Warning: sprintf() [function.sprintf]: Too few arguments in /home/excompass/domains/executivecompass.co.uk/public_html/rss/news.php on line 47

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/excompass/domains/executivecompass.co.uk/public_html/rss/news.php:47) in /home/excompass/domains/executivecompass.co.uk/public_html/rss/news.php on line 53
2012-05-15 Executive Compass tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,1970-01-01://rss/news.php tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-05-15:/business/news/1/local+government+association+refusing+to+sign+procurement+pledge 2012-05-15

Whitehall was called on last week by the Local Government Association LGA to reduce the level of what they see as ldquoneedless complexityrdquo in public procurement, which flows from the European Union. The LGA refused to sign the procurement pledge put together by the Cabinet Office and it argued that it is simply inappropriate for the local government sector and is aimed far too much at bigger businesses, rather than SMEs. Instead, in a procurement pledge for the local government sector, the LGA stated, ldquoPublic procurement is highly regulated, particularly by the European Union and over the years the European procurement rules have become more and more complicatedhellip We need help from government to put the power of procurement back into the hands of local governmentrdquo. The local government councils alone spends over pound62 billion a year with private sector organisations the LGA went on to say that they must both pursue best value for money in their procuring and also use their purchasing power to embolden local businesses, as they are also responsible for promoting and inspiring economic growth in their localities. However, it is very easy for a situation to arise which may cause a conflict in those aims. An example of this would be where a national company offers a lower price for the supply of a product or the provision of a service, than a local company can. The LGA pledge would seek to avoid this by streamlining the procurement process, making it easier for local businesses to bid more effectively.Possible one of the most notable features of the pledge is a call to the councils to drop PQQs for contracts worth under pound100,000 this is a move that would go some way to addressing the longstanding problems that SMEs have encountered when attempting to tender for public sector contracts. However, this does not mention whether it will be entirely price based or whether it will go straight to an ITT for contracts under that threshold. The pledge goes on to call for councils to use ldquoprocurement processes that are less bureaucratic and burdensome,rdquo along with building their procurement skills and to engage more with suppliers through the use of market days and enhanced preprocurement dialogue and feedback transparency.The local authorities that have signed up to the pledge have committed themselves to Deliver more value for public money Promote and drive local economic growth and regeneration Provide inclusive services, through a diverse supplier base Further exploit economies of scale through greater collaboration and joint procurement ventures.This is not the first time that we have seen calls for public sector procurement reforms and we are sure it wonrsquot be the last, but one thing is certainly clear people are crying out for change. The current rules and regulations for Procurement set out by Europe need to be amended. Over the past 6 months we have seen calls for reforms and pledges signed by central government, local councils, suppliers and services providers alike. The only thing that is now missing is the change itself, and only time will tell as to where and to what extent this change will be.John Bilcliffe,Head of Business Development ampnbspBid Writer0781 441 8575

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-05-08:/business/news/1/match+match+match 2012-05-08

I attended a small training workshop last week which was geared towards helping SMEs begin to complete PQQs and complete them successfully. The main point that the workshop kept coming back to is that you must always ldquoMATCH MATCH MATCHrdquo.This is something that must be considered at all times when completing a PQQ, but what does it mean It means that whatever yoursquore writing about in the PQQ, be it quality, environment, sustainability, you must always be aware of the specifications set out in the PQQ by the client or authority, and then you must MATCH these requirements and, if you can, go beyond them.You may encounter a question on sustainability when completing a PQQ, where the authority asks ldquohow will you commit to reducing the environmental impacts of your operations, in regards to the delivery of this servicerdquo for example. You may already have a fully documented and audited environmental management system ISO 14001, but if your procedures are in direct conflict with the councilrsquos then you are not going to score favourably. You will often find that individual councils have their own approach to promoting sustainability, which may be outlined in a particular section of the PQQ specifications. If you do not find it set out in the specifications of the PQQ, do not assume that they do not have a policy on it. Go on to the council website and more often than not you will be able to find their documented approach to sustainability, and potentially even targets that they have set. This is a veritable gold mine for your response, as you can quote the councilrsquos own targets and demonstrate how you will work towards these targets in a manner that does not conflict with the councilrsquos own approach to dealing with environmental issues.Considering and matching the contracting authorityrsquos specification is an absolute must for every PQQ and Tender we write for our clients. In order to make our clients stand out as much as possible from the competition, we must not only consider the companyrsquos approach to managing issues like quality and environment, but also the councilrsquos, in order to make our clients truly appear to be the best company to work with the council in delivering the contract.If you are struggling to secure public sector contracts and want to improve your win rate, itrsquos little tips like this that will really make your company seem more like the right company to take on the contract. Contact us today to see how we can go above and beyond this and really make your submissions stand out from the crowd. We are experienced at completing PQQs and submitting tenders to the highest possible standard, across all industries. In short, we write winning words.John Bilcliffe, Bid Writer0781 441 8575

tag:,2012-05-01: 2012-05-01

ldquoPipeline noticesrdquo were posted last week, giving details of opportunities worth around pound70 billion, across 13 sectors that could become available over the next five years. This is fantastic news for tender writers These include property and facilities management, construction and police services and equipment, and have been published in order to give potential suppliers prior warning so that they can prepare appropriately and fill any skills gaps that may be highlighted in the notices. Vince Cable has been quoted as saying, quotOur key competitors in Europe already see procurement as an integral part of a proper industrial strategy and its time we did the same hellip By publishing a forward pipeline of public projects we can help UK businesses whether in tunnelling or elsewhere become more competitive.ldquoAlong with these pipeline notices, the government has also made the announcement that 17 organisations have now signed up to the Procurement Pledge, which commits those organisations to a number of measures that will also help to shift procurement strategy into the more long term. These measures include posting future procurement plans, streamlining procurement processes and supporting UKbased companies bidding for overseas deals. Included in the 17 organisations that have so far signed up are BT Global Services, Network Rail and the National Grid. Vince Cable said, quotFrankly, weve been too short term in how weve done procurement in the past,rdquo and went on to say, ldquoThis is a winwin scenario, making our businesses stronger and providing best value for the taxpayer.quotThe Treasury also announced that it has identified savings of pound1.5 billion in how it delivers infrastructure. The current aim is to save up to pound3 billion by 2015 through this change.All of this spells very good news for companies that are looking to bid for public sector contracts in the coming years. The pipeline notices give companies plenty of time to ensure that they have the resources to tender and properly compete for those contracts, and further opportunities that will be becoming available overseas will be all the more tenderable with the support of larger organisations that have made the Procurement Pledge.You can search the full pipeline that was released last week here httpwww.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.ukCommonBrowse20Pipelines.aspxsite1000amplangenIf you have found a contract or future opportunity that you feel will be an important contract to secure for your business, why not contact us today We can evaluate all of your policies in order to make sure that you are completely ready to compete for the upcoming opportunity. Also, as part of our training workshops, we can identify areas in your previous submissions that may be letting you down and help you to work out how you can strengthen your responses. You may feel that this upcoming opportunity is too important to miss out on and you want a professional PQQ, Bid and Tender writer to complete the PQQ and ITT in order to ensure that you score maximum marks and have as great a chance of winning the contract as possible. Remember, we are only a phone call away, and we can help you to win more contractsJohn0781 441 8575

