Public sector procurement can be very competitive. You need every trick in the book to stand out from all your competitors. It starts with a good first impression and that is your bid. Even the best suppliers can miss out on lucrative bids if they have poor bid writing skills.
Introduction to Bid Writing
Bid writing is a crucial process for businesses aiming to win contracts and expand their operations. To be successful, you need to understand the rules of the game when tendering for contracts. Writing a winning tender involves a meticulous approach to ensure compliance and competitiveness.
Before you start writing a tender, it’s essential to understand what tenders are and the aims and objectives behind them. Tenders are a formal process of bidding for contracts, and involves creating a detailed and structured approach to ensure compliance and competitiveness. By mastering the bid writing process, businesses can significantly increase their chances of securing valuable contracts.
Strong bids are divided into two parts.
1) Writing. Compelling content writing with grammar, spelling, punctuation – all the technical writing skills with some persuasiveness thrown in.
2) Bid details. The value you’ll provide, including how you’ll meet and exceed bid requirements, social value, and sustainability. Your compliance with all regulatory and contract requirements. Your capability as demonstrated in case studies, testimonials, accreditations, and certifications.
What Is Bid Writing in the Public Sector?
Bids are typically responses to open contract notices, Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PPQs), and Invitations to Tender (ITTs).
They explain how you’ll deliver the contract (methods, techniques), meet specs (delivery process), and add value (social, economic, environmental). Pricing is obviously an important part of your bid, however, it’s not the most important part. Instead, it’s considered part of the overall value provided. This is based on MAT – Most Advantageous Tender.
Writing tenders effectively and managing the tender submission process are crucial for success. Creating a bid library can streamline the tender writing process and maintain consistency among team members. Allowing adequate time for research and preparation before tender deadlines is essential. Understanding the tender process in detail, including specific requirements outlined in the tender contract, is also vital.
The MAT also includes understanding of and compliance with scoring criteria (varies by buyer), and public procurement rules as set out in the Public Procurement Act 2023 and the Social Value Model.
Understanding Tender Requirements
Understanding the client’s needs and priorities is essential to writing a successful proposal. The Invitation to Tender (ITT) contains the client’s requirements. Key points should be identified and addressed in the proposal.
A tender document checklist should include all necessary details and requirements, tailored to the specific tender opportunity. A well-prepared checklist can help avoid disqualification by ensuring that all aspects of the tender requirements are met. A good tender response should demonstrate a business’s understanding of the tender requirements and its ability to deliver the required services or products.
Creating a Bid Strategy
A clear bid strategy and action plan are essential. Bidders should define their goals and objectives and create a detailed action plan to meet these goals. It’s important to identify the key elements and develop a plan to address them. A successful bid strategy should be based on a thorough understanding of the tender requirements. Bidders should also consider their capabilities, resources, and experience when developing a clear and concise bidding strategy.
The tender evaluation process involves assessing the business’s ability to deliver the required services or products, making a well-thought-out bid strategy indispensable.
5 Common Challenges for SMEs in Tender Writing
Public procurement tender writing requires special skills not always available to SMEs, who tend to face the following five common issues:
- SMEs, especially those new to the market, often don’t have enough experience in procurement to have developed proper bid-writing strategies.
- Lack of experience can also hamper their understanding of various scoring matrices. They don’t know which elements to focus on.
- SMEs can underestimate the importance of previous experience. They might not provide comprehensive case studies or use case studies unrelated to the contract concerned. Inexperienced SMEs might also not fully understand the importance of compliance, from the contract conditions to national procurement regulations and security certifications. If they are compliant, they might not emphasise them to the contracting authority’s satisfaction.
- Using a one-size-fits-all approach. There are certainly templates that SMEs can use as a base or guideline for their bid submissions, but they shouldn’t be considered gospel. Each bid submission must be tailored to the requirements, which include tailored social value initiatives and sustainability goals that contribute to the UK’s net-zero goal.
- A curiously common mistake is missing deadlines. It’s a good idea to set mini-goals that help you keep track of progress and submit your tender within time. For example, you could say that your case studies will be ready two weeks into the process. Tick it off when you reach it. You could say that your technical details will be finalised within three weeks of your start date. Tick it off when you reach it.
Automated reminders are lifesavers in this case. Consistently failing to hit your goals is problematic, and you need to determine the cause so you can address it and get back on track. This also helps you ensure you complete each section and don’t skip anything.
Don’t worry if these challenges ring a bell. You can overcome them with bid writing and submission strategies. B2G procurement-related sites like Supply2Gov can provide the guidance and tools you need to write successful tender submissions.
8 Effective Bid Writing Techniques
True to our word, here are eight tips to enhance your public procurement bid writing strategy. Understanding these guidelines, including submission format, attachments, and word limits, ensures compliance and can significantly influence the success of your bid.
1) Read the contract carefully so you understand the specifications
Every tender submission must be unique, customised to meet the required specs detailed in the tender documentation.
