Tender Writer – Three Key Reasons Why Tenders Fail

As a tender writer there are many pitfalls to avoid in the tender writing process. The list of reasons why your tender fails to be successful is almost endless but if you understand the main reasons and avoid making some simple mistakes you can be a high quality tender writer like the ream at Red Tape Busters. Following are some of the key reasons why tenders fail:-

Price

Price really is a key consideration in the tender assessment process no matter if it is a Government, Council or Commercial tender being offered. It isn’t the only factor in assessing the successful respondent but obviously it is important. So essentially you need to ensure your price and pricing strategy is competitive. Because if your price is not competitive then you really will have to wow the tender assessment panel with higher quality goods or services, extreme and extensive value adding outstanding commitment to quality to make up for the dearer price. It just makes the job of the tender writer much more difficult if the price is not on a similar footing as your competitors.

Tender not a good fit

The fit of the tender and the possible flow of work that results if you are successful should be a key consideration. The tender needs to fit the strategic direction of the business and obviously be something that will make a nice return for the business. There also needs to be a perfect fit when considering the tender writing process.

If an organisation cannot meet the requirements of the tender and if it is clear that a company is clearly out of its depth – then why bother completing a response? Yet many companies and non profit organisations still persist thinking maybe that the assessment panel will take pity on them. This is pure fantasy so the tender writer and organisation need to think very very careful about applying for a tender. Does this tender fit our needs? Can we deliver fully on what they are seeking? Can we be competitive on price? Will the tender give us a nice financial return? Does the tender fit our strategic direction? These are all questions that must be considered. If the organisation has not effectively considered these issues then it really does make the tender writing process much more difficult because the tender writer will need to try and cover up for any shortcomings. In the competitive tender world this is extremely hard to do.

Tender not submitted in required format

This sounds silly but this is a key issue that the tender writer needs to consider. If the tender specifications require that the tender be completed in Arial 11 then don’t use Times New Roman 12 as the font. Many tenders are very specific about how the tender must be completed and submitted – so read the tender documents fully and ensure you understand if there are statements about font, binding, staples, attachments, how it needs to be submitted – electronically/disc/paper/post/hand delivered etc. 

These are just three key issues that will impact on your tender writing efforts. The quality tender writer will avoid these mistakes and therefore maximize their chances of success. 

Contact us at Red Tape Busters - should you require more information about this article or if you require specialist grant or Tender Writing Sydney experience to help your organisation or business win grant funding or achieve successes with tenders.