In this blog our international bid writers discuss how tendering and bids differ in various countries and regions around the world.

In the ever-evolving arena of global commerce, tendering is shifting from an optional advantage to a critical lifeline. More and more buying authorities in a broadening range of industries are recognising and reaping the benefits, as are their suppliers. Why is this system so highly valued? The tendering process not only levels out the playing field, it elevates it.

It forces suppliers to be competitive with a tapestry of USPs, such as pricing, training, efficiency, quality and adaptability. And most of the time, it sniffs out the most economically advantageous solution, product or service. However, when it comes to tendering practices, what creates a splash in one part of the world can cause a drift in another. So how do these vary between countries, continents, cultures and economic systems? And how can you mobilise certain practices to your advantage?

Tendering Practices in the UK

Age: The UK tendering process is nine years old.

Regulatory Framework: In the UK, the public procurement process is governed by the Public Contracts Regulations, 2015. When the UK government enacted these regulations back in 2015, they were acutely aware of the benefits to tendering. Benefits that include transparency, fairness and ascending standards of quality for vital sectors such as healthcare and infrastructure. And it didn’t take long for the UK to push these advantages all the way to a competitive economy. As we speak, UK-based bid writing is propelling small businesses towards profit, expansion and intense market share growth.

The regulations themselves set out compulsory procedures that public bodies are obliged to follow when awarding contracts. For example, they must do what they can to make tendering opportunities equally accessible and transparent to all potential suppliers. One method is to advertise sub-threshold opportunities on Contracts Finder, a government portal for public procurement. Higher threshold contracts (above £139,688) on the other hand, have to be advertised on the Find a Tender service. Another alternative is to use region-specific procurement services such as Public Contracts Scotland or Sell2Wales.

The Process:

All the submissions received in response to the tender notice may lead to a selection stage, where credibility of the bidding suppliers is assessed using a Selection Questionnaire (SQ) or a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ). Suppliers may be shortlisted based on the required qualifications and can then progress to the next stage, where they receive an Invitation to Tender or an ITT. The ITT provides an opportunity for the supplier to showcase their experience, credentials and offerings through a written response and pricing sheet, among other documents. The submitted bids are then evaluated by a Tender Evaluation Panel after which the winning bid is awarded the contract.

Government Expenditure: According to Public Spending Statistics, approximately £393 billion was spent in the UK for the public sector, in the year 2022/2023. This is up from £379 billion spent the previous year. Additionally, public procurement accounts for around a third of all public expenditure in the UK as well.

Tendering Practices in The US

Regulatory Framework:

The public procurement process in the US is heavily regulated by several statutes in the United States Code, with the 53-part Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) laying down the primary set of rules that regulate Government procurement in the United States, codified in Chapter 1 of Title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). It includes contracts issued by the US Department of Defence (DoD) and NASA, as well as other civilian federal agencies. The promoted key principles of the practice are competition, transparency, non-discrimination.

The Process:

For contracts that are likely to exceed US$25,000, an abstract of the contract action has to be posted on a government-wide point of entry or GPE. The primary GPE used for government procurements is the System for Award Management (SAM) website.

Agencies must post a notice of the proposed contract action at least 15 days before the issuing of a solicitation for proposals. They also must provide a minimum response time of 30–45 days. Like the UK, there are two main types of bids, competitive (or “open”) sealed (“closed”). For sealed bids, the selected potential suppliers have to submit a bid in response to an Invitation for Bid (IFB), which is issued by the agency.

For competitive procurements, bidders must submit proposals in response to Request for Proposals (RFP) and the set evaluation criteria. After the suppliers submit proposals, agencies may choose to engage in exchanges with them to discuss, negotiate and sort out points in their proposals, or raise any concerns or potential weaknesses.

Government Expenditure: The U.S. Federal government spent a record $765 billion in awarding contracts, in the year of 2023, a 9.5% increase over the previous fiscal year; out of which $162.9 billion worth of contracts were given to the small business.

Tendering Practices in The Middle East

In the Middle East, the Request for Proposal (RFP) procedure varies based on the nation in question and its system of government. However, the majority of the typical procedures and factors apply to many countries in the area.

Variations By Country include:

• Saudi Arabia: The Government Tenders and Procurement Law (GTPL) outlines particular rules from the Saudi government. Electronic procurement is commonly conducted via the Etimad platform.

• United Arab Emirates (UAE): Each emirate in the UAE has its own protocols, and the UAE uses a variety of e-procurement technologies. Tejari, for example, is available in Dubai.

• Qatar: With certain rules and regulations, government procurement is supervised by the Central Tenders Committee (CTC).

• Kuwait: Tenders are managed by the Central Agency for Public Tenders (CAPT), which adheres to stringent legal guidelines.

Further information is available in our Middle East bid writing guide.

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

How to win a tender
Tender Compliance: What does it mean to be non-compliant?
What is a Bid Writer?
Writing winning bids
Bid Writing Consultants

The post Global Perspectives: How Tendering Practices Differ Around the World – Our International bid writers compare appeared first on Tender Consultants.

What is a bid specialist?

A bid specialist, also known as a bid writer, is an expert in the world of bids. Bid specialists are responsible for planning and writing bid responses — they may also be responsible for submitting bids. However, this responsibility usually lies with a bid manager. A bid writer will complete tenders in order to help a client secure contracts or funding — ultimately helping the success of the client’s business in the long run.

Some companies may employ an in-house bid writer to take care of all their bidding needs, however now many companies are looking to outsource this service. This is where we come in!

Bidding or tendering?

Many companies use the terms bid and tender interchangeably. This is because they mean the same thing! The term tender is used most commonly in the UK, whereas bid is used in the US.

Tendering Process

Tendering is a formal process whereby select businesses are invited to bid for contracts from public or private sector organisations, in need of specific skills for a project, goods or services on an ongoing basis.

How do bid specialists work?

Bid specialists often work alongside other bid writers as part of a bid writing team. Depending on areas of expertise, certain bid writers may be called upon to lead a project or to provide the more technical writing required. A bid manager will oversee each bid and mentor their team of bid writers, ensuring the best possible work is achieved. They will also quality-check the work before submission and often lead communications with the client throughout the process.

Depending on the client’s requirements, the bid manager will either submit the bid on their behalf or send over the work for the client to submit themselves.

Advantages of hiring a bid specialist:

There are many advantages to hiring a bid specialist. Here are just a few of them!

Exceptional writing skills

Our bid writers are trained to a high level to ensure that they always provide the best service for our clients. Every bid writer has honed their craft, as strong written communication skills are paramount when it comes to being a bid writer. As always, bid writing is a specific skill that not everyone has the time or resources to learn. This is why outsourcing to a bid writing company can be extremely beneficial and worth every penny!

Organisation

It should come as no surprise that you must have strong organisational skills to be a bid writer. Bid writing can be stressful, however, creating a plan with strict internal deadlines helps you to stick to that all-important final deadline for the client. A bid writer/specialist can, therefore, organise and focus solely on your bid while you divert your time and resources elsewhere.

No more stress!

Bid writing can be stressful at the best of times, even for professionals! The bidding process can be made even more stressful if you are already having to dedicate time and resources elsewhere in your company. Not to mention, costly! Outsourcing the bidding process to a bid specialist can take away the stress of the process.

Where to find a bid specialist?

At Hudson, we are home to many bid writing specialists who are highly experienced and successful. We are currently operating with an 87% success rate and have clients in over 40 countries across the world. Our bid writers are used to providing exceptional content for a variety of businesses in different sectors.

So, look no further and see our services listed below!

How we can help!

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect bid for your business, send it our way. Our Bid Writers can take care of the whole thing for you they’ll even submit it on your behalf. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready 4-week programme is perfect for businesses that have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully. Tender Ready offers your business:

• A 12-month subscription to one Hudson Discover
• Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
• An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3 case studies, 5 CVs and policies.
• Additional flexible benefits. 

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts, our Tender Improvement package can help. Our Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents. They will work with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to a Hudson Discover portal and additional tendering development services. 