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-04-24:/business/news/1/preparing+to+complete+a+pqq 2012-04-24

There are a variety of reasons why you may not be invited to tender for a contract for which you submitted a PQQ. Itrsquos possible that you did not provide all of the attachments that were asked for in the PQQ, or that your policies were out of date. There are many small elements of a PQQ that can trip you up when you come to complete it, and there are ways to avoid these and help you complete a PQQ correctly and effectively.Proper time management is key leaving a PQQ until the deadline looms is a recipe for disaster and can cause a lot more heartache than it would have done if you had approached the PQQ in a timely manner. As soon as you receive the PQQ from the authority or client, or as soon as it becomes available on the portal, you should always read through all of the documents and ask yourself the followingIs this a contract I really want to tender forThere are many reasons why you may not want to proceed with completing a PQQ. It may be that the contract value is a lot higher than you envisaged if the contract value is more than 2533 of your annual turnover then you may be construed as more of a risk than other companies that are tendering for this contract. The contract may be for the provision of services outside of your core business or your geographical area for service delivery. Although you will not fail on these factors alone, it may prove to be very difficult to demonstrate that you are the best candidate for the contract and will therefore require more of your time to be invested in completing a PQQ.Do I have the necessary policies and certificationIt is fairly commonplace for a PQQ to ask for you to provide a copy of your policies usually this will be HampS, Environmental, Equality amp Diversity, Quality andor CSR. There is no pattern or trend to what they will request to be attached to the PQQ, or supplied with the ITT, so it is best that you cover your bases and have those policies in place and at hand when beginning to complete a PQQ. The same can be said for accreditations PQQs often ask for copies of certification for proof of accreditation in order to begin to assess a variety of elements of your business, be it Health and Safety or Quality, for example. It is always worth reading through the PQQ first in order to determine whether any accreditation is required and whether this is regarded as a PassFail. If an accreditation is required, it is considered a PassFail and you do not have it, you need to consider whether itrsquos possible to attain such an accreditation before the deadline and if it is indeed feasible. If this is not the case then you may find completing the PQQ a pointless exercise and a waste of valuable resources.Are my policies and certifications still in dateYou would not believe the amount of PQQs we see, dayin, dayout, that have policies attached that are completely unfit for tendering purposes. We see policies without a date, or a review date, or a signature, which makes them unusable for public sector work and means they will be considered a fail. The same can be said for accreditations and certifications we often come across these problems when completing a PQQ for a client and this can be a real stumbling block in attaining the ITT. Worst of all is the fact that we also very often see policies that are half a page in length and make reference to acts, laws and regulations that have since been updated, making them completely useless. When first beginning to complete a PQQ, you should review all of your certificates and policies to make sure that they are all still up to date and comply with the specifications set out at the beginning of the PQQ. Do not worry if they are not, as you have hopefully left yourself plenty of time to fix this We regularly get approached by a client who needs a policy to be written for a PQQ, and sometimes we have to turn away the work because we simply cannot write a policy from scratch inside a morning that will be fit for tendering purposes, so make sure this is one of the first things you do when you receive the PQQ documentation.If you approach completing a PQQ in a timely manner and remember the above points when first reading through the PQQ, you may find that completing a PQQ is actually not as daunting as it first seems, and you may find yourself having more success with receiving requests for ITTs. If you really want to blow away the competition and increase your success rate, why not contact us today and see how we can help you We can write policies for you as well as the narrative required in the PQQ to go forward to an ITT.John Bilcliffe, Bid Writer.0781 441 8575

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-04-17:/business/news/1/tender+writing+frenzy 2012-04-17

Tender writing road frenzyLater on this month, the first stage of the PQQ and tender writing process will get underway for two very large road projects in the southern area of Scotland. Contractors will be able to express their interest to tender for this contract once the contract notices have been released onto the major portals such as TED tenders electronic daily and Contracts Finder for works on both the A75 Dunragit Bypass and the A77 Symington to Bogend Toll schemes.The A75 Dunragit Bypass in Dumfries and Galloway will provide around 56km of new road in order to improve overtaking for traffic travelling both easterly and westerly. The upgrades to the A77 will have the desired effect of reducing accidents in both directions through the introduction of grade separated junctions and removing the gaps in the central reservation.The tender writing process has been forecasted for completion by this time next year, so that works can start as soon as possible with the vision of works being completed in 2014. This is still a very long pipeline for tender writing a proposal has been submitted to standardise the maximum length of any procurement, from initial contract through to contract award, to 120days. If this was the case now it works would start at around September of this year. In any case, for now, keep your eyes peeled for the release of a prior information notice or contract notice for construction work on these roadsAlso, elsewhere in the UK it seems that plans for works on upgrading the A2 could be set to commence in March of next year, according to Stewart Dickinson East Antrim MLA. Departmental officials confirmed that this went out to tender at the beginning of March by notifying the Department of Regional Development Committee earlier this month. Dickinson was quoted saying ldquoThis news is most welcome. The scheme will provide 2.4km of new and muchneeded dual carriageway at Greenisland. I encouraged officials to do their best to eliminate any unnecessary delays so this project can be taken forward as soon as possiblerdquo. He went on to add, ldquoI am so pleased that this project is finally moving forward after all these years and I look forward to its completion.rdquoOfficials have also stated that they intend to set up a Traffic Management Strategy Group for the project which will involve all the relevant councils, Translink and PSNI, and are already looking at improving possible diversion routes before this project commences. So alongside this large refurbishment project look for smaller contracts that will be appearing for improving the diversion routes These smaller contracts are ideal for SMEs looking to gain a foothold on the public sector procurement ladder, and with our help it will be the securest of footholdsIf you feel that these projects are ideal opportunities for your business and would like to know more about the PQQ writing process and how we can help you tender for these contracts, please do not hesitate to contact us today. Michael Lee, our resident construction expert, will be more than happy to talk with you about how to prepare for these contracts.nbsp

