Red Tape Busters

When you are writing a tender proposal for your business, every detail matters. A tender submission checklist can help to ensure your business’s tender proposal meets all the tenderer’s requirements. When tender writing , your tender submission checklist should include: √   Compliancy Is your tender proposal compliant? Make sure you have all the necessary qualifications, experience and accreditations required. Follow the tenderer’s instructions to the letter, as set out in the tenderer’s specifications. If there are templates supplied or formats specified, make sure you have used them.  Check that documents that need signatures, are signed. Ensure you double check the deadlines for submission, number of copies required, word limits etc. √   Legible   Is your tender proposal easy to read? Ensure that all your tender responses are clear and concise. Avoid using any unnecessary embellishment or jargon. Your responses need to follow a cle...

Writing a tender proposal for new business takes time and resources. Here are the ten top tips to help grow your business by winning more tender contracts. 1.    READ ALL THE DOCUMENTATION CAREFULLY Make sure you carefully read all of the Invitation to Tender documentation.  It may include contract notice; pricing schedule; specification; and instructions on how the tender proposal is to be completed.   2.    ENSURE YOU MEET ALL THE REQUIREMENTS TO TENDER This will detail any insurance requirements, requirements of minimum turnover and all memberships of professional or trade certificates and qualifications required.   3.    UNDERSTAND THE SELECTION CRITERIA OF THE TENDER Make sure you fully understand the tender scoring process. This will usually be split into price and quality. The quality is generally considered alongside price.  Ask using the Q&A function, if you are unclear how the tender wi...

Although, the types and sizes of grants vary across all fields, regions and disciplines, at their core, the grant writing process remains the same for each.  Writing a successful grant application is a long and arduous process consuming time and resources. The entire process begins with an idea for a project or plan. Grant writers  must ensure they have a viable plan or project, write the grant proposal, submit it and receive all relevant notices including acceptance or rejection. Experienced grant writers will then revise their proposals to hone the process for next time. Unsuccessful grant proposals must revise so they can be resubmitted during future funding cycles. Successful grant proposals, including all resulting research, can help prepare and develop further research and future grant proposals. A successful grant writer will endeavour to cultivate ongoing and positive relationship with all funding bodies as it may lead to further grants in the future....

As you may only get one shot at being invited to interview for a job vacancy, before you begin writing your job application, understand who will be reading the application. Why you are writing the application and what you wish to accomplish? Who will be reading the application? Understand who the organisation is you are applying to. Your application will need to be tailored to them. Using appropriate industry jargon, will be an advantage as it shows you are familiar with the industry as well as understand the employer’s role in that industry. -  What do they want to know? The prospective employer reading your application wants to know what it is that you can offer them. They want to know that you have the attributes, experience and qualifications that suit a position within their organisation. -  What do they need to know? The prospective employer will need to know your contact and referee details. They will also need to know the qualifications that y...

The best approach to job application writing  in 2020 is certainly not the best approach to resume writing from 20 years ago.  Resume writing has changed!  Perhaps you are one of the lucky people who has been in the same job for a long time but, for some reason, the time has come to move on.  The old way of writing a resume simply won’t cut it anymore. Here are our tips for modernizing your resume to make it stand out today:   NUMBER 1:  RESUME WRITING: KEEP IT BRIEF In the past, a job application writer  may have thought that quantifying their suitability for a job required a lot of explanation.  The more information, the better.  This is not the case now though.   Your resume should be as brief as possible.  Reading your resume should be like watching the highlights of a football match.  You get a summary of the whole game in less than a minute.  If it doesn’t fit on one or (at most) two pages, then...

Funding bodies have their own ideas on how to solve the world’s problems. Some funding bodies will address immediate needs, while other funding bodies will address root problems. Your organisation’s proposal may be a great fit for one funding body and a bad match for another. Carefully reading the guidelines will establish which category your organisation falls into. Each funding body has its own red flags which will guarantee a grant application being rejected. Reviewing and approving grant applications is largely subjective on the part of the funding body. With a large number of community and sporting organisations all vying for consideration for funding, they have the luxury of being able to wade through the mundane to find the dazzling and stand out grant applications. But there are some sure-fire ways to get your grant application rejected.  These include:   Having weak or unsubstantiated financials. If your grant writer  cannot provide strong f...

If you think of writing a tender proposal as a chore then that is exactly what it will become. A time-consuming and unsatisfying chore. The direct result of this, is a lack lustre, inaccurate and unsatisfactory tender proposal. Knowing how and where to begin can make the process seem a little less daunting. How to begin -  Research   all the facts , the competitors and the buyer. Know what the buyer is asking for. Think about whether it is something you provide. Ensure you can realistically provide the goods or services. Know your competitors. Have a think about what you can offer that they do not. Know who the buyer is. Research what they do, who they service, what goods or services they provide and require. -  Brainstorm   ideas . There is a lot of information you will need to provide so to begin with a brainstorming session is a great idea. Everything you know and everything you need to research more. -  Discuss   with colleagues . Tender...