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your tender response and need it double-checked for errors, Tender Mentor can help. A Bid Writer will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar, or spelling mistakes. They will also ensure it’s in line with the specification before you submit it. This is a great way of improving your skills and understanding of how to polish your tender.

Contact us:

Contact us to find out how we can help your business SUCCEED!

Additional support:

Do you only require assistance with PQQs or SQs? We can help!

Submit the relevant information regarding the work you need, and we will provide a quote for the work agreed upon.

We provide support at all levels of the bid writing process, so if you simply need it proofread before you submit it, we can also help with that!

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can optimise your tendering efforts!

Our two new time-saving tools can improve competitor awareness and success rate when bidding for a contract:

The Ultimate Time Save Package (for those on the go!)

• Five tender breakdowns per month.
• Annual subscription to two sector-specific portals.
• Dedicated account manager.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package

• All of the above.
• Seven tender breakdowns per month.
• Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager (minimum five years experience). Our Global Bid Director will manage the bid strategy.

Our other divisions:

Vocal

Wanting to impress a buyer? Our creative content agency Vocal is always on hand to help!

Our Vocal team are never afraid to be heard – we’re a loud bunch!

From micro-businesses to large organisations, we provide ways to make your business stand out from the crowd. We can transform your bid into a professionally designed tender document!

Vocal specialises in:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration

Alpha

Our online virtual learning environment for Education, Enterprise and Home Learners is currently being used to power our platforms – Tender VLE and Procure VLE (Coming soon).

We believe in learning at your own pace, wherever you are!

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• How to win a tender
• Tender Compliance: What does it mean to be non-compliant?
• What is a Bid Writer?
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid Writing Consultants
• Submitting a tender response

The post Bid Writing Specialists appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Wondering where to find award-winning bid writing services in the North-East?

At Hudson Succeed, we take care of the entire tendering process – from sourcing the tenders to submitting a winning bid on your behalf.

Keep reading to find out why you should work with a North-East based bid management company!

We are a Durham-based business development consultancy with offices in London, Manchester and Orlando (US Head Office).

Our success:

With over 60 years of experience in providing bid writing services and an 87% success rate, Hudson Outsourcing can greatly increase your business’ chance of success. You can focus on the running of your business, while our expert Bid Writers do what they do best – write winning bids.

Based in the North-East of England, we enjoy supporting local businesses. For example, Imagine You Can UK (leading provider of the National Citizen Service (NCS) enquired about our bid writing services and through our expert services, we were able to secure 4-years’ income.

Why work with a North-East bid management company?

• Outsourcing bid writing services can give you a significant edge over your competitors during the tendering for contracts process.
• Particularly, North-East based Bid Writers offer a significant advantage to your business rather than local bid writers near you.
• Instead of hiring an in-house writer, a full remote team of expert Bid Writers at Hudson Outsourcing can provide a wider range of tender services and complete the bid more efficiently while keeping costs down.
• In-house writers often require desk space which can become expensive, especially in London. Our writers can work just as efficiently, while bringing you savings!
• We are always accessible! Regardless of your business’ location, we can work with you via phone, Skype, Zoom and email. For example, we have supported clients in over 23 countries, including the Caribbean, US and Russia.
• We also have offices across the UK where clients may meet: Durham, Manchester, London and Orlando (US). Therefore, we are accessible physically and virtually at all times.
• At Hudson Outsourcing, we understand a company’s change in priorities – as such, we can adapt and continue flexible meetings while a client is away from the office or abroad. Other consultancies may be limited to face-to-face contact and meetings in their offices.
• Utilising a North-East based bid writing consultancy can save your company money, rather than using a consultancy in London, for example. This is because London-based consultancies charge a significantly higher rate to keep up with companies in London increasing their pricing.
• Ultimately, our services are award-winning and at a fraction of the cost demanded by other companies or in-house writers. 

What do we offer?

We provide support at all levels of the bid writing process to give you the results you need! Our four bid writing packages on offer are tailored to provide different levels of support for everyone – whether you have tender experience and are not seeing results or you are a beginner, we can provide the service you need!

Our four bid writing packages:

– Tender Writing

Once you have identified a tender you’d like support with, send it to us and one of our expert Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. We provide full transparency regarding the writing process and once complete, we can also submit it on your behalf.

– Tender Mentor

Our Mentor service will ensure the bid you have produced is the best it can possibly be. As part of our external guide and review service, we can critique the document while improving your business’ content to ensure it meets buyer requirements.

– Tender Ready

We will provide professional policies, procedures and case studies in your branding. You will also have access to three days’ worth of bid consultancy – whether you need assistance with bid writing, tender reviews or simply general guidance, we can provide you with anything that is missing from your content needs.

– Tender Improvement

Our Improvement service can help those with tendering experience without seeing results. Our Bid Writers can assess your previous responses and identify ways to improve your content. We will work with you throughout this process.

Top four ways that our outsourcing services can benefit your business:

1. Save time and money

Outsourcing services means you receive all the benefits of extra help, without having to hire another employee. This can help you conserve your business’ resources such as training and benefits. It also relieves pressure on yourself and your staff so you can concentrate on the efficient running of your business.

2. Promotes business growth

Securing new business contracts can allow you to grow your business by offering a significant ROI (Return on Investment). Successful tendering for contracts increases experience which means access to bigger tendering contracts. This leads to ultimate business growth.

3. Better risk management

Outsourcing bid writing services means hiring an expert. Attempting to solve a bid writing concern internally can have financial consequences and potentially months distracted from the regular running of your business. Avoid financial risk by outsourcing a Bid Writing professional.

4. Increase chances of success

Ultimately, increase your business’s chance for success by utilising our outsourcing content services here.

Our process:

1. What are your business needs?

Perhaps you would like to improve an existing process within your business, reduce costs or endeavour to create a new project. Whatever your business needs are, we have the answer!

2. Is it right for YOU?

A professional bid writer will be far more efficient and experienced in crafting a winning bid. So, do you have the time and resources to conduct the bid writing process in-house?

Outsourcing the work will allow for you to focus on other aspects of running your business.

3. Scope of Work

How much work needs to be outsourced? This will affect the entire process in terms of costing and time needed to complete a winning bid!

4. Outsourcing Businesses

Client testimonials and reviews are a reliable way of assessing a consultancy’s reputation and success. At Hudson Outsourcing, we have an 87% success rate and clients in over 23 countries.

5. Contract

Before conducting the bid writing process, the services needed and the terms of the contract between both parties need to be agreed upon. A transparent process should include the scope of work detailed, pricing and a timeframe of completed stages.

6. Delivery

As aforementioned, transparency throughout the process is key. Therefore, the client should be happy at every stage of the process. However, if necessary, changes can still be made upon delivery.

Let’s sum up!

Companies often turn to North-East based bid writing consultancies for a number of reasons:

• Lower costs to use than services provided by other consultancies based in London, for example.
• Improved efficiency – remote does not mean less productivity!
• Access to experts and professionals in bid writing.
• Wide range of services provided to increase bid and overall business success – for example, design, marketing and branding as provided by our Vocal

Contact us:

Contact us to find out how we can help your business SUCCEED!

Additional support:

Do you only require assistance with PQQs or SQs? We can help!

Simply submit the relevant information regarding the work you need and we will provide a quote for the work agreed.

We provide support at all levels of the bid writing process, so if you simply need it proofread before you submit, we can also help with that!

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can optimise your tendering efforts!

Our two new time-saving tools can improve competitor awareness and success rate when bidding for a contract:

The Ultimate Time Save Package (for those on the go!)

• Five tender breakdowns per month.
• Annual subscription to two sector-specific portals.
• Dedicated account manager.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package

• All of the above.
• Seven tender breakdowns per month.
• Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager (minimum five years experience). Also, the bid strategy will be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Our other divisions:

Vocal

Wanting to impress a buyer? Our creative content agency Vocal are always on hand to help!

Our Vocal team are never afraid to be heard – we’re a loud bunch!

From micro-businesses to large organisations, we provide ways to make your business stand out from the crowd. We can transform your bid into a professionally designed tender document!