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-04-10:/business/news/1/domiciliary+care+preferred+provider+framework+win 2012-04-10

DOMICILIARY CARE PREFERRED PROVIDER FRAMEWORK WINnbspWe have secured yet another domiciliary care provider framework win via our tender writing expertise.I enjoyed the process of writing this one and it did prove that everything that I tell my clients is true. Be unique, be descriptive and use your tender writing skills to prove to the evaluator that you fully understand their needs. The tender guidance notes contained the following statement ldquoTenderers should provide information which demonstrates and supports their understanding of, and ability to meet the service specifications. It is vital that responses do not simply replicate or list policies and procedures, but clearly demonstrate how and when these might apply and how they will be utilised in service delivery.rdquo My underlining.Too often, domiciliary care providers fail to respond fully to the question. It is simply not enough to provide policies and procedures. You really must demonstrate your understanding through the use of case studies and compelling narrative that you can deliver domiciliary care services effectively to a wide spectrum of service users, meeting their needs fully and focussing on outcomes and not tasks.I have supplied a couple of the method statement questions contained in the Invitation to Tender. Notice the language and style of the questions.Please explain how your organisation promotes equality and makes tangible progress in the area of diversity. Illustrate your answer with examples demonstrating effective achievements in this area for both staff and service users.The above question is not simply asking about policies is it Quite the reverse, this is about outcomes, achievements and tangible progress for both staff AND service users. This is quite a tricky question and should be approached in a very structured and systematic way. A discussion on promotion of equality issues will garner some points but to obtain more points a full description must be provided and this must include a case study.Please describe how you will ensure that issues of language, culture and ethnicity are managed sensitively and appropriately across the diverse communities living in the Borough. When you come across a question like this in a tender it is easy to provide a generic response. Even though it does not explicitly request a case study you should provide one. Case studies are really powerful. You are saying ldquoWe haverdquo rather than ldquowe willrdquo. Incorporate positive language into your tender writing and you will be more successful. What is unique about your organisation, and how will this add value for service users and commissionersVery often organisations respond to this question with bland, alsoran responses.We have great training, we put the service user at the centre of our service, we have ECM and so on. This is not unique in fact, quite the reverse. If you are going to say why you are unique, it needs to be powerful, meaningful and tangible.Delivering effective domiciliary care services does not make you unique. That is what you are being paid for Providing those effective services in a unique way is what counts adding value, providing benefits, being the best is what you must demonstrate.Domiciliary care tenders are becoming more complex. It is a crowded market place, with relatively low barriers to entry, and, of course, the market is growing. If you want your tender writing to stand out you must use case studies, provide evidence and make yourself look different.Further blogs on domiciliary care tender writing nbsp

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-04-03:/business/news/1/new+asbestos+regulations+ 2012-04-03

nbspNew Asbestos Regulations are coming into effect next week.As tender writers writing across a broad range of industries, we have to be aware of current and new legislation that may affect our clients. I am sure some of you will already be well aware of the new asbestos regulations, but if you are not, there is still time to clue yourself in The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 will be coming into effect on the 6th of April 2012 that is less than a week away These regulations are being updated because of the European Commissionrsquos view that the UK had not properly and fully implemented EU Directive 2009148EC Exposure to Asbestos.Although this change in regulations pertains to types of nonlicenced work with asbestos and has introduced additional requirements with this work such as notification of work, medical surveillance and record keeping, it is still a significant update that will be important for those who submit tenders into the public sector for services or works including asbestos.This change in regulations is especially important for bid writers who work in organisations that deal with asbestos, such as a facility management company, or a specialist asbestos company. Your organisation will be expected to be compliant with these new regulations and it may prove to be a requirement of a contracting authority or client for you to demonstrate this compliance during completion of a PQQ or writing a tender for a contract.Are you currently having trouble being successful in winning facilities management or asbestos removal contracts Are you finding it difficult to demonstrate your compliance with current regulationsWe have a vast amount of experience in not just these industries, but every industry, helping companies like yours win important contracts across the UK, for both the private and public sector. We donrsquot just provide PQQ and Bid writing services, we also provide policy writing services and training days across the UK designed to help realign your entire companyrsquos strategy and put it on the right path to winning more public sector work. If you are interested in learning more about our experience in winning public sector contracts in the asbestos industry, please do not hesitate to contact Neil or Michael, our resident experts in facilities management and asbestos removal contracts. They will be more than happy to talk with you further about how we can help you win more work of this nature.

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-04-03:/business/news/1/tendering+for+grounds+maintenance+services 2012-04-03

Tendering for Grounds Maintenance ServicesIt would appear that there is an upsurge in tenders for grounds maintenance. Only a couple of weeks after the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation published their national invitation to tender, Crescent Purchasing Consortium have published a similar opportunity.Summary of the description of services You can download this from TEDThe purpose of this exercise is to put a framework agreement in place with a number of suppliers for the provision of grounds maintenance services. The successful suppliers will be expected to provide a range of maintenance services to include grass cutting, grass maintenance, hard surface maintenance, shrub border maintenance, hedge and fenceline maintenance, tree maintenance, sports pitch marking and maintenance and snow and ice clearance.The framework is due to begin in September this year and is divided into 12 lots spread across the UK. It is expected that the framework will be in place for three years. Lot 1 East Anglia Lot 2 East Midlands Lot 3 London Lot 4 Northern Ireland Lot 5 North East Lot 6 North West Lot 7 Scotland Lot 8 South East Lot 9 South West Lot 10 Wales Lot 11 West Midlands Lot 12 YorkshireYou must have a minimum turnover of pound150,000 to be eligible and have Employer and Public Liability of pound5million Some time ago we published some guidance on how to improve your chances of obtaining a place on a framework by writing a tender for grounds maintenance. If you would like some expert assistance and advice simply give us a call.

