Tender Writing Consultant – Sit Down with Jack Grayson

Last updated: Dec 17, 2021 @ 11:14 am

Today I sit down with one of our Bid Writers, internal procurement experts and tender writing consultants Jack Grayson. Jack comes from a Utilities background, with previous experience in the Energy sector. Due to his experience, Jack looks after our Energy, Facilities and Utilities clients.

Today Jack and I discuss tactics for writing a brilliant bid, the help available for businesses, and the new stories and events making waves in the Energy, Facilities and Utilities sectors.

Introduce yourself:

Jack: I’m one of the tender writing consultants here at Hudson. As a Bid Writer, my role largely entails liaising with clients and creating detailed bid plans and responses to ensure that questions are thoroughly answered, and technical specifications are met. Not only this, my role involves helping clients to discover new work by tracking opportunities daily and providing tailored one on one support to clients depending on the specific needs and challenges of their business.

Tell us about your experience: 

Jack: I come from an Energy and Utilities background and have acted as an Account Manager and client liaison in my past roles. My experience working on both the buyer and the supplier’s side of the table is something I actively strive to bring to bear on a daily basis to assist my clients here at Hudson.

What makes a good bid response?

Jack: Any one of our tender writing consultants will tell you that there is no simple answer to that question. But, there are a few sure-fire ways of making sure your tender ticks all of the boxes, doesn’t miss out key information and stands out from the crowd.

First of all, plan!

Bid Management is critical. A rushed response will be a sloppy response. Not only will you miss out key requirements, misinterpret the questions and make mistakes, but it will look unprofessional. A buyer is not going to “take a chance” on giving their cash to a company or business they don’t trust. So, digest the requirements of each bid, take your time, understand what is expected of you, plan your approach, factor this into your diary and don’t forget to delegate. Send the pricing schedule to your finance team for example – they will be best placed to answer it.

Secondly, proofread

Many pairs of eyes are better than one. It is amazing how even the savviest and experienced of writers become blind to their own mistakes. Of course, it is a good idea to double-check your own work, but after this, get a colleague or even a friend or family member to have a look over your submission, even if only to check for spelling and grammatical errors. Little mistakes may cost you big wins. If you need a second pair of eyes and can’t find anyone to help you out then our Tender Mentor service here at Hudson is perfect for you; this service provides businesses with the vital final check they need to ensure their submission stands out from the crowd and includes guidance, advice and hints and tips from our dedicated tender writing consultants to help clients continuously improve their tender submissions.

Thirdly, if you need help – shout!

There is loads of help out there so take advantage of it. Hudson has recently launched Tender VLE, for example. Tender VLE is the UK’s first, online, tendering and virtual learning environment. Our team of procurement specialists regularly update the site with videos, accompanying blogs and downloadable attachments, providing guidance, advice and helpful hints and tips regarding the tendering process at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. It is free to use and many clients find this service extremely helpful in terms of its clarity, ease of use and the answers it provides to commonly asked questions. If businesses are in need of further, more specialist or dedicated support, our dedicated team of tender writing consultants at Hudson Succeed are on hand to help.

What waves can we expect in terms of tendering and procurement in the Energy, Facilities and Utilities sectors?

Jack: Well I think it’s clear we will see potential suppliers having to show an awareness of, and conform to, much tougher environmental regulations. At the start of June, half a dozen House of Commons select committees made their intention public to establish a “citizens assembly” for climate change. Not only have these produced a very valuable £120k tender for a firm to assist them with this, but the assembly’s decision is likely to involve recommendations for tougher environmental regulations. Energy and Utilities oriented businesses especially would do well to avail themselves of the output of this assembly as it occurs and tighten up their environmental policies as a precursor to any future tenders.

What significant events have taken place across these sectors this year that might affect businesses looking to tender?

Jack: Not only this but last week, Construction giant Kier announced the sale of the Facilities management arm of its business to focus their efforts on their construction and highways endeavours. CEO Andrew Davies has described the business’ divesting itself of these contracts as “simplifying the portfolio and emphasising cash generation.” We know that collectively the 13 live contracts have a value of £160m and whilst it is as yet unclear whether these will be retendered in their current form or broken down into a greater number of smaller contracts, it is likely that a large quantity of nationwide facilities and utilities contracts will be up for grabs soon.

What else should small businesses look out for in these sectors?

Jack: It is also common knowledge in the tendering and procurement industry that there are over 70 facilities management frameworks in the UK public sector expiring this year, run by the likes of Engie, Compass, Capita and Sodexo. These frameworks could present a valuable opportunity for small businesses or those business who are new to tendering to take that vital first leap into tendering. If a business has never tendered before, I’d advise them to seek help to maximise their chances of winning a place on one of these prestigious frameworks. Seeking help from tender writing consultants such as ourselves really will help to cross the Ts and dot the Is.

Remember, our dedicated team of tender writing consultants at Hudson Succeed are here to help you tender for contracts in the Energy, Utilities and Facilities sectors. Get in touch today to have your questions answered and to find out more about the dedicated support we can provide you with.

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.