Posted on 07-12-2009 at 14:00
PQQ, Bids and Tender submissions can be complicated and time consuming
Here are a few tips to help you make the most of the opportunity and hopefully not waste time and money repeating obvious mistakes
Advanced Top Tips for winning tenders
Every business wants to become more competitive and win more business. Even if you are used to tendering and doing business with the public sector you still might like to browse these advanced tips:
If you want to respond to a bid in a different way - for example, to showcase an innovation or new approach, the process would be that you would ring the Procurement Officer in charge of the exercise and ask if variant bids are being accepted. If you want to win the business though it is just as well to submit a compliant bid too that responds in the way the tender requires.
Highlight all the areas of your documents that are sensitive, or commercially confidential. In your covering letter you should make it clear that material identified as commercial in confidence should not be made available under a Freedom of Information Act request without prior contact being made with your business.
Sustainability and the ability to secure wider economic, social and environmental benefits for the community is becoming more integrated in procurement processes. Think about how your business can demonstrate an understanding of this. For example, how can your company add value to public sector environmental policies. Look at the tendering organisation’s websites for their policies and get a feel for the ethos of the organisation.
Bear in mind that if you have an overseas parent company, you may be asked for their accounts. They may be requested to provide a guarantee so make them aware of your developing bid at an early stage.
Remember, the person evaluating your bid may not be experienced in reading company accounts. If your business has made a loss within the last three years, then identify it and explain why – tell the story. It may be that another part of the company made an acquisition or sold a division but the evaluator may not pick that up.
Run an Equifax check on your own company at least once a year – what you’re seeing is what the tender evaluator will be seeing. Equifax charge £11.95 to provide you with a credit rating check and can be accessed at http://www.equifax.co.uk/
To see more top tips why dont you visit our download section for a more comprehensive guide to writing winning PQQ Bids and Tenders.