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-03-27:/business/news/1/national+cleaning+services+framework+agreement+opportunity 2012-03-27

Are you a cleaning company This may be a fantastic opportunity for you to gain a foothold on the public procurement ladder.It was a busy week last week for the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation they have released two contract notices for high value, national framework agreements. The first was for the provision of grounds maintenance services and the second was released slightly later for the provision of cleaning services. The aim of this framework is to establish a list of preapproved suppliers for the provision of these services for schools, academies and other public buildings across the UK.A link to the contract notice is available herehttpted.europa.euudluriTEDNOTICE899822012TEXTENHTMLThe expected value of the framework is between pound5,000,000 and pound100,000,000.ESPO Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation considers that this contract is suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises SMEs. Inclusion on the framework will provide SME contractors with a number of benefits1.The framework will be dynamically publicised amongst ESPOrsquos clients, its partners and other public sector organisations. The framework will have a high profile amongst potential buyers, which may result in a substantial number of new business opportunities for all of the contractors appointed to the framework.2.Inclusion in the framework is likely to offer contractors a number of new business opportunities, and in each case competition will be limited to just those contractors who arenbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbsp Included inside this frameworknbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbspnbsp Suitable for meeting the clientrsquos specific needs. Contractors will not have to rely upon leads in OJEU or the trade press.3.Because contractors will have been lsquoprequalifiedrsquo in order to gain inclusion in the framework, further vetting of contractors should be largely eliminated, so reducing the effort required to prepare and submit bids.4.Moreover, with template documentation available to clients, contractors should see a reduction in the diversity of documentation they are asked to respond to.The structure of this framework is geared towards the inclusion of SMEs across the UK. The framework is looking to appoint 72 contractors in total these contractors will be split over the following 9 geographical regions, equating to 8 contractors per region, ideal for smaller businesses North East North West Yorkshire and Humber East Midlands West Midlands East of England London South East South WestIf you would like any further information or simply an informal talk on how we could potentially secure your company a place on the framework, please do not hesitate to get in touch. This could be a fantastic opportunity for you and your company.John0781 441 8575

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,1970-01-01:/business/news/1/national+grounds+maintenance+framework 1970-01-01

This is an exciting opportunity for SME Grounds Maintenance companiesLast week the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation released a contract notice seeking to establish a national framework agreement with a number of contractors for the provision of grounds maintenance services for schools and other educational establishments including academies. The key aim of this framework is to provide the schools and academies with access to a preapproved list of suppliers that they can appoint using a simple and streamlined procurement process. The expected value of the framework is between pound4,000,000 and pound80,000,000The contracting authority considers that this contract is suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises SMEs. Inclusion on the framework will provide SME contractors with a number of benefits1.The framework will be actively publicised amongst ESPOrsquos clients, its partners and other public sector organisations. The framework will have a high profile amongst potential purchasers, which will result in a substantial number of new business opportunities for all of the contractors appointed to the framework.2.Inclusion in the framework is likely to offer contractors a large number of new business opportunities, and in each case competition will be limited to just those contractors who are nbspIncluded in the framework nbspSuitable for meeting the clientrsquos specific needs. Contractors will not have to rely upon leads in OJEU or the trade press.3.Because contractors will have been lsquoprequalifiedrsquo in order to gain inclusion in the framework, further vetting of contractors should be largely eliminated, so reducing the effort required to prepare and submit bids.4.Moreover, with template documentation available to clients, contractors should see a reduction in the diversity of documentation they are asked to respond to.StructureThe framework structure will be based on the nine defined regions of England, facilitating the inclusion of SME businesses to take an active part in the framework. For each geographical region the contracting authority is seeking to appoint 8 contractors. SMEs are being encouraged to identify their precise work locations and scope of works this will allow the contracting authority to appoint the correct suppliers with the relevant experience and ability to deliver the works. bullNorth EastbullNorth WestbullYorkshire and HumberbullEast MidlandsbullWest MidlandsbullEast of EnglandbullLondonbullSouth EastbullSouth WestThis framework is a very exciting prospect for grounds maintenance companies of all sizes and locations. The desired appointment of 72 contractors demonstrates the size of the framework and the commitment to facilitating the inclusion of SME businesses. If you would like any further information or a conversation on how we could secure your company a place on the framework, please do not hesitate to get in touch.Luke07814419302

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-03-20:/business/news/1/executive+compass+does+it+again 2012-03-20

We have only gone and secured another lucrative contract for one of our clientsThis project was of particular importance to me as it was my first solo tendering attempt. This posed a number of challenges, not least the fact that we had been successful in the past and expectations were high. Neil had briefed me on the company and his expectations nothing but a win. The work in question was a maintenance amp repair tender for air conditioning systems and refrigeration plant on the South Coast of England. This news article will briefly describe how you too can write winning tenders.Reviewing the contractThe initial stages involved me reviewing the whole tender document, including all of the appendices. This stage is crucial to ensure that nothing is missed that could provide pivotal, for examplebullThe size of the font to be used and any word limitsbullAre pictures allowed bullAre supporting documents allowed Once I had reviewed the document I contacted the client and agreed a price that we were both happy with.Conducting the interviews In order to gain true reflection of the company within the responses I felt that a visit to their company headquarters was essential. The visit allowed me to conduct interviews, review policies, meet the engineers delivering the works and gain a true understanding of the business. The interviews also allowed the creation of a relationship that is not achievable over the phone. I focused on each question individually, gaining as much information as possible utilising their experience. As the incumbent supplier they were confident that they had in place the systems and procedures to manage and deliver high quality services. It was my job to demonstrate this to the evaluator, convincing them that there is no other option the old saying, ldquoif it ainrsquot broke, why fix itrdquo.During the interviews I was able to learn about the clientrsquos project management software that ensures compliance with their ISO 90012008 procedures. I was able to use their software to demonstrate how contracts are managed in an effective and efficient way, enabling them to maintain consistent client and customer satisfaction through regular feedback. Writing and reviewing the responsesTaking detailed notes allowed me to focus on the interviews and not become distracted by the interviewee. I chose to use open ended questions as this allows a certain amount of improvisation to occur and a more realistic outcome from the interviewee, and hopefully did not restrict the respondents, as an open approach by the interviewer should result in a more realistic outcome being achieved. On my return to the office I was able to review my detailed notes one by one and refamiliarise myself with the response. After all this I was able to start ldquowriting winning wordsrdquo. Once I had completed the document it was passed through our internal quality checking procedure to be reviewed by the Executive Compass team. The final stage of the process is client review in this instance the client was able to add genuine value to the responses. The aim of this article was to provide information on the policies and procedures we adopt during the tender process. If you would like any further information regarding our processes and the ways in which we can help you, why donrsquot you get in touch

