Tender Writing for the win


Tendering for a contract is a competition and understanding the tendering will help you win that competition.

Tender writing: where do you start?
Identifying the correct tender opportunity is the best place to start in the tender process. Before diving into writing your tender proposal, thoroughly review the tender opportunity to evaluate your chances of success. Ensure you assess your likely competitors. Then pick apart the tender specification including the buyer’s aims. This is also the time to look at your company’s experience and distinguishing factors that will help to determine if the tender opportunity is a good contract for your organisation.

The next step is the actual tender writing. The trick to being a successful tender writer is planning, being persuasive and never losing sight of the questions. The biggest pill fall in tender writing is writing a bid that you would prefer, instead of what the tenderer have asked you to include. Remain focused on the evaluation criteria. Allow it to guide your tender proposal for that individual tender opportunity.

What are the “must-haves” in your tender proposal?
The best way to ensure your tender proposal is staying on the right track is to make sure that you have included everything the buyer is looking for. Typically, they will be looking for the following:
- A minimum of three years of your trading history.
- All relevant experience you have that is relevant to the tender contract.
- All suitable qualifications, memberships and certifications for your industry.
- The unique selling point that sets your company apart from your competitors.
- A solid organisational structure including all appropriate staff required for the contract.

If there is a time when you unfortunately are not successful with a tender bid, you can learn from it! For continual improvement of your tender proposals, there are simple steps you can take that will help you achieve higher success rates every time you complete an invitation to tender:

- Do not be afraid to request feedback from the tenderer.
- Undertake a review, post-tender bid, which will help you to determine what scored well and what did not.
- Review which areas were under performing in your tender proposal and your organisation’s actions.
- Immediately begin creating support and/or improvement plans to stay ahead of the next invitation to tender. It is not wise to leave it until the last minute.
- Critically review your tender writing. Review the style and format. Is your writing clear and concise? Does it flow the way it should? Is it easy to read and not over complicated?  
- Make sure you clearly identify your mistakes, so you do not make the same mistakes on your next tender opportunity.

When contemplating your tender writing options for your next tender bid, consider enlisting the help of a professional tender writer. The experience that a professional tender writer can bring to the table, would be invaluable to your organisation. Red Tape Busters can help you with experienced and enthusiastic tender writers. Red Tape Busters has Tender writers Sydney, tender writers Brisbane, Tender writers Melbourne and everywhere across our nation, Red Tape Busters can help. 

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