Vocal specialises in:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration

Alpha

Our online virtual learning environment for Education, Enterprise and Home Learners is currently being used to power our own platforms – Tender VLE and Procure VLE (Coming soon).

We believe in learning at your own pace, wherever you are!

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:   

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid Writing Consultants
• Submitting a tender response
• And many more.

The post Bid Writing North East appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Got questions about strategic bid management? You’re in the right place! Here at Hudson Succeed, we thrive off teaching you anything and everything about the tendering process. Part of that process is strategic bid management. So, do you want to know what it is and how to conduct it successfully? Keep reading and you’ll learn our secrets!

What is strategic bid management?

Strategic bid management is a way of staying organised and on track when you embark on a bid. Producing a bid proposal is no easy task. There is a lot of work involved. This includes a lot of different stages and processes that can easily become overwhelming. Those that don’t value strategic bid management are likely to struggle during their tender writing process.

Tips from our experts for strategic bid management

We sat down with several of our Bid Writers to see what goes into bid management and planning for success.

1.     Check you are eligible for the opportunities you source

One of the first stages of strategic bid management is checking you are eligible for opportunities. You would be surprised how many businesses ignore this factor. Read ALL of the tender documents thoroughly. Note down any key details that stand out.

If the buyer states they want the supplier to have a certain qualification, then pay attention to this. If you don’t, but you bid anyway, you’re very unlikely to win. You’ll be wasting both yours and the buyer’s time, and this won’t leave a great reputation on your part.

2.     Consider exactly what the buyer requires

When you read the buyer’s documents, you need to show you have a grasp of what they’re asking. Plan out your answers to their questions. This way, you can ensure you don’t ramble and go off topic. If you do this, the buyer will grow bored and believe you can’t focus on what’s important.

3.     How to create your strategic bid management plan

When you are creating your strategic bid management plan, you should consider the following:

• Who will be responsible for developing responses?
• How is the work to be submitted? Some buyers require physical submissions as well as online.
• What format do they require your responses in?
• What do you need to attach for each question?
• Where is the response to be submitted and with what deadlines?
• How long will each individual question take?
• Do you need to create case studies for responses?

Having the answers to these questions ensures you are as prepared as possible. This also means you’ll complete the bid on time and have enough time for proofreading and reviewing. Remember: it is essential to have your bid in on time. If it is late by even a minute, you’ll lose your chance of being considered. So, create your strategic bid management plan and you’ll be set to win tenders!

Summary

Here’s a summary of what we covered:

What is strategic bid management?

To ensure your bid process runs smoothly, you need to be prepared. Bid management is the key to ensuring this. You’ll be able to stay organised and no small but essential details will go unacknowledged.

Tips from our experts for strategic bid management

1. Check you are eligible for the opportunities you source
2. Consider exactly what the buyer requires
3. How to create your strategic bid management plan
   • Who will be responsible for developing responses?
   • How is the work to be submitted? Some buyers require physical submissions as well as online.
   • What format do they require your responses in?
   • What do you need to attach for each question?
   • Where is the response to be submitted and with what deadlines?
   • How long will each individual question take?
   • Do you need to create case studiesfor responses?

Want to learn more about strategic bid management? Contact us to speak with our experts and we will answer your questions!

Need help searching for tenders?

You may be wondering where you can find a tender for your business. There’s no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads. Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific site that posts all unique, public and private sector opportunities.

Our sister company, Hudson Discover, has 11 sector-specific tendering portals.  One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.

Once signed up, you’ll have access to your own dedicated Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about public sector contracts. You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector.

A subscription to one of our industry-specific portals will include: 

• Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See the hundreds of opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised, and easily accessible.
• A daily email bulletin. When you sign up to a portal, you’ll receive an email alert when new tenders are uploaded.
• A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any questions or queries you may have about the portal.
• A free 20-minute phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert Bid Consultants will chat with you about anything tender related.

What opportunities can I expect from a tender search on a Hudson Discover portal? 

We host all kinds of tenders in both the public and private sectors. These are inclusive of, but aren’t limited to:

• Open tenders
• Restricted procedure tenders
• Competitive dialogues
• Negotiated tendering procedures
• Innovation partnerships
• Single supplier contracts
• Framework agreements
• Dynamic Purchasing Systems.

What we can do for you

We have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – they can help. There are four bid writing packages available:

• Tender Writing

Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our professional Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. They’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.

• Tender Mentor

Tender Mentor can give your tender response a once over before you submit. The Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors and opportunities for improvements prior to submission.

• Tender Ready

During the Tender Ready service, our team will create professional policies, procedures, and case studies in your company branding. If you already have this content, we will review everything carefully to ensure that nothing is missed. This service also helps businesses who are new to tendering with terminology and industry knowledge.

• Tender Improvement

The Tender Improvement package can help those who have tendered before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Vocal

Our support doesn’t end there! Our creative content agency, Vocal, are on hand to help.

The Vocal Team are not afraid to stand up and be heard. And we make sure our clients aren’t either! From small, micro businesses to large organisations, we are vocal about the things that make your business unique.

Our creative service is dedicated to growing your business through striking and thought-provoking content. Our team specialise in six areas, including:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration.

If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, introduce yourself to the team!

Contact us today to find out more.

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid writing consultants
• Submitting a tender response
• And many more.

The post Strategic Bid Management: Everything You NEED to Know to Succeed! appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Electronic tenders have become standard practice in the procurement industry, with more buyers adopting online processes.

It is not only buyers who yield benefits from this technology, but suppliers too. This online process presents easier access to tendering opportunities and a clear, structured procedure to follow. Here we run through the e-tendering process, along with some core benefits for suppliers.

The digital transformation towards electronic tendering

As technology continues to evolve, e-tendering processes now dominate the procurement industry. With this move to online processes, the question is no longer “is e-tendering right for my company?”. Suppliers must now adapt to the digital transformation of procurement.

Software solutions are now no longer exclusive to larger, more resourceful companies. Small to Medium Enterprises are now able to access these electronic procurement solutions and reap its benefits. This transformation typically aims towards goals such as cost savings, greater efficiency, and improved strategic and competitive decision-making.

Like all digital transformations, electronic tendering also has its share of advantages and disadvantages. Despite its cons, it is rapidly taking over paper-based solutions. It is important for suppliers to not only understand the benefits this yields, but how to successfully navigate them.

The e-tendering platform

There are a number of online portals that are used for submitting your tender online. These portals provide a secure online platform that improve the speed and efficiency of submissions. Such portals include but are not limited to: ProContract (Proactis), YORtender, DELTA eSourcing, and Oracle iSupplier.

Once you are registered on one of these portals, there are multiple utilities at your disposal. You can:

• Express interest in opportunities
• Complete and submit a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ)
• Complete and submit a tender proposal
• Access the tender documents, such as the buyer’s specification
• Ask the buyer clarification questions
• Receive notifications of any changes to the tender requirements
• Upload any appendices to support your bid.

What are the key advantages for suppliers?

The electronic tendering process provides a structured approach to submitting bids. While each portal may have different formats, they often abide by a sequential process. For example, when taking you through the tendering process you will often be required to complete parts before moving on. This mitigates the potential for error, such as accidentally missing out important parts of the proposal.

Depending on the tender portal used, there are also the following structural benefits:

• Formatted text fields

Not all online portals require you to submit your bid in the form of Word documents. Portals such as ProActis provide text boxes for question responses. This removes the burden of formatting from the supplier, putting all of the focus onto the content. This also means that no bidder can be at an advantage due to unique formatting or design.

• Clarifications and post-clarifications

Electronic tendering systems have processes in place to allow both buyers and suppliers to seek clarification from each other. If a requirement in the specification is unclear, the buyer would be able to clarify this in a timely manner. Buyers often get in touch with suppliers for clarifications post-submission. This reduces the chances of the submission quality being marked down automatically due to error. Additionally, all communications are within a clear, legally binding trail.

• Easy-to-use interface

While the online procurement process can take some time to adjust to, most interfaces are user-friendly. This greatly simplifies the submission and information acquisition process for suppliers. Not only is the paper-based alternative more costly, but it is also more tedious in general. Using this interface, it is also easier to manage documents for submissions and make edits where necessary. This is something that would be far more tedious with the paper-based option!

