Tips from Tender Writing Experts
Every day, our tender writing experts hear of small businesses who are struggling to get ahead. It’s no mean feat to start a business from the ground up (as our Directors will tell you). But the good news is that now it is the little guy’s time to shine, that is, it’s time for SMEs to exploit the potential available to them.
No longer is the market simply dominated by big companies who suck all of the capital to the capital (as it were)! Since the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the system has been blown wide open and a new field of competition has emerged.
In plain English, since all authorities using public money are now obliged to put their purchasing of goods and services out to tender, all prospective suppliers who meet the minimum criteria theoretically stand an equally good chance of winning the bid.
So, what can the little guy do to maximise his chance of success?
Our team of tender writing experts have put together a list of top tips for small businesses who suddenly find themselves able to “run with the stallions” to make sure they are the winning supplier.
Know your USP
The best starting point is to know what value it is that your business adds. Our tender writing experts say that the key first step is for businesses to understand what it is that makes them unique, to understand why they stand out, and to have a real grasp of why buyers should choose them over other competitors.
Of course, if you yourself don’t understand what it is that you can add to someone’s organisation, it will be doubly difficult to convey this to a buyer.
Think of it like a job interview. You’re there/tendering to sell yourself, so you need to have a good grasp of what it is that makes you shine, from the very start. Once you understand this, our team of tender writing experts are here to help you to showcase this in the best light possible and to work with you to showcase this through your tender responses and through developing your corporate content.
Find the right opportunities
“OK I want to tender…but where do I start?” Well, once you’ve carved out a better understanding of what it is you offer, what makes you different and what you are trying to achieve, you can start to be more discerning with your opportunity searching. Shooting many bullets and hoping you hit the target never works. Instead, being careful, considered and selective with your approach will stand you in better stead.
It might be tiresome, but it is important to read the requirements of each, ensure you understand what is expected of you, and factor the submission process into your diary. Our Discover strand is the home of our ten sector-specific platforms, which use people, not arbitrary codes or algorithms to find you the most relevant opportunities for your business based on your search criteria.
Every day our tender writing experts collate the latest national and international opportunities and put them on our sector-specific platforms, hot and fresh out of the oven, ready for SMEs to apply for. Get in touch today with our Discover team for a free demo of our portals and to chat more about how we can help you find the right opportunities.
Read the question
There is nothing more frustrating as a buyer than marking a tender submission where the supplier clearly has no idea what they’re talking about. And more often than not, it’s not because suppliers are somehow inept or can’t deliver what they are promising, in our experience it is because they haven’t read the question. In this regard, the top tip from our team of tender writing experts is to read the question.
It might sound simple, but you’d be surprised how many people overlook this. We advise factoring in plenty of time into your diary to allow you to digest the requirements of each question, think about your response and answer accordingly. If a question asks you about why you think it is important to train your staff in safeguarding, for example, make sure you don’t tell the buyer how you do this. Yes, it might be interesting, but it is not relevant, and won’t score you any points.
Evidence Is key:
Remember to evidence everything you’re saying. Even if the buyer doesn’t necessarily ask for this, it is always good to solidify what you’re saying with cold, hard evidence. If you’re trying to convince someone that you are able and competent enough to build a school, it’s a good idea to show where you have done this before. Check out our Tender VLE video “Evidence is key” for more information.
And the biggest top tip of all – don’t waffle. Remember, get straight to the point, answer the question, show what you can deliver, why you should win the contract and back it up with evidence, and that’s it! If you’re needing a hand with the workload of writing bids or would like a second pair of eyes to make sure your tender is in tip-top shape, get in touch with our team of tender writing experts at Hudson Succeed today!
Look professional
Finally, whilst you might have the content nailed, don’t forget presentation. First impressions do count, despite what anyone says. If your submission is qualitatively sound but includes sloppy policies, shabby team profiles and inconsistent branding, a buyer would not look kindly on your submission. Make sure this doesn’t happen to you. Get in touch with our team of tender writing experts today for more hints and tips on how to make sure your presentation is on point.
Hudson Succeed
Our Bid Management team will be happy to tell you more about our Tender Ready and Tender Improvement packages where our dedicated procurement experts will work with you to develop your corporate literature to make sure you knock the buyers’ socks off!
Remember, if you’re a small business looking to break into tendering or aren’t seeing any success with your tendering efforts so far, then we are here to help. Chat with our tender writing experts today about how we can make sure we are on the path to success in no time!
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