Areyouanovicetenderwriter?Ifyouarenewtotenderwriting,it canbeaintimidatingtasktocreateasuccessfulandcompetitive submission.However,withtherightknowledgeandguidance, tenderwritingcanbecomeaneasierandmorerewarding undertaking.
Inthisarticle,we’regettingbacktobasicsbyprovidingsevengreat tipsfornovicetenderwriterstogivethemtheconfidenceandskills neededtowriteasuccessfultender.
UnderstandTheClient'sNeeds
Beforeyoustarttenderwriting,makesureyouunderstandtheclient'sneedsand requirements.Thiswillhelpyoutotailoryourproposaltotheirspecificneedsand increaseyourchancesofwinningthebid.
Thefirststepforanytenderwritershouldbetounderstandtheparticularsof theirclient'scompany,industrysectorandbusinessprocesses.Thismayinvolve researchorrequestingrelevantinformationfromtheclient.Tenderwritersshould askquestionsaboutthecustomer’sgoals,objectivesandrequirements,asthis canoftenrevealcrucialdetailsaboutwhattheyneedfromawinningbid.
Itisalsoimportanttogaininsightintohowtheclient’scurrentoperationsare managed,whatsystemstheyuseandwhatchallengestheyhavefacedinthepast. Additionally,tenderwritersshouldaskclientsspecificquestionsregardingwhat theyexpectfromtheendresult,suchasbudgetparametersortimeline expectations.
KeepItSimple,SpecificandConcise
Keepyourtenderwritingproposalclearandeasytounderstand.Avoidusingjargonor technicallanguagethatmaybedifficultfortheclienttounderstand.Tenderwriters shouldaimtomirrorthelanguagestyleandterminologyintheclient’stender documentation.
Usespecificexamplesandevidencetosupportyourclaims,especiallyfromanypast projectsofasimilarnaturethatyourorganisationhassuccessfullycompleted.Thiswill helptheclienttounderstandhowyoursolutionwillmeettheirneeds.
Avoidunnecessarydetails,keepyourproposalconciseandtothepoint.Tenderwriters canfallintothetrapofrepeatingthesamepointstoooften.Whilethereisacertain amountofmeritinrestatingsomecriticalpoints,especiallythosewhichdifferentiate youfromyourcompetition,careshouldbetakentobalancethisthroughoutthe proposal.
UseGraphicsandDesign
Experiencedtenderwritersmakeuseofgraphicsanddesigntomakeproposals visuallyappealingandeasytoread.Infographicsareagreatwaytopresent complexinformationinaneasy-to-understandformat.Theycanbeusedtoshow timelines,processes,andstatistics.Useimagestobreakuptextandmakethe proposalmorevisuallyinteresting.Makesuretheimagesarerelevanttothe proposalandofhighquality.
Tenderwritersusecolourtohighlightimportantinformationandmakethe proposalmoreattractive.Tenderwritersshouldtakecarethoughtouseacolour schemethatisconsistentthroughouttheproposalandeasyontheeyes. Mostimportantly,tenderwritersshoulduseaconsistentdesignthroughoutthe proposal.Thiswillmaketheproposallookprofessionalandwell-organised.
FollowTheInstructions
Makesureyoufollowtheinstructionsinthetenderdocumentwhen tenderwritingandbesuretosubmityourproposalintheformat required.Thisincludesanyspecificformatorfiletypesandsizes stipulatedforattachments.Makesureyouaddressallthe requirementsadequatelyandanswerallthequestionsinthe document.Utilisewordcountseffectively,butremembertostay withinanylimitsstipulated.
BeHonest&Realistic
Whentenderwriting,youreallyneedtogoalloutandsell yourself.Youneedtospelloutwhatmakesyouandyourservicethe bestchoice.Youknowwhyyouaretheperfectchoicesoconvincethem.
Whatmakesyoudifferentfromeveryoneelsewhoisbeing considered?Useyourtenderwritingopportunitytospelloutwhatyou excelatandhowyouwillmakethebuyer’sjobmucheasier.That’s whattheyreallywant.
•Promisingtocompleteaprojectinanunrealistictimeframecancreateunrealistic expectationsandleadtodelaysorprojectfailure.
•Offeringpricesthataresignificantlylowerthanthemarketratemayindicatethatthe writerhasnotfullyunderstoodthescopeoftheprojectorhasunderestimatedthecosts involved.
•Makingpromisesaboutcapabilitiesthatthewriter'scompanydoesnotpossess,suchas certaincertificationsoradvancedtechnologies.
•Makingguaranteesofsuccesscancreateunrealisticexpectationsandleadto disappointmentiftheprojectdoesnotmeetthoseexpectations.
•Notprovidingatransparentcostbreakdowncanleadtomistrustanddisappointmentif theprojectcostsexceedthebudget.
Rememberthemantra“Itisbettertounderpromiseandoverdeliverratherthantheotherway around”.
HaveAContingencyPlan
Havingawell-writtencontingencyplaninplacecanhelptenderwriters tominimisetheimpactofunexpectedeventsonaprojectandincrease thechancesofsuccess.Moreimportantly,itdemonstratestotheclient thatyouhavethoughtthroughtheprojectandactuallyhaveaplanin place.
Yourcontingencyplanshouldcoverthefollowing:
•Riskassessment:Identifypotentialrisksthatmayimpacttheproject,suchasdelays,cost overruns,orchangesinscope.
•Mitigationstrategies:Identifystrategiestomitigatetherisksidentifiedintherisk assessment.Thiscouldincludeaddingextraresources,adjustingtimelines,or implementingcost-savingmeasures.
•Escalationprocedures:Identifyproceduresforescalatingissuestomanagementifthe mitigationstrategiesdonotwork.
•Backupplans:Identifybackupplansforkeyprojectactivities,suchasanalternatesupplier oradifferentdeliveryschedule.
•Budget:Identifycontingenciesforunexpectedcosts,especiallypricemovementsthatmay occurbetweenthetimeofsubmissionandprojectstart.
BeResponsive
Itisimportantfortenderwriterstoberesponsivetoanyrequestsforadditional informationorclarification.Iftherequestedinformationisnotreadilyavailable, thetenderwritershouldcontacttheclienttoletthemknowandrequestthe neededtime(withinreasonablelimits)toprovidetherequestedinformation. Tenderwritersshouldalsowhitelistthekeyemailaddress(es)forthetenderso thatemailsdonotendupinspamfoldersandgetmissed.
Followingtheabovetips,novicetenderwriterscanincreasetheirchancesof winningabidandcreatingaprofessional,compliant,andcompellingproposal.