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-03-13:/business/news/1/the+challenge+of+partnering+in+2012 2012-03-13

We are now well into 2012, and with no sign of the economy improving, completing PQQs and writing Tenders is a more competitive process than ever before, with the need to develop partnerships and partnership approaches becoming increasingly apparent.The challenges of general project management have been around since even before the Egyptians and their creation of the pyramids which required a large amount of project management. The difference these days is that more complexities need to be taken into consideration, and there is an ever increasing need to essentially do more at lower costs.Two types of partnering affect PQQs and Tenders Strategic partnering and Project partnering. Project Partnering involves an integrated supply chain and the client working together this usually follows a successful contract award, while with Strategic Partnering the client and supplier undergo continuous improvement whilst working together on a series of projects.Many prime contractors and national companies have turned to supply chains and agreed price caps below the incremental market increases in order to try to tackle rising costs. As part of a tender, this allows companies to effectively forecast savings that may be split or passed on to the client through cost reimbursement contracts. Cost Reimbursement contracts come in a number of forms, including costsharing contracts, costplusincentivefee contracts, costplusawardfee contracts and costplusfixedfee contracts. All of these create an estimation of total rate for the purpose of necessitating funds and forming a ceiling that the contractor may not surpass except at its own risk without the consent of the contracting officer.As costs rise with inflation, profit margins are being hit hard. We approached Mark Robinson, a trade manager at Morrisons PLC, whose role is to manage the c. pound1.1bn p.a. Profit and Loss and to help to shape the stratagem and visions of Morrisons as a whole. We asked him the question, ldquoWhat main areas has Morrisons identified as key to managing cost inflationrdquoMark replied, ldquoAs the custodians of what their customers pay, it is important that Morrisons does all it can to continue offering excellent value. This is delivered through great products, at strong everyday prices, and market leading promotions. In addition, Morrisons works closely with its suppliers to buy at the optimum time to keep costs and ultimately prices lowrdquo.The downside to placing price caps has a knockon effect we all turn to price and quality and refine these processes, but is that the best idea Professor Dennis Carlton, who studied Applied Mathematics and Economics at Harvard University and holds a M.Sc. in Operations Research and a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, seems to think otherwise, stating, ldquoplacing price caps limits pricing flexibility and reduces the ability of entrants to innovate and succeedrdquo.We feel that supply chains have to work together in difficult economic climates such as the current one, and implementing price caps certainly can have its benefits, but these caps have to be realistic in order to reduce the risk of quality beginning to suffer. We know that quality more often than not is more important than price when it comes to public sector service contracts. Itrsquos often not about the lowest price but more about the highest amount of added value the authority can get for their money. Unrealistic price caps cause suppliers to begin to cut corners in order to maintain some form of profit margin, and this is where diminished quality may creep in.So if you are looking to win more public sector contracts, do not just cut your costs improve the quality of your submissions by calling us today.

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-03-06:/business/news/1/tender+writers+to+the+rail+industry 2012-03-06

Tender writers to the rail industryWriting a tender for the rail industry would be a perfect fit for us. Last week Crossrail issued an ldquoinvitation to negotiaterdquo for the design, manufacture, finance and service of 60 new trains and building a depot at Old Oak Common in West London.Crossrail Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of TFL Transport For London and will be delivering the project in full. The contract is worth a potential pound1bn and will be awarded in the spring of 2014. The Secretary of State for Transport, Justine Greening, announced in a ministerial statement to the House of Commons that all bidders will be required to demonstrate responsible procurement by setting out how they will plan to engage with the wider supply chain. They must also provide adequate opportunities for apprenticeships and training, and encompass SMEs small to medium sized businesses within their purchasing strategy. The bidders are also required to inaugurate a presence locally in order to manage the delivery of the contract.Four bidders in total have been invited to negotiate for the upcoming prequalification stage Bombardier Transportation the only UK company left of its kind, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA, Hitachi Rail Europe Limited and Siemens. Within the PQQ writing stage of this contract, the four companies will also be required to specify where each element of the contract will be sourced from. This will not be an area that the companies will be marked against in the PQQ stage, but the successful bidder will be required to report against their proposed estimates.Greening said ldquoA number of outcomes from the governmentrsquos review of public procurement have been reflected in this procurement, which could bring opportunities to UK businesses. Across the transport sector, we want to improve dialogue with suppliers and increase the longterm visibility of forthcoming contracts in order to strengthen the capability of the UK supply chain.rdquoThis may be a response to the media frenzy that was kicked up when Bombardier lost out on the tender for the Thameslink upgrade to the foreign company, Siemens. This has caused cuts to around 1400 jobs inside Bombardiers supply chain a devastating blow to the local economy.This therefore may be deemed as the ldquolast chance saloonrdquo for Bombardier and the companies within its supply chain. If they lost out again on such a key contract, this would have severely detrimental effects to our local economy.If Bombardier really wish to secure this contract and therefore secure the future for many workers, not just inside Bombardier but across the UK in their supply chain, then maybe they should outsource their PQQ and Bid writing requirements to a company like Executive Compass thatrsquos us. We are a Bid amp Tender writing consultancy that ldquowrites winning wordsrdquo and we want to do everything we can to help the UK economy get back on its feet. If that means helping Bombardier win this contract and stopping it being won by an overseas company like Siemens again, thatrsquos exactly what we want to do We want to win businesses more public sector contracts, so if you have a contract in mind that you canrsquot afford to lose, please do not hesitate to call us todayNeil Capstick is an apprentice trained rail engineer with significant experience of the rail industry