• Fool-proofing

As touched upon previously, the e-tendering process is usually fool-proofed to reduce error. This is achieved by dividing the proposal up into mandatory sections, requiring you to complete each section. Using an e-tendering portal also means that it is much easier to pick up where you left off. This is typically done with a completion tracker or visual cues indicating which fields still require responses.

8 tips for submitting electronic tenders

Electronic tendering improves access to opportunities with a structured format. However, it is still worth noting these e-tendering tips:

1. Don’t wait too long to submit clarifications

There is typically a deadline for submitting clarifications to the buyer before the official submission deadline. By getting your clarifications resolved early, the sooner you can submit your bid. You should aim to be clear about which part of the tender you are referring to. Taking too long to seek clarifications also means there is less time to make the amendments in question. It would be ideal to get these sooner rather than later.

2. Try not to submit your tender at the last minute

Leaving the submission of your bid to the last minute can run you into problems. If there is something wrong with the portal or the submission, you may not have time to resolve this. It is always good to submit the tender a decent length of time before the deadline. When it comes to the submission, if you do run into problems, it is important to evidence this. This can be done in the form of screenshots relayed to the buyer or portal administrator. It might also be worth submitting different parts of the tender when they are completed – instead of in one go.

3. Don’t forget your login details

While it may be obvious, losing access to your account can cause you to miss looming deadlines. Some electronic tendering systems will put a lock on your account after too many incorrect attempts. If you anticipate going on leave, it would also be worth passing these details over to colleagues. Losing access to your portal account would also mean any opportunities curated need to be found again. Avoid the unnecessary stress by keeping your login details handy!

4. Monitor your system notifications

Online portals will send you system notifications for various reasons. You will receive notifications when clarifications are responded to, or the buyer has relayed an update. You will also receive responses to clarifications made by other bidders for fairness reasons. It is important to keep on top of these so you don’t miss any crucial information. If you miss a notification about amendments to specification criteria, you may then be at risk of rejection.

5. Check grammar before you submit

Consider drafting your responses up in MS Word before pasting them into the text boxes. This yields the advantage of a visible word count, and a spellchecker. This will also ensure you have access to your proposal drafts should a problem occur with the portal. Have a look at our Tender VLE video for information on the editing process and proofreading tips!

6. Be careful of timeouts

Most electronic tendering systems have an automatic timeout system. This logs the user out after a period of inactivity (typically 10-20 minutes). While many portals have an auto-save feature, you should ensure your progress is saved before leaving it for this long.

7. Double-check portal submissions

Before you click that “submit response” button, it is definitely worth checking over your response to ensure accuracy. It may also be worth handing over to another team member to check over with a fresh pair of eyes. This reduces the chances of something being missed or completed incorrectly. Take note of the submission requirements in line with the documents you have attached. If something is out of line with the specified requirements, this can result in automatic rejection.

8. Opt-in to notifications for relevant opportunities

Many online tender portals boast a feature that automatically presents you with opportunities in your industry of choice. This is typically based on inaccurate CPV codes, and it is not always sector-specific. If you’d like more help finding tenders that are right for you, get in touch with the Hudson Discover Team.

Developing technologies in e-tendering

At Hudson Outsourcing, our goal is to help every business we engage with grow. We aim to propagate this by using innovative procurement technologies and smarter methods of working.

Currently in development is our Procure Smart software. This is a prospective technology and compliance solution that uses Artificial Intelligence to bolster procurement efficiency. Procure Smart will use this AI to not only improve the procurement process, but keep in adherence with regulations. The end-goal is to equalise the procurement process and make it more accessible for both suppliers and commissioners.

Need help with electronic tendering?

Many of the mentioned tender portals can be difficult to understand at first. It can take some time to get used navigating them comfortably without detrimental mistakes.

For help and support with the electronic tendering process and writing persuasive bids, contact our Bid Writers at Hudson Succeed.

We have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – they can help. There are four bid writing packages available:

• Tender Writing

Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. They’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.

• Tender Mentor

Tender Mentor can give your tender response a once over before you submit. The Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors and opportunities for improvements prior to submission.

• Tender Ready

During the Tender Ready service, our team will create professional policies, procedures, and case studies in your company branding. If you already have this content, we will review everything carefully to ensure that nothing is missed. This service also helps businesses who are new to tendering with terminology and industry knowledge.

• Tender Improvement

The Tender Improvement package can help those who have tendered before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid writing consultants
• Submitting a tender response
• And many more.

The post 8 Tips for Submitting Electronic Tenders appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Got questions about bid and tender writing services? We have the answers! We know that bidding for a contract can be a stressful process, especially for those with little to no experience. So, we put together this blog to help people learn how bid and tender writing services can help them. So, keep reading to learn more about the services available to you and how they could be your best option.

What are bid and tender writing services?

If you are completely new to the tendering process, then you may wonder what bid and tender writing services are. Bid and tender writing services are a form of support you can receive from Tender Writing Consultants.

Bid writing can take up a lot of time and resources. So, bid and tender writing services are often chosen for this reason. In short, these experts will handle the process for you. Read our next section to learn the benefits of bid and tender writing services!

How can bid and tender writing services benefit your business?

Now that you know what bid and tender writing services are, you may wonder what the benefits are. Well, there are several. Here are some of the main benefits:

1.     Increased chance of success

By relying on a professional Bid Writer, you can rest assured that you’ve increased your chances of success. These experts know what it takes to win. They’ve made mistakes and learnt throughout their career. This means if you are new to tendering, you won’t need to go through this learning curve. They’ve already done it and therefore can apply their expertise to give you the best chance of winning.

2.     Takes the pressure off your shoulders

One of the best benefits of bid and tender writing services is that it takes the stress out of the process. You can sit back and relax as the experts do the work on your behalf. They can even submit it for you!

This is certainly a benefit if you are already incredibly busy trying to run a business. The chances are you have little to no time to dedicate to writing a bid. By using bid and tender writing services, you don’t have to sacrifice your time to the bid. You can continue with your usual responsibilities and there is no disruption to your business.

3.     Saves you resources

Running on from our last point, by using bid and tender writing services, you are saving yourself resources. You could always hire an inhouse Bid Writer. However, you’d have to be using them constantly for it to be a worthy investment. Plus, the hiring process can take a lot of time. By using bid and tender writing services, you can get instant support. It saves you money and resources in the long run.

4.     Bid Writers understand documents

One of the most difficult parts of bidding for work is the number of lengthy tender documents to go through. If you aren’t well versed in these, you’ll likely find them overwhelming. You may also miss key details. Experts know exactly what they are looking for and what needs to be prioritised.

Summary

Now that we have discussed bid and tender writing services, let’s recap so nothing is forgotten!

What are bid and tender writing services?

Bid and tender writing services are available from industry professionals. If you are new to or inexperienced with bidding, they can support you. If you aren’t seeing the success you want, they can also help.

How can bid and tender writing services benefit your business?

1.     Increased chance of success

2.     Takes the pressure off your shoulders

3.     Saves you resources

4.     Bid Writers understand tender documents.

Need help searching for tenders?

You may be wondering where you can find a tender for your business. There’s no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads. Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific site that posts all unique, public and private sector opportunities.

Our sister company, Hudson Discover, has 11 sector-specific tendering portals.  One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.

Once signed up, you’ll have access to your own dedicated Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about public sector contracts. You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector.

A subscription to one of our industry-specific portals will include:

• Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See the hundreds of opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised, and easily accessible.
• A daily email bulletin. When you sign up to a portal, you’ll receive an email alert when new tenders are uploaded.
• A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any questions or queries you may have about the portal.
• A free 20-minute phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert Bid Consultants will chat with you about anything tender related.

What opportunities can I expect from a tender search on a Hudson Discover portal?

We host all kinds of tenders in both the public and private sectors. These are inclusive of, but aren’t limited to:

• Open tenders
• Restricted procedure tenders
• Competitive dialogues
• Negotiated tendering procedures
• Innovation partnerships
• Single supplier contracts
• Framework agreements
• Dynamic Purchasing Systems.

