Tender Writing Cycles

Another cracking example of how you can be too close to something when you write a tender. I do not know the full story but I am sure that the tender that was submitted was more about the writers needs and wants (or the niche sector they represented) than what the client actually wanted. You can shout from the roof tops how good your idea is but if it is not convergent with the clients needs you may as well shout at the moon.

Here is the article.
The two former mountain bike champions behind The Hub at Glentress in Scotland have been told they'll be kicked off the site when their lease expires in March 2012.

Emma Guy and Tracey Brunger have run the cafe, bike hire and coaching business for 10 years. They've helped make Glentress, near Peebles in the Tweed Valley, one of the world's most successful trail centres.

But a new £9 million visitor centre is due to open next year and while the pair had hoped to move into it, they've now learned that they haven't made it through to the final stages of the tendering process. They say up to 30 jobs at The Hub – 10 full-time and 20 part-time – could be lost.

Emma told BikeRadar: "There had been talk of us moving into the new centre for the remainder of our lease and we actually received some suggested terms for a new lease. But then we were informed by email that they [the Forestry Commission] were going to put it out to tender.

"We were invited to tender and sent them a pack. Then we received an email saying we'd been unsuccessful. It was a bit of a shock. Having been here for 10 years, we expected to get further than that.

"We've been told that once a tender has been awarded we'll be able to have a meeting with them and they'll be able to tell us why we failed. I'm not sure if we can appeal. We're looking at that at the moment and digesting what's happened and deciding what's the best way forward."

Emma and Tracy's bid to run the new centre was rejected by an independent panel appointed by the Forestry Commission. It's understood that bosses want to widen the 7stanes centre's appeal, with an emphasis on attracting families, walkers and beginner cyclists in addition to more hardcore mountain bikers.

"To be honest, we've been concerned about what the big plan for Glentress is," said Emma. "We've asked that question, and asked what developments are planned for the next 10 years, which is how long the new lease is for, and they've told us there will be no new trails built at Glentress. That's despite them saying they hope to up visitor numbers to half a million [from 300,000 a year]. We've got reservations about how they'll actually do that.

"We've already got to the stage where people who used to come every single week are now coming every four weeks because there's nothing new for them to do. In the past there was always something new happening; that kept the interest high and Glentress at the forefront. It's fantastic that the Forestry Commission have invested £9m in this area, but £9m on a building? All the trails were built for less than half a million."

Emma said she was in favour of broadening Glentress's appeal, but not if it meant alienating the core market of mountain bikers. She said she and Tracey had years of experience when it comes to mountain biking and mountain bikers and they'd pushed for greater involvement.

"I fear that it's people sitting behind desks who wouldn't know a pedal from a brake lever that are making the decisions," she said. "It's not good news for mountain bikers. We want to see mountain biking progress and that's what's making us feel angry and sad at the moment."