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-02-28:/business/news/1/ten+reasons+why+government+procurement+using+smes+is+not+increasing 2012-02-28

Ten Reasons why Government procurement using SMEs is not increasingLast year there was small media frenzy around our current procurement procedures how they have allowed for foreign companies to be more successful bidding into UK contracts than they possibly should be in this climate, and how they are potentially discouraging SMEs from tendering and winning contracts.It has come to light that, although this was put into the limelight at the end of 2011, procurement spend on SMEs has actually ldquofallen from just under 11 per cent to 7 per centrdquo Barnsley East Labour MP, Michael Dugher. There are many reasons why this percentage should be rising instead of falling, such as the proposed simplification of the PQQ stage of tendering towards a contract, but below are ten reasons that seek to explain why this is not yet increasing.1.There are too many long term large ldquolegacyrdquo contracts in the public sector. SMEs cannot apply for these because of their size. Even if a large organisation wanted to leave a contract like this and potentially substitute it with many smaller lots that are SMEfriendly, they canrsquot, owing to logistical problems and costs.2.PFI Private Finance Initiative contracts. These are even worse for SMEs than the ldquolegacy contractrdquo above. These contracts are even more inflexible once agreed, and an outstanding pound131.5 billion in PFIs has already been committed to, almost none of which will find its way to an SME.3.The government, by its very nature, is huge. Our central government is bigger than those of many other nations that focus on a stronger regional model. This inherently creates larger national contracts in order to sustain our central government and its functions, such as a national approach to benefits. 4.Civil servants and politicians are risk averse by nature. They would much rather procure everything in the smallest amount of contracts possible from large organisations. It is a lot more risky to split these contracts up into smaller lots and spread them across many SMEs.5.The move towards eliminating PQQs for smaller contracts may not be as beneficial to SMEs as was first thought. In some cases it has caused an even bigger burden on the SME bidders, as the PQQ questions have simply been combined with the full tender. This means that the initial workload to bid for contracts has been increased hugely in these cases, causing some SMEs to choose not to bid due to the riskreward balance of the new approach.6.There has been an increase in the centralisation of procurement and we are also seeing an aggregation of the volume both of these lean towards favouring large suppliers, as contracts can end up being too large for SMEs to tender towards.7.Spending cuts in certain sectors have put the squeeze on SMEs. Sectors such as consultants, agencies and recruitment firms have seen notable cuts in spending, and these were sectors in which SMEs had an aboveaverage presence.8.The same cuts in spending have also taken place inside government organisations, reducing available procurement resources. This has caused them to look to reduce workloads in certain areas, which is leading to a greater number of collaborative deals or prime contractor type arrangements being used.9.Large organisations that have a great deal more experience in public sector work are byandlarge good at winning contracts. They have the necessary contacts inside government and they reinvest into the public sector. These are things that SMEs donrsquot generally have the resources to do. This has indeed always been the case, but when budgets are tighter inside procurement, these factors create a more prominent advantage for larger businesses.10.Tools that have been introduced to encourage SMEs to bid into public sector contracts are still very much in their infancy, such as the ldquoInnovation Launch Padrdquo. Only time will tell if tools like these will help smaller firms, and it is too soon at present to judge their overall effectiveness.If you are an SME that is looking to bid into public sector contracts, then we can help you through every stage of the procurement process. We provide training days that can help focus your entire business and point it in the right strategic direction to win public sector work. We also write PQQs and Tenders that will make an SME highly competitive against larger organisations and win them more public sector work.

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-02-21:/business/news/1/pqq+success+grounds+maintenance 2012-02-21

PQQ Success Grounds MaintenanceWriting a PQQ is never easy but it is starting to look that way for us. As well as a variety of other PQQ and tender writing successes, we have successfully progressed to the invitation to tender stage of particularly tricky grounds maintenance PQQ.The PQQ was submitted via the Bluelight etendering system and was divided into five core elements.1.Capability Statements 50 2.Experience amp References 153.Quality amp Environment 154.Health amp Safety 10 5.Equal Opportunities 10Questions includedPlease give evidence of your knowledge of Grounds Maintenance, including Insects and Diseases, Paved Areas, Soils, Trees, Hedge and Shrubs, Turf and Grass, Flowers and Weeds, Ditch Clearance, Molds amp GrowthsProvide evidence of safe use of chemicals and fertilizers.Please provide evidence of grounds maintenance management and Customer Service.Once again this was for an existing client and proves that in terms of writing a PQQ, familiarity does not breed contempt but instead breeds success. We are currently working on the tender for our client and are confident we can win this one. PQQ writing is a process and we simply apply our process to the whole procedure and it works. The process we use has been refined over hundreds of PQQs and, providing that our client has gone through a sensible analysis of the chances of success sometimes referred to as BidNo bid, has relevant experience and a good organisational CV, we can almost guarantee success.A typical health and safety question, and one used in this PQQ, could be ldquoWhat arrangements do you make to facilitate discussion from employees at work and to coordinate their views on matters affecting their health amp safetyrdquo Can you provide a solid response to this PQQ question Of course you can. However, can you actually evidence your response This is where most PQQ writers come unstuck. Anyone can write that we do X,Y and Z, but can you prove it or write it in such a way that the proof is explicit in the response Too often, people respond with bland ldquoGoogledrdquo answers. We can spot these at 100 metres, so it is reasonable to assume that the evaluators can too. Write truthfully, provide evidence and make sure your response reflects the size of your company and is supported by your other responses. We often review PQQ submissions that outline the organisational chart and then make reference in other responses to posts that simply do not exist.I was chatting to a senior procurement officer recently who confirmed what we already suspected. Evaluators will look on your website to corroborate certain items within your PQQ. So beware if you have uploaded outdated policies or are stating you have 100 employees on your website but 300 on your PQQ submission.If you want to be part of the success story call us now for a free no obligation consultation

