Tender Writing - The basics



Every year, local, state and federal governments and agencies and private companies invite businesses to submit their best bid for the supply of goods and services.

What follows is the basics needed to prepare a competitive tender.

Register your interest
Follow the tender document instructions to the letter, to register your interest in tendering. This is important as it will keep you up to date with tender information sessions.

Attend tender information sessions
Attend any information sessions offered. These are important opportunities to make contact with the tenderer and ask questions. You may also have a chance to meet potential subcontractors.

Develop your tender response strategy
Thoroughly plan your tender response and consider the tender requirements and resources involved.
Ask yourself:
How much is involved to prepare the tender response?
What information do I need to put together?
Can my current fulfill the contract?
Can I manage the tender project?
Who is my competition and what are my chances of winning?

Review recent awarded contracts
If you are not sure about any or the tender requirements, Review previously awarded contracts. Research the tenderer. What type of companies won tenders with them in the past? What do they look for? What can you do to meet their requirements and expectations?

Write a compelling bid
Preparing your tender proposal includes carefully planning, drafting and refining it. Ensure that you use any response forms provided and address all questions. Stick to all word and/or page limits set, and do not go altering fonts and font sizes unless expressly permitted.

Be very clear about your proposal structure. Select some key propositions you will use to set your tender apart. Review the tender evaluation criteria to secure a better understanding of what the tenderer is looking for and how you will be evaluated.

Understand the payment terms
When creating your tender response, make sure you thoroughly understand the payment schedule that the tenderer has specified. Government payment schedules vary between agencies and vary between tenders. If you require payment of goods or services differently to that specified in the tender documents, you should address this in your offer.

Find referees
Provide reliable referees in your tender proposal who know your business and can testify to your work. Ensure you make your referees clear on what the tender request is about, so they know what points to stress in their reference. If you have supplied goods or services in the past to a government agency, be sure to ask them for a reference.

Check and submit your bid
Make sure you read, re-read and check the finer details of your tender proposal thoroughly before submitting it. Use the checklist if provided in the tender documents or create your own checklist to make sure your bid addresses and meets all the requirements.

Get help
If you are not a strong writer or it seems a daunting task, think about engaging a professional tender writer. A professional tender writer brings a wealth of experience to the table and can work with you to produce a contract winning tender proposal. Red Tape Busters has an experienced team of professional tender writers. Tender writer Brisbane, Tender writer Melbourne or tender writing anywhere in between or Australia wide, Red Tape Busters’ team are waiting to help you now. 

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