Bid and Tender Writing Advice

Bid and Tender Writing Advice
 

Bid and tender or proposal writing is very different from your standard letter writing or report writing. The object of a bid or tender is to persuade the bid or tender reader to buy from you or to allow you to progress to the next stage of the bidding process.

Writing a bid or tender proposal is almost the opposite of how you would normally structure your writing.
 

It’s no good saving the best until last. Present the information that they want up front and get them interested. You are still going to have to explain your methodology and approach but if there is anything about your bid that you really want them to know, anything about it that is special and gives it that competitive edge, then you should tell them at the first available opportunity. Tell them what you can do for them, what the benefit of it is, and only then tell them what the approach is.

The objective is not to deprive them of necessary detail or to be disingenuous, but to give them what they want, in the order they want it.
 

You’ve got to give them a reason to bother reading the detail. Think about why they are reading it in the first place, they are evaluating what you are proposing in order to do two things: get through the formal evaluation process (completion of scoring forms) and to make a selection.

Unfortunately the former is often the primary reason, especially in local authorities and similar. However, you need to remember that a number of very large organisations are now using the same process and systems for bid and tender submission and evaluation.

When they read your bid documentation they are looking for the best (or worst) way to score you that the rules allow and why they should/should not select you. Don’t give them reason to de-select you, grab their interest, hold it by telling them what’s in it for them, and you will increase your chances of success.