What we can do for you

We have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – they can help. There are four bid writing packages available:

• Tender Writing

Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. They’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.

• Tender Mentor

Tender Mentor can give your tender response a once over before you submit. The Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors and opportunities for improvements prior to submission.

• Tender Ready

During the Tender Ready service, our team will create professional policies, procedures, and case studies in your company branding. If you already have this content, we will review everything carefully to ensure that nothing is missed. This service also helps businesses who are new to tendering with terminology and industry knowledge.

• Tender Improvement

The Tender Improvement package can help those who have tendered before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Vocal

Our support doesn’t end there! Our creative content agency, Vocal, are on hand to help.

The Vocal Team are not afraid to stand up and be heard. And we make sure our clients aren’t either! From small, micro businesses to large organisations, we are vocal about the things that make your business unique.

Our creative service is dedicated to growing your business through striking and thought-provoking content. Our team specialise in six areas, including:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration.

If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, introduce yourself to the team!

Contact us today to find out more.

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid writing consultants
• Submitting a tender response
• And many more.

The post Bid and Tender Writing Services: The Secrets to Success! appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Do you want to learn how to win contracts for your business? In this blog, we’ll go through our seven tips for success. 

1. Research, research, research

First things first, if you want to learn how to win contracts, you need to do your research. Initially, you should research the buyer and the contract in more detail. The more you know about the buyer, the better your final tender response will be.

2. Study the tender documents

When you’re learning how to win contracts, understanding the importance of this stage is crucial. Before you begin writing, you need to study the tender documents. Whether it’s one page or 100 pages, you need to digest all the information available to you. Otherwise, you run the risk of missing key details in your tender response. 

3. Prepare your evidence

Next, you need to prepare your case studies. In most cases, you’ll need to include at least two to three contract examples from the past five years. These should be similar in size, scope and complexity to the buyer’s project. If it’s not relevant to the tender, don’t include it in your response. 

4. Show, don’t tell 

Now it’s time to put your case studies to work! To learn how to win contracts, you need to do more than tell the buyer what you’re going to do. You need to show them.

The best way to do this is to show the buyer how you’ve delivered for your previous clients. You could also include testimonials that showcase your past successes.

5. Demonstrate added value

When you’re bidding for public sector contracts, you need to demonstrate added value in your tender response. Added value, also known as social value, is now mandatory in public sector contracts, with a compulsory weighting of 10%. Therefore, you need to show the buyer how you’ll deal with environmental, social and economic factors.

This could include:

• Encouraging economic growth
• Tackling climate change
• Creating new job opportunities
• Giving back to the local community.

6. Review – and then review it again

You might have finished your first draft, but the work doesn’t stop there. When you’re learning how to win contracts, you should be prepared to review your work for errors and inconsistencies. To do this, you should focus on two key areas:

• That you’re actually answering the buyer’s questions
• That your bid response is free of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

To simplify this process, you could try reviewing your tender response more than once, checking for different things each time. 

7. Submit the bid on time

Finally, you need to make sure that you’re ready to submit your tender response before the deadline. After all, there’s no point in learning how to win contracts if you miss the deadline date and time. So, if the tender is due at 12pm, don’t wait until 11:59am to submit.

In summary

When you’re learning how to win contracts, you need to make sure you do the following:

1. Do your research
2. Study the tender documents
3. Prepare your evidence
4. Show, don’t tell
5. Demonstrate added value
6. Review – and then review it again
7. Submit the bid on time.

How Hudson Succeed can help 

So, are you learning how to win contracts?

Enter Hudson Succeed!

We have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – we can help. There are four bid writing packages available:

• Tender Writing 

Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. We’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.

• Tender Mentor  

Tender Mentor can give your tender response a once over before you submit it. Our Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors and opportunities for improvements prior to submission.

• Tender Ready 

During the Tender Ready service, our team will create professional policies, procedures, and case studies in your company branding. If you already have this content, we will review everything carefully to ensure that nothing is missed. Once the programme is complete, you’ll have access to three days’ worth of bid consultancy. This can be used for bid writing, tender reviews, or general advice and guidance.

• Tender Improvement  

The Tender Improvement package can help those who have tendered before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Need help with searching for tenders?

Are you curious about finding tenders for your business?

There’s no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads.

Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific site that posts all unique, public and private sector opportunities.

Our sister company, Hudson Discover, has 11 sector-specific tendering portals.  One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.

Once signed up, you’ll have access to your own dedicated Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about public sector contracts. Likewise, you’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector. 

A subscription to one of our industry-specific portals will include:  

• Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See all the opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised, and easily accessible.
• A daily email bulletin. When you sign up to a portal, you’ll receive an email alert when new tenders are uploaded.
• A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any questions or queries you may have about the portal.
• A free 20-minute phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert Bid Consultants will chat with you about anything tender related. 

What opportunities can I expect from a tender search on a Hudson Discover portal?

Hudson Discover hosts all kinds of tenders in both the public and private sectors. These are inclusive of, but aren’t limited to:

• Open tenders
• Restricted procedure tenders
• Competitive dialogues
• Negotiated tendering procedures
• Innovation partnerships
• Single supplier contracts
• Framework agreements
• Dynamic Purchasing Systems.

Discover Elite

If you want to streamline the process even further, you can sign up to Discover Elite via your chosen portal. With this service, a dedicated Account Manager will find live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules.

Vocal

Our support doesn’t end there! Our creative content agency, Vocal, are on hand to help.

The Vocal Team are not afraid to stand up and be heard. And we make sure our clients aren’t either! From small, micro-businesses to large organisations, we are vocal about the things that make your business unique.

Our creative service is dedicated to growing your business through striking and thought-provoking content. We’ll take your bid and give it a complete makeover. With professionally designed tender documents, you’re sure to make an impression on the buyer!

Our team specialise in six areas, including:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration.

If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, introduce yourself to the team!

Contact us to find out more! 

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:   

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid Writing Consultants
• Submitting a tender response
• And many more.

The post How to Win Contracts: 7 Secrets You NEED to Know appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Looking for free tender writing tips? Have you ever wanted to sit down with a bid writing professional and see what it takes to win? Well, at Hudson Succeed, our experts are more than happy to offer support. In this blog, we will cover seven of the most important tender writing tips. Keep reading to see how you can increase your chances of success!

1.    Use writing and communication to your advantage

Here’s our first tip: make sure you have a great grasp on writing and communication skills. You can use these to your advantage when writing a tender. As you may have guessed, writing skills are important for writing tenders. This isn’t just about spelling and grammar, although these are incredibly important. Writing a good tender means using writing skills to communicate with the buyer. You should clearly express your skills, experience, concepts, and more, in the best way. Your tone should be persuasive. Afterall, you are trying to convince them that you are the best option for the contract.

Essentially, you want to use writing and communication to make yourself memorable. That doesn’t mean you should go to any extremes, as you should remain professional. But executing these abilities and showcasing them in the best light will give you an edge over competitors.

2.    Don’t use technical jargon

Following on from our first point, next on our list of tender writing tips is to not use technical jargon. Since your bid should be clear and easy to read, adding technical jargon will work against this. There is a very high chance the buyer has little to no knowledge of your industry. So, using words they won’t understand will instantly make it a chore to read your bid. They’ll be confused and may have to research what something means (if they have the time, which is unlikely).

Ultimately, if your bid becomes difficult to read, you’ll leave the buyer with a bad impression. In turn, they will likely avoid awarding you the contract as they won’t fully understand your tender.

3.    Proofread your work before submission

Even the best writers will make mistakes in their first draft, no matter how small they are. Our next tender writing tip is the importance of proofreading and editing your bid proposal. You should never submit a first draft when tendering! There’s almost certainly going to be mistakes, even minor ones you might not notice at first. The issue is that the buyer likely will notice them, as it is their first time reading the document. Plus, they are reviewing it thoroughly.

