MD Blog

 Future Proofing – Securing tenders in the renewable energy industry   Carbon footprint, renewable sources, Fukushima. I could go on as the air is alive with buzzwords and news about the impending doom facing our planet. Oil is dwindling, gas is becoming more expensive (and dwindling!) and renewable energy technologies have, unt...

Writing effective training and coaching tenders Like most lucrative things in life, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to writing tenders. In today’s tender market the focus rest entirely on value for money, with other considerations tied into this as part of the overall package of value. Where tenders are purely consultancy or service...

Tender Writing and the true cost from overselling   When writing a tender in a competitive tender environment, it is tempting to overstretch the abilities or resources of your organisation in order to convey a better impression to the buyer. Competitive advantage is not always easily to demonstrate and a lack of knowledge about your competit...

 Sharing the spoils – multiple bidders to share rural Broadband tender win Herefordshire and Gloucestershire county councils have teamed up to issue a tender for rural broadband. The tender notice, issued on Hereford County Council’s website, follows the receipt of government funding for Herefordshire to be one of the four rural...

Bid writers-Apprenticeships add sparkle to your tender   Even as a specialist bid writers there are only so many things you can do to make your tender writing stand out. Joining all the regulatory bodies available for your industry and ensuring that you are fully accredited for Health and Safety and quality are standard ways to make your o...

Overcoming failure – recognising the most common reasons for a low win rate in tender writing Over the years I have been involved in a large number of tender writing projects and many of the organisations that approach me for assistance are struggling with a low win rate. Whilst this is not necessarily unusual in itself, what does strike m...

Public Services (Social Enterprise and Social Value) Bill a New Headache for Public Sector Procurement A proposed new Bill introduced by the Conservative MP for Warwick is set to place a heavy burden on public sector procurement policies if it becomes statutory law. The Bill, currently before the committee stage in parliament, is likely to be ...

 The hard way down – the failure of the NHS to 'nail' IT contracts The tender writing is completed, the bids are in and awarded and you have begun delivery. At what point, if you are a contract holder in the public sector, do you put your hands up and say “We've failed. Enough is Enough?” We're still waiting for CSC, the ma...

 Is the private sector being forced to bear the brunt of public sector costs?   It's tough times for public sector service providers. Whilst the recession appeared to start back in 2008, many service providers are only now feeling the crunch. Whilst the banks, the seeming culprit and first victims of the current financial crisis, appear...

 Tenders and Contracts Finder I imagine that in a good Science fiction, one portal to get to Mars would be quite enough. Any more than that and they'd become like buses - multiple routes available but only one that goes exactly to your destination from your start point and at the right time. So why, when it comes to obtaining tenders, ar...