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-02-14:/business/news/1/last+minute+tender+writers+relieve+stress 2012-02-14

Last Minute Tender Writers Relieve Stress Not exactly a news items but leaving your tender writing until the last minute is not a great idea.Procrastinating when writing a tenderItrsquos not unusual for us to receive a call from a client who says they have a PQQ or Tender writing assignment that needs completing and returning to them inside the week This is a good example of poor time management and procrastinating when you should be writing a tender. Some clients do use us as a ldquoget out of jail free cardrdquo when they realise that a submission is around the corner and they havenrsquot got the time or resources themselves to complete it within the remaining timeframe. There are many ways to ensure that you are going to leave enough time to have your PQQ or proposal completed to the highest possible standard. Before you start to complete a PQQ or Tender submission you need to make sure you have all of your companyrsquos supporting evidences in place. It is important to read through the PQQ or Tender document to establish what is asked of you from the contracting authority this could be supporting evidences such as your company cash flow statements, last 3 years of audited accounts, policies, and insurances and will also include case studies. The policies that will be required vary from tender to tender. It is most likely that you will be asked for the following at the very least Health amp Safety, Equality amp Diversity and Equal Opportunities. Using a company such as ourselves to write your PQQ or tender proposal takes much of the stress away from applying for public sector contracts. It is quite commonplace for people to receive their copy of a PQQ and then leave it on their desk until a week before it has to be submitted hellip and then they panic. However, as long as you have your companyrsquos supporting evidences in place, there is no need to panic, as we can take care of the hard part writing it We excel at writing quality submissions inside challenging time constraints, but if you donrsquot have everything in place it slows the whole process down and may cost you more in the long run. When we write a PQQ or Tender submission for a new client we also review their policies to make sure that they are not going to cause our PQQ or tender to fail to proceed. If said client contacts us and needs a 1 or 2 day turnaround on a PQQ or tender which is not unheard of then we will be unable to truly add all the value we can to their submission, which is not our style So when outsourcing your PQQ or Tender writing needs, time management is still key to success. The earlier you contact us before the submission has to be in, the more value we can add to your organisation as a whole, let alone your submission So contact us today, for a free no obligation fixed price quote to take the stress away and provide you with the highest quality written narrative for your submissions possible. If you donrsquot believe us, ask us to put our money where our mouth is with our resultsbased payment terms, you will retain 30 of the overall cost of the tender until you receive word that you have won

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-02-07:/business/news/1/tender+writers+travel+in+the+right+direction 2012-02-07

nbspTender Writers Travel in the Right DirectionConfidentiality agreements do not allow for the full details of our recent tender writing success to be published. However, we are able to say that we once again secured a ldquomust winrdquo tender for one of our clients working in the travel industry.The tender was for the transport of sporting teams across the globe, and was hotly contested by some of the biggest names in the industry. Our client began trading many years ago as a single person enterprise and has grown into one of the major leading independent UK travel agencies. Today, they are a vibrant international travel business and are proud that their professional achievements in the world of travel have been acknowledged throughout the UK travel industry, by airlines, hotels, car hire companies and major tour operators.It was only the second time that Executive Compassreg had written a tender for the travel industry, and the project was not without its challenges. However, the tender writing process we have developed has once again proven to be unbeatable. Through the application of our new bid writing process we were able to clearly identify, refine and articulate the key operational and market differentiators our client possessed. By creating compelling, persuasive and jargon free narrative for our bid submissions we were able to provide the buyer with a transparent and clearly explained method statement for all the services for which our client was bidding.We are often asked, ldquoHow can you write about my company when you do not know anything about itrdquoThere are several reasons why our bid writers can clearly articulate the winning aspects and key differentiators of your firmbullTender writing is a process. We have developed and refined our own winning approach and apply it to all tender writing projects. Our bid management process is a recipe your company is the ingredient with which we work.bullThe client knows too much. It is exactly the fact that we do not know everything about your company that allows us to more clearly define your offering within the tender. We do not make assumptions, and we make sure that every key aspect of your business is clearly explained. To do this we have to dig deep within your company. You may be surprised at what we findbullWhether you like it or not, most businesses are very similar. The job of the tender writer is to find and highlight the differences, but nearly all businesses are made up of the functional elements of sales, marketing, quality, operations, health and safety, customer services, etc. As business professionals we know this. Donrsquot forget that, unlike most of our competitors, the Executive Compassreg team have worked in industry, sat in board rooms, negotiated contracts, undertaken site visits and dealt with HR issues. Operating at the sharp end of business has allowed us to have an exceptional understanding of business and management, and we make sure it is applied to our tender writing.I could go further and discuss things such as innovation, benchmarking, emerging technologies and a host of other things that ensures our tender writing team is at the very forefront of our profession. The bottom line is that because we work across industries and country boundaries we are able to easily identify your core strengths, and as tender writing experts we are able to clearly demonstrate this through the written word. Rest assured, our tender writers are able to translate your thoughts and processes into winning words.

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-02-02:/business/news/1/tender+submissions+and+improving+your+chances 2012-02-02