Our Bid Writing Consultants suggest that you thoroughly proofread your bid several times. It can be beneficial to take breaks and then read it, as you are more likely to notice errors. You should also read it aloud, or have your device read it aloud to you. This makes it easier to notice anything that doesn’t sound quite right. If you have the team members, you could ask other people to read it too. The more it is proofed, the higher the quality. If you submit a bid full of errors and mistakes, the buyer won’t take you seriously. They will get the impression that you are lazy and unprofessional. So, they certainly won’t want to award you the contract.

4.    Read all the documents before you start

One of our most important tender writing tips is to read all the buyer’s tender documents before you start. This way, you can prepare your bid and make sure you cover all the important details. The last thing you want is to complete an excellent bid, only to find you missed an important part. This will result in your bid being a complete waste of time and effort.

5.    Use bid management skills to stay on track

One of the best ways of staying organised is through bid management. Here are a few things to consider for effective bid management:

• How long will each individual question take?
• Do you need to create case studies for responses?
• What do you need to attach for each question?
• Where is the response to be submitted and with what deadlines?
• How is the work to be submitted? Some buyers require physical submissions as well as online.
• What format do they require your responses in?
• Who will be responsible for developing responses?

The more prepared you are, the less likely you are to have made mistakes. If mistakes happen, you’ll also be prepared to deal with them efficiently and effectively. This ensures time isn’t wasted and the bid is submitted on time and of the highest standard.

6.    Ensure you use relevant case studies

Next on our list of tender writing tips is the importance of case studies. These should be showcased in your bid proposal as it is evidence of your skills and experience. The buyer wants to feel assured they can trust you with their contract. So, you need to make it as easy as possible for them to put their faith in your abilities.

It is also important that your case studies are relevant to the bid you are going for. Irrelevant case studies do more harm than good. This is because it shows you don’t have relevant experience, firstly. Then, it shows you haven’t bothered to check whether it’s relevant.

It is an added bonus to be able to include testimonials for the case studies you showcase. We wrote a blog for more tender writing tips for case studies.

7.    Be compliant with the instructions

For the last of our tender writing tips, we will discuss the importance of compliance. You may be surprised to know that there are those that don’t follow the buyer’s instructions. This massively impacts your chances of success. Why would the buyer award you the contract if you can’t follow instructions for the bid?

When the buyer gives a specific word count for your answer, stick to it. For example, if they want 1000 words, get as close to that as possible. If your answer is only 500 words, it shows two distinct issues. One is that you can’t follow instructions. Secondly, is that you don’t know enough about your business to answer the question fully. Both are detrimental to your chances of success.

Summary

So, now that we have come to an end on our blog of tender writing tips, let’s recap!

Here are the seven tender writing tips we explored:

1. Use writing and communication to your advantage
2. Don’t use technical jargon
3. Proofread your work before submission
4. Read all the documents before you start
5. Use bid management skills to stay on track
6. Ensure you use relevant case studies
7. Be compliant with the instructions.

Do you have questions about our tender writing tips, or something else? Feel free to contact us, as we are always happy to help!

Need help searching for tenders?

You may be wondering where you can find a tender for your business. There’s no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads. Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific site that posts all unique, public and private sector opportunities.

Our sister company, Hudson Discover, has 11 sector-specific tendering portals.  One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.

Once signed up, you’ll have access to your own dedicated Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about public sector contracts. You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector.

A subscription to one of our industry-specific portals will include:

• Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See the hundreds of opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised, and easily accessible.
• A daily email bulletin. When you sign up to a portal, you’ll receive an email alert when new tenders are uploaded.
• A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any questions or queries you may have about the portal.
• A free 20-minute phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert bid consultants will chat with you about anything tender related.

What opportunities can I expect from a tender search on a Hudson Discover portal?

 We host all kinds of tenders in both the public and private sectors. These are inclusive of, but aren’t limited to:

• Open tenders
• Restricted procedure tenders
• Competitive dialogues
• Negotiated tendering procedures
• Innovation partnerships
• Single supplier contracts
• Framework agreements
• Dynamic Purchasing Systems.

What we can do for you

We have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – they can help. There are four bid writing packages available:

• Tender Writing

Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. They’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.

• Tender Mentor

Tender Mentor can give your tender response a once over before you submit. The Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors and opportunities for improvements prior to submission.

• Tender Ready

During the Tender Ready service, our team will create professional policies, procedures, and case studies in your company branding. If you already have this content, we will review everything carefully to ensure that nothing is missed. This service also helps businesses who are new to tendering with terminology and industry knowledge.

• Tender Improvement

The Tender Improvement package can help those who have tendered before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Vocal

Our support doesn’t end there! Our creative content agency, Vocal, are on hand to help.

The Vocal Team are not afraid to stand up and be heard. And we make sure our clients aren’t either! From small, micro businesses to large organisations, we are vocal about the things that make your business unique.

Our creative service is dedicated to growing your business through striking and thought-provoking content. Our team specialise in six areas, including:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration.

If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, introduce yourself to the team!

Contact us today to find out more.

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid writing consultants
• Submitting a tender response
• And many more.

The post Tender Writing Tips: 7 of the Best FREE Tips from Professional Bid Writers appeared first on Tender Consultants.

If you are familiar with bid proposals, you may have seen that scenario-based questions are making a regular appearance. But are you aware of what the buyer is asking, and how to answer the questions efficiently?

We caught up with one of our Senior Bid Writers, Robyn Crawford, to pick her brain on scenario-based questions.

What are scenario-based questions?

Scenario-based questions are included within a tender and are issued by the buyer. This is so they can learn how you, the supplier, will respond to a hypothetical situation in the future. This is a great way for the buyer to learn about the supplier’s values, ethical standards and thought process.

Scenario-based questions ask for a practical-based application of the supplier’s working practices. This is a good test to see what a supplier’s priorities are. But also, how they will adapt to unfamiliar situations. They’re looking at what processes you have in place and whether they are sufficient for dealing with potential problems.

What type of scenario-based questions can occur during bid proposals?

When issuing scenario-based questions, buyers will pose potential situations that they’re looking for a response to. Here are some examples that Robyn has seen when working on tender responses, across a range of industries:

Scenario 1: Supported Living

Your Support Workers have noted a young person, placed at your service, is regularly making excuses to stay out of the placement. The young person is respectful, polite, and gentle to the Support Workers and to other tenants. The Support Worker has also noted that the young person is bringing expensive gifts back with them when they do come home. For example, new clothes, a smart phone, and they have a lot of excess cash.

What are the identified concerns and how will you safeguard the young person and address the issues?

Scenario 2: Construction

Please explain how you would manage the safety and wellbeing of residents, in the event of a sudden failure of power supply to part of the building whilst carrying out the installation.

Scenario 3: Healthcare

Betty has end-stage dementia and has been cared for a number of years in her own home. She requires all care and is nursed in bed. Betty has an Advance Care Plan and a ‘Do Not Attempt to Resuscitate (DNAR)’ recommendation in place, written and witnessed prior to her losing mental capacity. Betty’s wish is to die in her own home, although her daughters do not agree with this decision. Neither daughter lives with Betty. 

Betty’s GP has made a number of anticipatory medications available within the house and there is an associated current drug chart in situ. 

Over the past week, your staff have reported that Betty appears a bit more frail but still appears comfortable. 

A member of your staff has visited this morning and Betty appears distressed and unsettled, is crying in pain upon movement, and is cold to touch but appears flushed in the face. The night Carer reports that Betty has been like this all night.  

What action would your staff take?

These are just a handful of questions that you could find in bid proposals. Scenario-based questions will be unique to each buyer. If you have the right policies and procedures in place, you will be able to answer the questions with ease.

But why do buyers seek answers to scenario-based questions?

There can be many different reasons as to why a buyer would be looking for a response to these questions. From experience, these are the most common reasons why:

1. Predicting future performance

Scenario-based questions are a great way for the buyer to assess and predict a supplier’s future job performance. Furthermore, it allows the buyer to draw a conclusion about how the supplier will solve problems, handle challenges, etc. They are also used to assess soft skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership, adaptability, and decision making.

