• Font: Some tenders specify font style, size and even paper and margin dimensions.
• Word limits: Often included ensuring that documents are kept short. You can sometimes clarify whether diagrams are included in the word limits.

STEP 8 Peer Review

In very small organisations peer review is often not possible. If you can, it is worth doing. Get a colleague to review your submission against the clients ITT/specification. They should be challenging. Does your response answer the question or is it vague? Have you covered everything? Is it understandable? Is it to the point?

STEP 9 Compliance Check

Use your checklist and the ITT to make sure you have a compliant bid - this means that you have included everything requested, in the format requested e.g. if they have asked for an organisation structure have you included it? Are the CV's of key staff included AND relevant to this tender opportunity? All certificates, financial documents and quality assurance included.

Sometimes it is not possible to provide what has been requested e.g. the client may want insurance cover of £5m when you currently have £1m. This is where you need to be smart. Phone your broker and get a quote to increase it, then state "We currently have cover to £1m. We have received a quote to increase our cover to £5m which we will accept if we are successful in winning this work". You are saying you are not compliant but you will be. 

If you have too many items like this though, you will not win so there's no point in bidding.