No matter how experienced or inexperienced you are at preparing a tender it always helps to have all the required items ready to go. It will save you valuable time knowing exactly where the documents are and how to obtain them. Tenders are only open for a set period of time, so when a suitable option for your business becomes available, the pressure is on. The preparation of a tender document requires a lot of detail. Read on to find out exactly how much!

Here are the documents you need on hand

  • Insurance Certificates
  • CVs of crucial performers and services in your business, should your bid be successful.
  • Relevant proof of safety, quality assurances or relevant government and environmental standards your business adheres to. Of course, this depends on the business or industry you are in, as to how thorough you need to be.
  • A list of referees, previous clients that can attest you being the best person for future clients needs. Written references aren’t usually required, just a list of contactable referees that the organization you are bidding for can contact if need be.
  • A written account of previous work (otherwise known as a case study) and major successes the company has achieved and why these make your company uniquely qualified for the successful bid. You will want to document specifically the dates and durations of previous work. Lastly, you will need to document the total costings of the previous work as well.  These case studies are crucial to the success of your tender. This aspect can give far more insight into your organization than just the credentials of your company and staff. It’s also a way of reassuring the future client that you really do have what it takes to successfully fulfil the duties outlined in the tender.

Having all of the documentation ready to go does not mean all the work has been done and you can rest easy. Far from it.  The process of writing a tender bid is most of the work in executing the preparation of a tender document.

The reason for this is it’s primarily written specifically for the client that you wish to submit your bid to. Successful tenders are written in a compelling, professional and easy to read format. Some clients have selection criteria they want to be addressed in the proposal. This can make writing somewhat easier to complete but selection criterion can be tricky to the inexperienced. Make sure you allow plenty of time or enlist external services to help you in the preparation of a tender document.

Also, there can be prefilled application forms in some tender applications. This does make things easy in terms of knowing what they want and word counts, however, some applications will ask questions such as ‘Outline some challenges you have experienced with subcontractors. How did you resolve this?’. Remember the purpose of a tender document is to cast your business in the best light possible. You need to be answering this question honestly while making sure these challenges are presented in a way that assures the client you are the best person for this role. These responses take time and care to craft in the most positive and honest way. A service provider such as a bid-writing company can make this process much easier and helps with all aspects in the preparation of a tender document. These companies have a wealth of experience and are equipped to help you in every facet of the tender process. They can also explain the process if this is the first time applying.

Some companies have team members that have worked in procurement teams themselves. This insight is invaluable to understanding the requirements of criteria and how to best answer them. It is not always immediately obvious exactly how to best address the criteria. The way forward is incredibly clear with this insight.   Service providers can also manage the process so it can be submitted in a timely manner which can literally be a lifesaver for your business as when you are busy time flies! Usually, a timeline that is shared between the bid writing company and the candidate is a great option.  A professional bid writer will also discreetly evaluate the competition and identify ways that your company is different to the competition. This is a crucial strategy for writing the tender document and separating yourself from the worthy competition. Another reason to hire an external bid manager is that creating the perfect tender is a process that goes through many iterations until it is the best reflection of the service you will provide and your company itself. For this process to go smoothly an external influence can give you ideas and views that you may have never thought of. It’s a dual relationship that works best working together to achieve the desired result. With all of this work, you are bound to be successful in your tender submission and go on to greater heights!