2) Answer the question directly
Brevity is your friend. Don’t use three words when one will do. Also, avoid long, impressive-sounding words when a simple one conveys the same message. Only use jargon when necessary and keep your tone professional.
3) Mirror the evaluation criteria
Mirroring uses the same phrasing and structure to assure buyers you understand their pain points and will take steps to address pain points in a way that is empathetic and relevant.
4) Prove your experience and credentials
The public sector is risk-averse. They need to be absolutely sure that choosing your company is a good decision and not something they’re going to regret. This is where your case studies and testimonials come in, as well as your industry certifications and accreditations.
5) Demonstrate mandatory compliance
This includes large-scale requirements like national and international procurement regulations, and smaller-scale requirements, like all the specs in the contract and the contract’s terms and conditions.
6) Demonstrate added value
You’re going to meet the contract’s specs and requirements, obviously, but what else are you going to do to make your tender submission stand out from the others? There’s social value, but technically, social value is a contract requirement. So, what else? Can you improve their business operations? Can you save them extra costs or time? This is the above-and-beyond part of your bid.
7) Ensure the structure is clear
Your response must be structured according to the instructions in the tender documents, for example, which responses should include bullet points, the order for the different sections, headings, word count, etc. Maintaining a consistent design throughout the bid document enhances the perception of professionalism regarding the tender process.
8) Proofread and ask for feedback
Always, always, always proofread your tender. You’re looking for typos and grammatical errors, as well as flow, structure, and completeness. Ask a third-party to proofread the documents and provide feedback well before the due date, so you can make necessary adjustments. It also doesn’t hurt to ask the contracting authority for clarity.
Submission and Follow-up
Tender submission is the final stage of the tender writing process. Bidders should allow plenty of time to submit their proposal, as technical difficulties, server crashes, and communication issues can occur at the last minute. Missing the deadline can result in an automatic rejection, so planning ahead and submitting the proposal well in advance of the deadline is crucial.
A well-submitted bid is more likely to win a contract. Bidders should review and refine their work before submission, ensuring that the submission is clear and concise. After submitting a tender, you should receive notification of the outcome soon(ish) after the deadline date.
The waiting period can vary from two weeks to a month, depending on the complexity of the tender and the availability of reviewers. If the tendering organisation needs additional information, they will contact you, and you should respond promptly to keep the process moving.
How Supply2Gov Supports Better Bidding
Supply2Gov has the biggest database of government contracts, but that’s not all. We provide an array of services that enhance your bidding processes, including bid writing.
Addressing tender questions effectively maximises scoring during the tendering process, as it ensures that each component of the buyer’s inquiries is systematically planned and thoroughly answered.
A structured bid plan manages complex projects effectively, ensuring seamless collaboration among team members and clients, and addressing any challenges that may arise during the bidding process.
For example:
Tailored alerts
You can create tailored alerts that deliver niche contract opportunities that are right in your wheelhouse, giving you a realistic shot at winning. A well-structured tender proposal enhances the quality of submissions and stands out in the competitive landscape.
Bid deadlines
Your profile enables you to clearly see when bid submissions are due and which supporting documents you’ll need to complete your tender response.
Bid writing support
We provide a range of free resources that guide you towards the perfect bid response, including customisable templates. Having a fresh pair of eyes review your tender bid can identify mistakes and weak areas that you may have overlooked, enhancing the quality of your submission and increasing its chances of success.
Pay-as-you-grow alerts
Our packages start with free alerts in your local area, with options to upgrade as your business grows and you want to extend your reach. You can, for example, choose our most popular package, which delivers alerts from around the UK and provides access to all resources available.
All our services are designed to help you find and respond to relevant bids, so you don’t waste time bidding on contracts that merely nod in your direction.
Pro Tip: Quality Over Quantity
In most things, quality is always favoured over quantity – this is true for government contracts, especially when crafting a successful tender bid to enhance the chances of winning a contract.
You could fire off as many tender responses as possible, hoping to hit one or two targets. Or, you could focus on one or two opportunities that are particularly suited to your products, services, or works. In the end, high-targeted, high-quality bidding increases your win-rate, which is the name of the game.
Next Steps: Improve Your Bid Writing with Supply2Gov
Take advantage of all that Supply2Gov has to offer. Simply register for free alerts in your local area and you’ll receive contract notifications suited to your business’s operations. Bear in mind that tenders might seem perfect but the closer you examine the details the more you realise it’s not for you. This underlines the importance of reviewing each contract carefully before investing any time and effort in bid preparation.
Clear communication is a fundamental element in proposal development, ensuring that your message is effectively conveyed. Using simple language in tender submissions ensures clear communication of the benefits your organisation can offer.
When you’re ready, upgrade to our paid plans for greater coverage and larger, more lucrative opportunities. Remember, writing a winning bid is a skill. Supply2Gov is there to help you develop your writing skills and win more contracts.