Winning Tenders

4 ways to improve your chances of winning a tender

The tendering process can be very frustrating, and can sometimes seem like the only point is to wind up suppliers! The truth is, tender processes are a way for procurement departments to demonstrate everything has done fairly, with only the best performer chosen to carry out the work. Below, we’ll look at some ways to improve your chances of winning a tender by making it clear your organisation is the best to carry out the work.

Be selective

Tenders can be complex, difficult and time consuming, particularly high value tenders with a lot of demands. As a result, it’s best to only go for tenders you’re likely to win. Tenders are time consuming, so it’s much better to spend time searching for a good fit, than wasting time on a tender for a contract you’ve got a slim chance of winning.

A good exercise is to identify your ideal clients and types of work you excel at. When any tender opportunities arise, see how well they match with these ideals. If it’s a strong match then it’s worth tendering. On the other hand, if the client isn’t ideal and it’s not your strongest area of expertise, then it may not be worth the effort.

Set up a tender planning meeting

With your ideal tender opportunity identified, start by running a tender planning meeting. This is a chance to get the entire tender team together to coordinate the approach and get the best results.

As the tender manager the ideal first step is to identify all the bid requirements, and make notes of any uncertain areas. Next, think about all the things that could help you win the bid. Finally, select a team of the best people in the organisation who can help win the bid, and ensure they all attend the planning meeting.

Use this meeting to outline the bid’s requirements and have an open debate on what will win it, taking into account any pros and cons. Plan how to:

Meet tender requirements
Add value or save the client money
Any ways you can innovate in the assignment

Once complete, assign each member of the team to different tasks, agree the objectives, and then get all items completed a few days before the deadline.

As the bid manager, you should then make yourself available to answer any questions, and chase the team for progress. Finally, you can bring all the team’s efforts together in the tender document itself.

Answer all tender questions effectively

Answering all tender questions clearly and succinctly is essential to win. Make sure that all your responses are clear and crisp, avoiding any unnecessary details or waffle. Answering questions also offer an opportunity to show you’ve understood the brief and tie in benefits with your answer. For example:

“Our team are highly trained, so they’re able to meet all your requirements”
“We’re ISO 9001 certified, meaning work will be carried out to the highest standards”

After writing your tender, be sure to get someone else to edit and proof read it and ensure all answers are clear and focussed. Most tenders end up using complex language and can be extremely boring, so easy to read, clear copy is a great way of standing out.

Obtain the right accreditations

The majority of Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs) nowadays ask for ISO 9001. Holding this certification often gives you an improved chance of getting the highest marks.

Companies without ISO 9001 certification often need to work twice as hard in the first stages of the process, simply to prove their standards are of the same calibre of other entrants that are certified. Unfortunately, all this extra effort doesn’t usually end up in better results, any you make walk away with just a B grade.

Aside from ISO 9001, there are other certifications that are becoming more commonly requested in the tender process. Many firms ask for ISO 14001 certification, which covers environmental management, as well as OHSAS 18001 for health and safety.

Blog by Michelle Whitehouse, Marketing Manager for QMS International Ltd