2. Problems in the past

The scenario asked may provide an insight into previous failings by an incumbent provider. Therefore, the buyer will be looking to proactively address these issues. Your answer should therefore provide reassurance to the buyer – how will these problems be mitigated?

This is shown in example three. The buyer will be looking for the supplier to address how they would handle this shortfall in service. Whilst also showing how they will mitigate its reoccurrence.

3. Common occurrence

In some cases, there will be common occurrence within reactive maintenance. Through your response, you should breed confidence on how you will deal with these day-to-day tasks. E.g., how performance will be monitored/managed, how response times will be maintained, health and safety measures in place, etc.

4. High–risk occurrence

Example one refers to a young person at risk of Child Sex Exploitation. Which in supported living, is a high-risk occurrence. Here, the buyer will want you to demonstrate how your staff are trained to identify this risk. Along with the steps that you will take to keep this young person safe. The buyer will also be looking for any preventative measures. This is what the supplier is putting forward in order to prevent this from ever occurring whilst delivering the contract.

5. Easier for the evaluator

This type of question can be easier for panels who aren’t necessarily experienced/skilled at reviewing information or are non-specialists. For example, consider this question:

‘Can you describe how you would react if a service user was found to be under the influence of alcohol?’

This will be more accessible to a Care Assistant on the procurement panel and easier for them to assess.

6. Getting the best out of bidders

Scenario responses are usually easier to respond to – especially for those who are not specialists in tendering. It ensures the buyer is drawing out the best from bidders.

What are your tips when it comes to answering scenario-based questions?

After seeing scenario-based questions become a regular occurrence within bid proposals, I have become adapt in answering the questions. Here are my tips to help you with your own responses:

• Use a step by step, methodical approach. This will demonstrate logic and critical thinking.
• Draw on experience. If you have experience with the scenario being presented and have successfully managed this, ensure you make this clear. For example, a response for scenario two could start with:

“COMPANY have dealt with NUMBER of power failures during installation and have successfully resolved this issue by…”

• Be factual. Although the question is hypothetical, it is important to think critically and respond as though it is a real occurrence. What exactly would you do?
• Add value – feed innovative methods/technologies into your response. For example, training or IT systems. It is important to constantly demonstrate where you can go above and beyond the expectations of the buyer.

In summary

Scenario-based questions are issued by the buyer to establish if you, the supplier, can adapt easily to unpredicted situations.

They will issue questions with hypothetical scenarios, where you’ll be expected to respond with how you will handle the situation. They will be looking at what policies and procedures you have in place when reacting to issues. The six main reasons why buyers will be issuing scenario-based questions are:

1. Predicting future performance of the supplier
2. Identifying solutions for problems they have had in the past
3. Common occurrence
4. High–risk occurrence
5. Easier for the evaluator
6. Getting the best out of bidders.

When responding to these questions, whilst they may be hypothetical, treat them as if they were really happening. Answer in full detail how you would handle the scenario posed to you. To ensure your response is of the highest quality, here are Robyn’s tips to follow:

• Use a step by step, methodical approach
• Draw on experience
• Be factual. As yourself, what exactly would you do?
• Add value – feed innovative methods / technologies into your response.

How Hudson Succeed can help 

Now you know what scenario questions are, and why the buyer is asking them. You can begin to improve your bid response. However, our Bid Writers have great experience in answering scenario-based questions. If you feel you lack the ability to respond to these questions, let us help.

We have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – we can help. There are four bid writing packages available:

·       Tender Writing

Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. We’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.

·       Tender Mentor 

Tender Mentor can give your tender response a once over before you submit. Our Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors and opportunities for improvements prior to submission.

·       Tender Ready

During the Tender Ready service, our team will create professional policies, procedures, and case studies in your company branding. If you already have this content, we will review everything carefully to ensure that nothing is missed. Once the programme is complete, you’ll have access to three days’ worth of bid consultancy. This can be used for bid writing, tender reviews, or general advice and guidance.

·       Tender Improvement

The Tender Improvement package can help those who have tendered before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Need help with searching for tenders?

Now you know about scenario-based questions, you might be curious about finding tenders for your business.

There’s no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads.

Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific site that posts all unique, public and private sector opportunities.

Our sister company, Hudson Discover, has 11 sector-specific tendering portals.  One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.

Once signed up, you’ll have access to your own dedicated Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about tendering for work. You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector.

A subscription to one of our industry-specific portals will include:  

• Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See all the opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised, and easily accessible.
• A daily email bulletin. When you sign up to a portal, you’ll receive an email alert when new tenders are uploaded.
• A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any questions or queries you may have about the portal.
• A free 20-minute phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert Bid Consultants will chat with you about anything tender related.

What opportunities can I expect from a tender search on a Hudson Discover portal?

Hudson Discover hosts all kinds of tenders in both the public and private sectors. These are inclusive of, but aren’t limited to:

• Open tenders
• Restricted procedure tenders
• Competitive dialogues
• Negotiated tendering procedures
• Innovation partnerships
• Single supplier contracts
• Framework agreements
• Dynamic Purchasing Systems.

 Discover Elite

If you want to streamline the process even further, you can sign up to Discover Elite via your chosen portal. With this service, a dedicated Account Manager will find live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules.

Vocal

Our support doesn’t end there! Our creative content agency, Vocal, are on hand to help.

The Vocal Team are not afraid to stand up and be heard. And we make sure our clients aren’t either! From small, micro businesses to large organisations, we are vocal about the things that make your business unique.

Our creative service is dedicated to growing your business through striking and thought-provoking content. We’ll take your bid and give it a complete makeover. With professionally designed tender documents, you’re sure to make an impression on the buyer!

Our team specialise in six areas, including:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration.

If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, introduce yourself to the team!

Contact us to find out more!

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:   

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid Writing Consultants
• Submitting a tender response
• And many more.

The post Scenario-Based Questions – 6 Reasons Why Buyers Are Asking These Questions appeared first on Tender Consultants.

If you’re wondering how to win tenders, then you’ve come to the right place. Here at Hudson Succeed, we have over 60 years of experience with writing tenders and proposals. We also have an 87% bid success rate, so we are confident in our ability to help you.

A lot of work can go into writing a bid proposal. If you are new to tendering and unsure of the bid process, it can seem overwhelming. Don’t worry! It isn’t as bad as it first appears. Continue reading to learn the various ways in which you can increase your chances to win tenders.

What are tenders?

If you are completely new to the tendering process, you may want to know more about what tenders are. This is a key part of how to win tenders . You need to know what you’re in for! In short, a tender (also known as a ‘bid’) is a document submitted for a contract.

This contract will be for goods or services that are required by the contracting authority. For example, a company may require a new logo and branding. So, they’ll likely put out a contract for a suitable creative agency to deliver these services. Since they’ll receive several bids, they will need to find the most suitable through a vigorous evaluation process.

A lot must be considered during this process. If you are bidding for a public sector contract, the process is a lot more transparent. The buyer must go with the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT). This is so that there are no buyers choosing suppliers for personal reasons that put other suppliers at a disadvantage.

Where can you find tenders?

If you are wondering where to find a tender, then we have some solutions. Afterall, before you can win tenders, you need to have suitable contracts to bid for.

Most people will begin a tender search by using a search engine such as Google. This is understandable, as we rely on the internet for a lot of information in recent times. This helpful tool can give you results instantly. For example, if you search ‘nursing tenders’, you’ll see plenty of results. The issue is how long it takes to go through these results.

Many sites will not feature breakdowns of the contract. You’ll have to read through these lengthy tender documents to even see if you are suitable for the work. This can take hours of your time. Running a business is hard enough, and you likely won’t have the time to dedicate fully to this. So, what solutions are available to help with this issue?

Tender tracking portals

There are many sites out there that track tenders, making it easier to find them as they’re in one place. In turn, this makes the process quicker so that you can move on to how to win tenders. This saves you having to scour through endless sites in an effort to find remotely suitable contracts for your business. Our sister company, Hudson Discover, has 11 sector-specific tendering portals. One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.

Once signed up, you’ll have access to your own dedicated Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about public sector contracts. You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector.

