3 tips for writing tenders and proposals
Make a plan
Before you start writing a tender proposal, you need to thoroughly plan your tender response. If you start writing without a plan, then you run the risk of missing key points from the buyer’s specifications.
To ensure this doesn’t happen, you should plan each stage of the tendering process. Carefully look through the tender documents and assess what needs to be done. Take note of any key dates that you need to be aware of – especially the submission deadline! You should also plan for any unexpected delays and how you plan to overcome them.
Gather your evidence
When you’re tendering for work, the buyer will expect to see evidence of any previous contracts you’ve delivered. Generally, you should be able to provide two to three case studies from the past three to five years.
Remember, these should be similar in size, scope and complexity to the tender you’re bidding for. If it doesn’t demonstrate your relevant experience, there’s little point in including it in your response.
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Become the MEAT
When you’re writing tenders and proposals for a public sector contract, you need to be the MEAT. This means that you need to be the most economically advantageous tender.
When evaluating tenders in the public sector, the buyer will be looking for more than the cheapest bid. Instead, they’ll be searching for the highest quality services for the lowest price. In other words, when you’re writing tenders and proposals, you need to offer the buyer the best value for money.
In summary
If you’re writing tenders and proposals, there are certain things you should keep in mind. Firstly, remember to make a plan before you actually produce your tender response. That way, you can ensure you’re addressing the specifications in the tender documents and prepare for unexpected delays. Secondly, you need to provide the buyer with two to three case studies. Ideally, these will be similar in size, scope and complexity to the project you’re bidding for. Finally, remember that the buyer is looking for the most economically advantageous tender, or the MEAT. In other words, you need to offer the buyer the best value for money when writing tenders and proposals.
How Hudson Succeed can help
Still have questions? Why not call our Bid Writing Consultants? We’re always happy to help!
We have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – we can help. There are four bid writing packages available:
Tender Writing
Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. We’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.
Tender Mentor
Tender Mentor can give your tender response a once over before you submit. Our Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors and opportunities for improvements prior to submission.
Tender Ready
During the Tender Ready service, our team will create professional policies, procedures, and case studies in your company branding. If you already have this content, we will review everything carefully to ensure that nothing is missed. This service also helps businesses who are new to tendering with terminology and industry knowledge.
Tender Improvement
The Tender Improvement package can help those who have tendered before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.
Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.
Need help searching for tenders?
Now it’s time to find a contract opportunity for your company!
You may be wondering where you can find a tender for your business. There’s no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads.
Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific site that posts all unique, public and private sector opportunities.
Our sister company, Hudson Discover, has 11 sector-specific tendering portals. One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.
Once signed up, you’ll have access to your own dedicated Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about public sector contracts. You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector.
A subscription to one of our industry-specific portals will include:
- Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See the hundreds of opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised and easily accessible.
- A daily email bulletin. When you sign up to a portal, you’ll receive an email alert when new tenders are uploaded.
- A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any questions or queries you may have about the portal.
- A free 20-minute phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert bid consultants will chat with you about anything tender related.
What opportunities can I expect from a tender search on a Hudson Discover portal?
We host all kinds of tenders in both the public and private sectors. These are inclusive of, but aren’t limited to:
- Open tenders
- Restricted procedure tenders
- Competitive dialogues
- Negotiated tendering procedures
- Innovation partnerships
- Single supplier contracts
- Framework agreements
- Dynamic Purchasing Systems.
Vocal
Our support doesn’t end there! Our creative content agency, Vocal, are on hand to help.
The Vocal Team are not afraid to stand up and be heard. And we make sure our clients aren’t either! From small, micro businesses to large organisations, we are vocal about the things that make your business unique.
Our creative service is dedicated to growing your business through striking and thought-provoking content. We’ll take your bid and give it a complete makeover. With professionally designed tender documents, you’re sure to make an impression on the buyer!
Our team specialise in six areas, including:
- Copywriting
- Marketing
- Branding
- Websites
- Design
- Illustration.
If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, introduce yourself to the team!
Contact us to find out more!