7 Tips for Novice Tender Writers

 


Are you a novice tender writer? If you are new to tender writing, it can be a intimidating task to create a successful and competitive submission. However, with the right knowledge and guidance, tender writing can become an easier and more rewarding undertaking.  In this article, we’re getting back to basics by providing seven great tips for novice tender writers to give them the confidence and skills needed to write a successful tender.

Understand The Client's Needs

Before you start tender writing, make sure you understand the client's needs and requirements. This will help you to tailor your proposal to their specific needs and increase your chances of winning the bid.

The first step for any tender writer should be to understand the particulars of their client's company, industry sector and business processes. This may involve research or requesting relevant information from the client. Tender writers should ask questions about the customer’s goals, objectives and requirements, as this can often reveal crucial details about what they need from a winning bid.

It is also important to gain insight into how the client’s current operations are managed, what systems they use and what challenges they have faced in the past. Additionally, tender writers should ask clients specific questions regarding what they expect from the end result, such as budget parameters or timeline expectations.

Keep It Simple, Specific and Concise:

Keep your tender writing proposal clear and easy to understand. Avoid using jargon or technical language that may be difficult for the client to understand. Tender writers should aim to mirror the language style and terminology in the client’s tender documentation.

Use specific examples and evidence to support your claims, especially from any past projects of a similar nature that your organisation has successfully completed. This will help the client to understand how your solution will meet their needs.

Avoid unnecessary details, keep your proposal concise and to the point. Tender writers can fall into the trap of repeating the same points too often. While there is a certain amount of merit in restating some critical points, especially those which differentiate you from your competition, care should be taken to balance this throughout the proposal.

Use Graphics and Design

Experienced tender writers make use of graphics and design to make proposals visually appealing and easy to read. Infographics are a great way to present complex information in an easy-to-understand format. They can be used to show timelines, processes, and statistics. Use images to break up text and make the proposal more visually interesting. Make sure the images are relevant to the proposal and of high quality.

Tender writers use colour to highlight important information and make the proposal more attractive. Tender writers should take care though to use a colour scheme that is consistent throughout the proposal and easy on the eyes.

Most importantly, tender writers in Melbourne should use a consistent design throughout the proposal. This will make the proposal look professional and well-organised.

Follow The Instructions

Make sure you follow the instructions in the tender document when tender writing and be sure to submit your proposal in the format required. This includes any specific format or file types and sizes stipulated for attachments. Make sure you address all the requirements adequately and answer all the questions in the document. Utilise word counts effectively, but remember to stay within any limits stipulated.

Be Honest & Realistic

Tender writers who make unrealistic promises or commitments that can't be kept can lead to disappointment and mistrust in the long term. Some examples of unrealistic promises and commitments that should be avoided include:

·       Promising to complete a project in an unrealistic timeframe can create unrealistic expectations and lead to delays or project failure.

·       Offering prices that are significantly lower than the market rate may indicate that the writer has not fully understood the scope of the project or has underestimated the costs involved.

·       Making promises about capabilities that the writer's company does not possess, such as certain certifications or advanced technologies.

·       Making guarantees of success can create unrealistic expectations and lead to disappointment if the project does not meet those expectations.

·       Not providing a transparent cost breakdown can lead to mistrust and disappointment if the project costs exceed the budget.

Remember the mantra “It is better to under promise and over deliver rather than the other way around”.

Have A Contingency Plan

Having a well-written contingency plan in place can help tender writers to minimise the impact of unexpected events on a project and increase the chances of success. More importantly, it demonstrates to the client that you have thought through the project and actually have a plan in place. Your contingency plan should cover the following:

·       Risk assessment: Identify potential risks that may impact the project, such as delays, cost overruns, or changes in scope.

·       Mitigation strategies: Identify strategies to mitigate the risks identified in the risk assessment. This could include adding extra resources, adjusting timelines, or implementing cost-saving measures.

·       Escalation procedures: Identify procedures for escalating issues to management if the mitigation strategies do not work.

·       Backup plans: Identify backup plans for key project activities, such as an alternate supplier or a different delivery schedule.

·       Budget: Identify contingencies for unexpected costs, especially price movements that may occur between the time of submission and project start.

Be Responsive

It is important for tender writers to be responsive to any requests for additional information or clarification. If the requested information is not readily available, the tender writer should contact the client to let them know and request the needed time (within reasonable limits) to provide the requested information.  Tender writers should also whitelist the key email address(es) for the tender so that emails do not end up in spam folders and get missed.

Following the above tips, novice tender writers can increase their chances of winning a bid and creating a professional, compliant, and compelling proposal.

Popular posts from this blog

Tender Writing – The Top Three Qualities of an Effective Tender Writer

Tender writing can be a very challenging process but the effective tender writer will have a personality, a skill set and an approach that sets them apart from the run of the mill tender writer. I believe the really important qualities that a tender writer needs to possess are an ability to stay calm under pressure; an ability to org anise other people within the organisation and to organize resources, information and supporting documents or material and an ability to develop the strategy and approach that pitches the organisation in the right light to win the attention of those assessing the tender response. I will now discuss these qualities in further detail. Calm Under Pressure Tender writing can be a very pressurized situation. There are deadlines to meet. Responses need to be submitted by a specified time, in a specified format and in a specified way. Sometimes tenders need to be hand delivered, sometimes they need to be electronically submitted via a specified web porta
Read more

Avoid Tender Rejection With This Expert Advice

Image
The experienced tender writer finds it hard enough to get their tender considered after applying and following the guidelines, ensuring that the lodgement time is met and that they have crafted a decent tender response. Tender writing requires some skill to prepare a great application yet a lot of writers ensure their tender response is rejected at the first review by making some simple errors. Here are some of the pitfalls you need to avoid to ensure your application is not rejected without first being serious considered. Remember the assessment panel on first review of all the responses will be seeking to reject as many as possible initially to get down to a manageable number and to make the task easier. Following are the mistakes that will almost certainly see your response put into the NO pile. Failure to answer every question or tick every box on the application form This might seem just plain ridiculous. How can anyone fail to fill out the application form completely? W
Read more

Grant Writing – What are the determining factors in applying for a grant?

Image
There are many factors which determine if you should be applying for a grant and if your grant writer should spend time on crafting a great submission. Grant writing is far more than filling out an application and explaining why you need that funding. The outstanding grant writer will adopt a very strategic and thorough approach and will not just apply for everything on a whim. Following is a list of issues to consider when applying for grants. Organisational Eligibility All grants have eligibility criteria relating to the type of organisation Grants might be restricted to a business, an incorporated non profit, an organisation with DGR/PBI status for example. So before applying the grant writer will ensure that the organisation as an entity is eligible to apply for this grant.   Location Restrictions Grants at times can be only available to organisations within a set geographic location or a project being delivered within a specific geographic loc
Read more