They are:

• Creative Tenders
• Consultancy Tenders
• HR Tenders
• Construction Tenders
• Finance Tenders
• Hospitality Tenders
• Healthcare Tenders
• Facilities Tenders
• Transport Tenders
• Research Tenders
• Technology Tenders.

What makes Hudson Discover unique?

There’s no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads. Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific site that posts all unique, public and private sector opportunities. Our sites are unique as we don’t use CPV codes when we source our opportunities. This means there is no risk of missing a tender due to a coding error.

Our Opportunity Trackers manually upload new tenders daily and send out a tender notification. This way, our users can stay updated with the day’s most recent additions.

These portals are specifically designed for industry users to easily find suitable contracts. We use a filter system so that users can easily find what they’re looking for. So, users can search by keyword, dates, locations, and budgets. This way, you can easily narrow down your search!

A subscription to one of our industry-specific portals will include:

• Unlimited portal access.You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See the hundreds of opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised and easily accessible.
• A daily email bulletin.When you sign up to a portal, you’ll receive an email alert when new tenders are uploaded.
• A dedicated Account Manager. They’ll handle any questions or queries you may have about the portal.
• A free 20-minutes phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert bid consultants will chat with you about anything tender related.

Want to save even more time looking for tenders? Try Discover Elite

Sign up to Discover Elite via your chosen portal where a dedicated Account Manager finds live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules.

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

• An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
• Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid decisions
• Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and tendering opportunities.
• Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
• Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

What opportunities can I expect from a tender search on a Hudson Discover portal?

 We host all kinds of tenders in both the public and private sectors. These are inclusive of, but aren’t limited to:

• Open tenders
• Restricted procedure tenders
• Competitive dialogues
• Negotiated tendering procedures
• Innovation partnerships
• Single supplier contracts
• Framework agreements
• Dynamic Purchasing Systems.

How to win tenders

To win tenders, you need certain skills. Here are a few that can boost your chances of writing a winning tender.

1.     Professional writing and communication skills

As you may have guessed, writing and communication skills are critical for writing a winning bid. To win tenders, you need to persuade the buyer that you are the right fit for the job. You need to communicate your skills, experience, ideas, and concepts clearly. The last thing you want to do is confuse the buyer. This will make them a lot less likely to award you the contract. They won’t want to have to stop and research something if you haven’t explained it clearly.

Our Bid Writers recommend that you don’t use industry jargon when writing your bid proposal. This is because the buyer is unlikely to be an expert in your industry. Therefore, they won’t know what you are referring to. To win tenders, you need to be as clear and concise as possible.

Writing skills are important for ensuring the quality of the bid proposal. You want your bid to be as professional as possible. Check out our third point for more information on the importance of proofing your proposal!

2.     Bid management abilities

Being able to win tenders means you need excellent organisation skills. By staying organised and prepared, there is less risk of missing important information. This is why a pre-bid plan can also be highly beneficial as well.

It is important to conduct bid management as tenders usually have a lot of documents. The workload needs to be organised to ensure it is completed in time. This is especially the case if you have a short deadline. The last thing you want is to be rushing at the last minute. This panic can lead to making mistakes and forgetting certain information. Plus, if you miss the deadline, even by a minute, your bid will not be accepted.

3.     Editing and proofreading skills

As promised, now we will cover the importance of editing your proposal before submission. Even if you have excellent writing skills, you still need to proofread your proposal. Little mistakes can always find a way to hide. Often times, you won’t even notice them at first. This is why we suggest you have different people proofread the proposal to be sure nothing is missed.

If you have various mistakes within your proposal, the buyer may not choose to award you the contract. This is because it gives the impression you are not thorough with your work. So, the work isn’t of the highest standard that it has the potential to be. It makes you seem unprofessional, and this is not the impression you want to give!

4. Bid reviews

If you want to win tenders, then Bid Writers can certainly help but conducting bid reviews. This should be done by your team, even if you don’t hire an expert. This is also different from proofreading. You need to ensure that all tender responses meet requirements. Check that you are fully answering the question, and so on.

It isn’t essential, but it will definitely be a benefit for the review to be conducted by someone externally. This way, they are more likely to see the response more critically. They can identify areas where you might ramble or not answer the question fully. This review allows you to see which areas you can improve, and in turn, you can increase your chances of success.

We have a Tender Mentor service to help you if you’re seeking to outsource your bid review. Our Bid Writers will go over your bid, ensuring that the bid you’ve produced is of the highest quality. This is an external guide and review service. Our service allows you to eliminate any mistakes and generally improve your final response before submission.

What if you don’t have these skills or the time? Who can help you win tenders?

If you are worried that you don’t have the time or skills to complete a bid, then help is available! You can turn to the experts for bid writing help. Professional Bid Writers have these skills and the experience needed to take on any tender. Here’s why it can be more beneficial to hire a Bid Writer to win tenders:

1. They have the experience to win tenders – Having experience is a huge benefit as Bid Writers know what works and what doesn’t.
2. They have the skills – Bid writing professionals have all of the skills mentioned above. So, they know how to write a high-quality proposal.
3. Bid Writers save you time – They take the project off your hands so you can focus on your usual responsibilities.

Summary

So, now you should know a few of the key skills needed to win tenders. Let’s recap what we covered!

What are tenders?

When an organisation require certain goods or services, they’ll likely rely on a supplier. They will send out a contract to deliver these goods/services, and suitable suppliers can bid. The best suited supplier will be awarded the contract to carry out the work.

Where can you find tenders?

To find a tender, we suggest using a tender tracking portal. Our sister company have 11 sector-specific portals, they are:

• Creative Tenders
• Consultancy Tenders
• HR Tenders
• Construction Tenders
• Finance Tenders
• Hospitality Tenders
• Healthcare Tenders
• Facilities Tenders
• Transport Tenders
• Research Tenders
• Technology Tenders.

Our portals are unique as we don’t use CPV codes to find opportunities. This means we never miss a tender due to an error in the code. You can rest assured that we can provide all the most up-to-date contracts available for you to bid for.

How to win tenders:

1. Professional writing and communication skills – These are crucial for getting your ideas across to the buyer.
2. Bid management abilities – You need to be organised to ensure you get the proposal completed on time.
3. Editing and proofreading skills – Your bid needs to be of exceptional quality, so it must be proofread.
4. Bid reviews – As well as being proofread, your bid should also be reviewed. This is a process specifically to assess how successful the bid is likely to be.

Who can help you win tenders?

If you don’t have the time to complete a bid, you can turn to expert Bid Writers. These professionals have years of experience and know what it takes to win tenders.

If you still have questions about how to win tenders, then don’t hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to help!

Our services

We have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re completely new to tendering or aren’t seeing results – they can help. There are four bid writing packages available:

• Tender Writing

Once you’ve found a tender you’d like to go for, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. They’ll provide a full Tender Writing breakdown and even submit it on your behalf.

• Tender Mentor

Tender Mentor can give your tender response a once over before you submit. The Bid Writing Team will analyse your response, notifying you of any errors and opportunities for improvements prior to submission.

• Tender Ready

During the Tender Ready service, our team will create professional policies, procedures, and case studies in your company branding. If you already have this content, we will review everything carefully to ensure that nothing is missed. This service also helps businesses who are new to tendering with terminology and industry knowledge.

• Tender Improvement

The Tender Improvement package can help those who have tendered before but aren’t seeing results. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous responses and work with you to develop improved content.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business grow.

Vocal

Our support doesn’t end there! Our creative content agency, Vocal, are on hand to help.

The Vocal Team are not afraid to stand up and be heard. And we make sure our clients aren’t either! From small, micro businesses to large organisations, we are vocal about the things that make your business unique.

Our creative service is dedicated to growing your business through striking and thought-provoking content. Our team specialise in six areas, including:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration.

If you’d like to know more about what we can do for your business, introduce yourself to the team!

Contact us today to find out more.

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• How to win a tender
• What is a Bid Writer?
• The tendering process
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid writing consultants
• Submitting a tender response
• And many more.

The post Win Tenders: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed appeared first on Tender Consultants.