MD Blog

 Battening down (some of) the hatches! There’s no doubt that the Government is under increasing pressure to sort out the state of the economy. Reports such as that from the CIPD (released yesterday and examining businesses’ unwillingness to risk expansion and staff increases) make it difficult to see how businesses can consider ...

 Damage Limitation – what to do when you can’t meet the specification. Finding a tender opportunity that fits with your core business is an amazing experience, especially if you are a small or medium sized organisation. Most contracts that are put out to tender tend to be too big, too niche or conversely, too wide in scope. Di...

 The Tender Process – Defining the Stages   As a potential tenderer for either public or private sector contracts, you are only really party to the specific areas that involve you directly. But it is useful (and interesting) to have an appreciation of the full procurement cycle and where you as a potential supplier fit into the pi...

 Contract Extensions in place of retender – are they fair? Tender writing is a peculiar sector to work in and even more peculiar to observe. Whilst the private sector can do whatever it wants (to a point) with regards to tender process and contract extensions, public bodies have an obligation to show that their procurement processes a...

Targeting your bids Most firms carry out some form of customer targeting. This may be a conscious decision or a decision based on tradition and history. It could even be accidental, but you are targeting customers even if you don’t think you are! Most firms are in a position to decide which particular segments to target (even if they do...

Is your organisation ‘bid-ready’?   Developing your business and venturing into the world of tender writing is a fantastic way of kick-starting growth and ensuring longer term success. Much of the battle lies in securing that first contract and fulfilling it satisfactorily. This transforms how your business is viewed by potenti...

The Pitfalls of Pitching too Low – Transparency in Tender Pricing There are mixed messages galore in public procurement at the moment. Extreme economic difficulties and public sector budget cuts are putting significant pressure on public purchasers to achieve that balance between reduced cost and maintaining quality and standards. It&rsqu...

 Free thinking – UK Universities will no longer be bound by EU procurement rules   There wasn’t much new in the Conservative Party Conference last week. The usual rhetoric about public debt, being in it together and lots of ‘fighting’ talk. So when David Willets, Minister of State for Universities and Science, t...

Making the most of tender presentations Whilst you may wonder why you need to jump through yet another hoop in order to win a contract, the tender presentation benefits both suppliers and procurers and should be seized as a further opportunity to convince the client that your company or organisation should be the winner. Tender presentations...

Top Tips for Good Tenders   If you have never gone through the formal tender process before, it can be a daunting experience. Whilst the questions on the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) and tender documents are straightforward and direct, interpreting how you should answer to give you the best chance of winning can be a huge challenge....