MD Blog

As we enter the new financial year, and immerge from a relatively quiet spell in terms of public sector contract opportunities and PQQs, it could be said that this lull is the calm before the storm. With the budget out of the way and all government spending in order, we can certainly expect an incursion of new opportunities across the board in t...

The pre-qualification questionnaire or PQQ has changed dramatically since its introduction in the 1900s and has continued to evolve as technology and contracting authorities’ demands increase. However, the idea behind the PQQ remains the same: they are designed to exclude companies and significantly reduce the number of firms that are invited...

Policies and procedures play a very important part when completing a PQQ or tender. Having the relevant documents in place can make the difference between passing and failing the PQQ stage and being invited to tender. With such importance placed on your company’s policies, it is advisable to have these ready and up to date before you registe...

When writing a tender, companies are often faced with having to hire sub-contractors to have a chance at winning the contract. Not all companies are comfortable or willing to do this, as it increases the overall risk factor. However, there are a lot of contracts out there, especially in the construction sector, that state you must sub-contract a p...

 Progress of a trainee Bid Writer   It has been six months now since I started as a trainee tender writer for Executive Compass®, and I thought this would be a good a time as any to post a small update on my progress so far. Why, oh why, did I not take that job at McDonalds?! I could be flippin’ patties right now in a greasy ...

The secret of effective tender writing I am always being asked about how to improve individual and team tender writing skills. Is there one thing that I can do to make my tender submissions win? Do you have one golden rule? The short answer is no! The analogy I use for tender writing is baking a cake. There are many ingredients you need to ...

 How is social media changing procurement? Changes in public sector procurement are advancing at an alarming rate. An increasing number of PQQs and Tenders now require electronic upload onto portals. Wiith no printing needed it saves many, many trees! In a relatively short length of time the tender process has changed from a complete printe...

As those of you who receive our newsletter will know (if you don’t and would like to, click here), we have recently hired a new member of staff, Amanda Tate. She is responsible for the entire group’s marketing and one of the first things she has successfully implemented is our new company Twitter account! Go Amanda! If you would like...

At the end of 2011 the European Commission delivered proposals for finally reforming the laws surrounding public procurement in the EU. There have been many changes that have been hailed or condemned by buyers across the EU, but what do these changes mean for bid writers? These changes are to be adopted by the end of the year and will then be imple...

There are many reasons why you may fail to be awarded a contract, some of these are better known than others. We have written about these ‘pitfalls’ in the past but for some of you it’s time to be reminded! Here is a list of 4 common mistakes that are made when writing a tender or filling in a PQQ: 1. Technical overload! You m...