Tender submissions continuous improvement through feedbackAsk any business auditor or process management specialist about how to improve anything, and theyrsquoll tell you about the feedback loop. Produce, launch, seek feedback, apply feedback, relaunch ndash repeat.Feedback on tender documentationWhen you submit tender documents to a procurement department, there should be a feedback mechanism. For those tenders that fall above the threshold for advertisement in the Official Journal of the European Community OJEC, giving feedback is a requirement. For smaller tenders, there should still be a feedback mechanism. Itrsquos your responsibility to ensure you obtain feedback on your submission. Turn a loss into a gain and a gain into more of a gain, by ensuring you learn from every tender you lose hellip and win.Obtaining feedbackIt may be automatic, you may have to request it yourselves, but itrsquos always vital to make sure you get feedback on every tender proposal submitted, whether it wins or loses. The information you gather at this stage can be used to feed directly back in to your next submission, dramatically increasing your chances of success. Request a meeting or telephone conversation to ensure you get the opportunity to ask questions. Nobody particularly likes getting negative feedback about themselves and their companies, but Irsquom sure yoursquoll agree that we learn the most from our mistakes, so take the comments on board and aim to never hear that kind of comment again.Questions you could ask includebullIs it possible to see the scoring and the scoring criteria for each question we answeredbullWhat did we do rightbullWhat did we do wrongbullDid we put in anything additional we shouldnrsquot have includedbullDid we miss anythingbullWhat one thing could we have changed that would have changed your mindHow to use feedback to your advantageOnce yoursquove obtained your feedback from the procurement department, make sure you use it. Book a meeting with the people in your office involved with tender proposals and go through the points one by one. Look at your documentation what could you have done better bullDo you need to firm up your pricing offer and make it more competitivebullDO you need to concentrate more on the benefits than on the featuresbullDo you need to improve the spelling, grammar and businesswhen writing tendersbullDo you need to improve the design and presentation of your documentsbullDo you need to work on accompanying information such as policies and copies of documentsbullDo you need to look at other aspects of the process, such as presentations and demonstrationsSeek feedback and heed that feedback and yoursquoll improve your tender submissions. Bring that feedback to us and wersquoll help you to produce a better tender proposal next time. And therersquos always a next time.Executive Compassreg can increase the value of the feedback process even further by submitting requests for information to obtain feedback on the documents other companies have submitted thatrsquos why you need to copyright your own documents.

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-01-24:/business/news/1/writing+a+green+tender 2012-01-24

Greening your supply chainThe bulk of many organisationsrsquo carbon footprint can be located in the supply chain, rather than inside their own business. An example of this would be the NHS 59 of their carbon emissions can be found inside their supply chain for reasons such as pharmaceutical production.There are many benefits to making your supply chain greener especially if you are going to write a tender Itrsquos not just about reducing your overall footprint. The purchase of greener materials for your supply chain means that there is a lower risk of accidents on your site. An example of this would be gradually phasing out the purchase of potentially hazardous chemical materials and replacing them with greener options. It is similarly important to reduce the risk of social and environmental problems being attributed to your business through your supply chain. You should strive with your supply chain to strengthen your markets for green products and services. When completing a PQQ or writing a tender you should also ensure that all of the information you have on your green processes is included for maximum points.At the core of greening your supply chain you will find that you have 3 options1.Purchase less stuffThis is the easiest option of the three, as it is primarily about reducing the amount that you buy in order to reduce waste. Techniques for buying less typically includea.Check if you really do need the products you purchase you would be amazed at how much of what you buy never get used and just sits collecting dust or expires before useb.Ensure that dimensions and quantities match your requirements this will mean that the product needs less processing before itrsquos ready for the customerc.Carefully manage your stock levels of perishable items buying too much is wasteful, too little may not prove as cost effective as it could be.d.Strive to try and keep stocks as low as possible, especially for those products that are perishable. Price forecasting should also be borne in mind, as if prices are set to rise it may prove more efficient to stock up before the price increase.2.Purchase lsquobetterrsquo stuffIn this sense, better simply means more ecoefficient, whether it is solar, cyclical or safe. Examples includea.Using sheeps wool insulation, which has 91 less embodied energy than Rockwoolb.Using recycled materials recycled aluminium has 95 less embodied energy than virgin materialc.Using a solar powered ISP internet service providerd.Using a cycle courier instead of a motorcycle courier e.Sourcing your food products locally, reducing the amount of lsquofood milesrsquo3.Purchase stuff from lsquobetterrsquo suppliersYou can and will be held responsible for your suppliers by the press and your customers. Toyota sourced nickel for the battery for their Prius from a smelter in Canada that had had pollution problems in the past. This seriously affected the Priusrsquo image of being an environmentally friendly alternative to the regular automobile. There is an array of ways to identify potential problems within your supply chaina.Attempt to audit your potential suppliers using a simple short questionnaire and visit their main sites if you can there are a multitude of different reading materials available that list the lsquoethicalrsquo performance of companies against set criteria on which you can model your questionnaire.b.Impose a ranking system for your suppliers. For example, you could rank your suppliers from A to D, A being the most ecofriendly. Sharp does this and gives preference to those who are more ecosavvy than the others this also inspires the lower performing suppliers to make themselves more environmentally competitive.John Bilcliffe is a bid writer for Executive Compassreg nbsp

tag:www.executivecompass.co.uk,2012-01-17:/business/news/1/specialist+bid+writers+make+the+difference 2012-01-17

AdvertorialExecutive Compass offers companies the opportunity to outsource their PQQ, Bid and Tender writing requirements. Many companies may have an already established inhouse PQQ, Bid and Tender writing department, but any business can be feeling the pinch financially as our recession continues into the New Year, needing help with the tender process, so we offer an adhoc solution to their PQQ and Bid writing needs. We offer these writing services, along with bid management and training, at a reasonable cost and an auditable level of success and satisfaction.Some companies may not have an inhouse bid professional and might appoint someone who is inexperienced and uneducated of the procurement process and its requirements to fill complete PQQs and Tender documents, then wondering why they never get past the first hurdle. This is also a very inefficient choice as it would take that employee a lot longer than it should do to produce something that probably wonrsquot win you the contract. Executive Compass have a wealth of experience and knowledge surrounding procurement and so are able to not only train your staff but also point your entire organisation in the right direction and make it fit to tender for public sector contracts. We are ISO90012008 certified for the the bid and tender writing services that we provide, so you can be confident that yoursquore leaving your PQQ or Tender document in more than capable hands. We will guide you every step of the way at a very affordable cost for SMEs and larger organisations alike. You may find yourself scratching your head and wondering why you havenrsquot outsourced this to us before now, thinking of all the contracts that you could have already won if you had contacted Executive Compass before nowWhen completing your PQQ or Bid or during your training we will also work to try and strengthen your companyrsquos strategic position and highlight areas that need rectifying or improving in order for you to be awarded the contracts you should already be winning. We can write any policies for you that are required and asked of you in the PQQ section and design them properly to put your company in the best light possible during the evaluation stage.Next time you need a Bid and Tender writer make sure you keep us at Executive Compass in mind you will be amazed at how much of a costsaving solution it can be. This kind of outsourcing offers maximum value for money, at the same guaranteeing the highest level of quality.