It’s no secret that continuously bringing in new contracts is crucial to keeping your business afloat. Searching for valuable opportunities? Whether you are a small or medium-sized business, public tenders level the playing field for suppliers of all sizes. This is your chance to secure high-value contracts that can catapult your business into the big league.
That being said, winning a tender is not an easy task for most businesses. There are many aspects of your tendering process that need to be perfected. If you are competing for the first time or you haven’t been successful in the past, here are some expert tips to improve your tender writing process.
1. Be Selective
There are several tenders rolled out by federal, state, and local governments. One may assume that competing for every possible tender is a way to maximize the chances of winning. But in reality, this approach can be counterproductive. Instead of submitting quality bids, you’ll end up with mediocre proposals that never win.
Therefore, it would be best to be selective and stick to tenders that are most relevant to your capabilities.
2. Don’t Rush
Putting together a bid is a long process that you cannot rush through. You’ll end up making mistakes or missing the deadline. If you’re short on time, we suggest getting tender writing professionals on board. Instead of missing out on a great opportunity, it’s better to let an expert speed up the process.
3. Understand Requirements
Prior to drafting a proposal, do a deep dive into the buyer’s history and requirements. You should know what the buyer is looking for and figure out the ways you can match their expectations. It would also be helpful to review previously awarded contracts.
4. Create a Plan
Don’t make the mistake of jumping right into writing tender proposals. Before that, you need to come up with a plan of action. In addition to understanding the requirements, you need to gather all the necessary information and a competitive tender management team. You should also determine the cost of putting together the bid.
5. Improve Writing Skills
From following templates to word counts, you have to keep up with several factors when writing a tender proposal. That means poor writing skills can bring down your entire tendering process. Take the guesswork out of what works and what doesn’t by signing up for tender writing.
4. Attend Information Sessions
Even if you have competed for many contracts in the past, you should approach every tender as a new opportunity. If the buyer or agency is conducting an information session, make sure you attend. You can clear your doubts and gain valuable insights.
5. Review Carefully
When you have put so much time and effort into your bid, why risk losing the contract because of grammatical errors? Considering that you are in competition with other qualified suppliers, you must bring your A-game. Make sure you carefully check your bids before submitting them. You can also ask other members of your team to recheck proposals.
6. Don’t Skip Debriefing
You may have done everything right on your end but still failed to win a tender. So what went wrong? Rather than wondering, you should request a debriefing, even if you win the contract. Getting constructive feedback from the evaluation panel can be quite useful. A debriefing can help you identify flaws in your tendering process and improve your future bids.
Final Words
Preparing a compelling tender is a time-consuming task. It is a competitive field that you can conquer with thorough planning and the right resources. If writing tender proposals or managing bids is taking too much time, you should consider involving a professional.
