A tender bid writing company, Snap Edition Ltd, discuss the considerations, challenges and pitfalls of the tendering process.
When the coalition government came to power, SMEs were only winning around 6.5 per cent of the total Government procurement spend (£230bn). In a bid to change this and make the marketplace more competitive, the government aims to increase this figure to 25 per cent by 2016. This gives SMEs a huge opportunity for rapid growth and is an area that any ambitious managing director in the security sector should be seriously considering at this time.
Writing a tender bid can be an intimidating process, even for larger organisations. Not only must you consider the rules, regulations and procedures that must be followed; you must also scrutinise (and in many cases create) your in-house policies and procedures to ensure that you meet all of the requirements.
Once you have selected an appropriate opportunity which you are sure you can deliver, a good place to start is market research. Who are your main competitors in your industry and which companies have been awarded similar government contracts in the past? You should also consider your pricing strategy. If you are an SME, it is likely that you will be able to price your proposal competitively but be sure not to under price either. Many smaller businesses shy away from tendering due to the risks associated with failure – i.e. late delivery charges and over reliance on one key contract/customer but these risks should be factored into your costs. It is also good idea to consider your contingency plans should you encounter any problems.
Other factors to take into account during the market research phase focus on delivering a bid (and service) that is in line with what that particular government department considers to be most important, both within this particular contract and as a whole. Look at their website, political statements, strategy documents and most importantly, the contract specification. Think about how you can demonstrate that your plan for the delivery of this contract is in line with theirs – let them know that you are on the same page!
When you provide responses to the questions, think about the benefits that your service will bring and formulate answers around those benefits rather than what you will be doing. Also try to demonstrate how those benefits will offer value for money in comparison to other bidders, ie. what are your unique selling points?
It is paramount that you answer every question specified. Missing out an answer to just one key question could be the difference between getting through to the next stage and not. If you’re unsure how to answer a question, ask for help; whether than be from someone else within the organisation or someone external.
Due to the fact that the quality of tender bid submissions has risen substantially in recent years, it is always advisable to get some kind of help. Whether that is from other staff or associates with previous tender writing experience; via a tender writing training course, or; from a professional tender writing company. Tender writing is fraught with potential pitfalls and when the rewards are so high, a second opinion could be the difference between success and failure.
Visit http://www.snap-edition.co.uk
