Tender success through effective communication

Effective communication between suppliers and purchasers at the earliest stages improves the quality of the tender process from beginning to end and ensures that both parties are fully aware of their obligations and expectations. Communication is a two way process and it is not only for the buyer to feed streams of information to the supplier, it is for the supplier to keep in contact and ask pertinent questions.

Good communication streams ensure openness in the tender writing process. Assumptions and misunderstandings can lead to errors and problems later on which could easily have been avoided. In fact the more complex the project, the more comprehensive the lines of communication should be.

Keeping a clear audit trail of your communications with buyers is essential. This can be controlled through your bid management software if you use it. Otherwise, developing a clear filing structure for all communications, preferably in writing, is the right approach to take. This can be as a separate folder in your email account or a dedicated directory within you bid filing system. Communication and the tracking of it should be an integral part of your bid management system. The more comprehensive your stored communications, the more background information you have to produce an outstanding, winning tender.

One problem that has often presented itself in the past is the need for the buyer not to be seen as being bought. Opening buyer-supplier dialogue over a 'free lunch' or a game of golf us unlikely to be acceptable to your buyer. Whilst this may be the traditional way of encouraging buyer-supplier communication, in these days of competitive tendering, where the buyer must appear unbiased and objective, your buyer will not be open to these methods. Keep communication formal as much as possible and keep it in writing. It is a tool to enhance your understanding of your buyers requirements and values, not a way to sway your buyer with gifts.


Our Bid Management Software can help you communicate

Ethical pre-tender dialogue must be open-access for all suppliers. Email and telephone communication is suitable and possibly acceptable for small detail clarifications. For more complex clarifications, utilise the standard avenues such as supplier briefings, 'meet the buyer' days, official requests for further information, where the answers are distributed to all interested suppliers and open Q&A forums where again, the results are available to all.

Effective communication, whether formally through the standard avenues as above or by way of email clarifications, enhances the tender process for both buyers and sellers. Suppliers are able to tailor their tender better to suit their client's requirements and avoid serious misunderstandings and omissions. For the buyer, the evaluation process becomes shorter and easier , the RFP becomes more refined and comprehensive in scope and submitted tenders tend to be of a higher quality