Submitting Your Tender Proposal – 5 Top Tips
Introduction
Submitting a tender proposal is perhaps the most important part of the tendering process.
Web-based tender submissions have become normal in recent years and is the preferred way for buyers and suppliers to complete the tender process.
What this means is that if you are interested in submitting a tender proposal, you need to be confident using web-based submission portals.
The requirements for submitting a tender proposal have not fundamentally changed. However, the way you as a supplier interacts with the buyer has changed. It is now more streamlined for your company to submit your tender.
Benefits of web-based portals
Modern procurement is completed online and there are a number of ways that this is beneficial:
- Web-based tender portals were introduced to speed up the procurement process and make it more transparent for all parties.
- Using portals makes it easy for the companies submitting tender proposals to communicate with the buyer to clarify any questions they may have.
- It means that the rules must be adhered to by suppliers. It is easy for the buyers to check that you have uploaded the required tender documents before the deadline times
- Using web-based portals means your tender proposal information can be stored online. This can save you time and effort if you tender regularly!
5 Top Tips to remember when submitting a tender proposal
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Take your Time
Make sure you have understood all the documentation that needs to be submitted. You should also make time to learn how the tender portals work if you are unfamiliar with them. One of the easiest mistakes to make when submitting a tender online is failing to understand all the submission requirements:
- what you need to complete in terms of any additional attachments,
- how to complete the correct sections,
- and generally ensuring the correct boxes are ticked.
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Don’t be put off
At first glance, many of the tender portals can seem very confusing. Don’t worry however, it is a lot easier than the old methods of printing out and posting or delivering a hard copy!
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Learn what works for you
For example, the tender expert writing this blog prefers work in a Word document. They then transpose the proposal text into the relevant online response sections when it is finalised. This is because it is not always easy to work directly with the online boxes.
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Communicate
The online tender proposal submission portals allows for a much simpler communication process. Any clarification questions, notifications and important correspondence can be completed via the portal.
This is a lot easier and more transparent for all parties. Online portals also create a central location for working on your proposal. This is especially helpful when working with other contributors.
You can all work on the same submission easily. However, you need to make sure you communicate who is doing what to prevent any errors or duplicate content.
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Strive to stand out
Online proposals can sometimes remove the need for design, formatting and branding of a tender. This might save you time, but most importantly, it increases the need for your bid to stand out from the competition.
You should take the time to make sure your tender proposal is of the highest quality possible. Naturally, at the same time, you need to make sure that it matches the contract criteria and specification. See our Tender Design series on Tender VLE for more information.
Common problems with web-based tender proposals
Although online tender proposals save the time and costs of printing and delivering a hard copy bid, the submission portals are known for being confusing and difficult to navigate.
The main problem with online tender submission portals is that there are several portals that you might use. These are all different and unique in their own special ways.
What this means for you as a supplier is that you need to become familiar with how each portal works. This is especially important if you use different systems regularly.
Another issue often encountered with online portals is on submission day.
Everyone can relate to the fact that although technology saves a lot of time, it can also create major problems when it doesn’t work! Right before the deadline for a tender proposal, the portal is likely to experience a lot of traffic and occasionally the system can crash.
To counter this, make sure your tender proposal is written in plenty of time. This will give you the breathing space you (might) need to upload your proposal in plenty of time before the deadline.
Don’t submit your proposal at the last minute as you run the risk of the portal crashing right at the vital moment. (Trust us, it happens!) If you miss the submission deadline, even by one minute, the tendering window will be closed and the authority will decline your submission.
Stay up to date
Ensure that you read all tender notifications and portal messages from the buyer throughout the tender process.
There may be important updates or additional actions required which may impact your proposal. Normally, these will be notified to all tenderers on the portal, with an (often) automatic email sent to all tenderers.
Tender proposals can demand a lot of your time and resource…
For particularly large tender proposals, there is usually a significant amount of supporting text, attachments, additional documents and financial information provided with each tender.
What this means for you is that you have a lot of reading and understanding to do before you even write your response. This can require a significant investment in terms of time and resource.
It is important to invest that time to fully understand the requirements of the proposal. If you cannot commit to this investment all the time, why not let Hudson’s tendering experts take this burden for you. Our range of tender services mean that we can support your tendering and proposal submission requirements.
Conclusion
If you feel you need some support with your tender proposals, or more information about how to use tendering portals, contact our consultants
Ask how one of our Bid Writing Consultants can support your tender proposal.
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