Becoming a tender expert is a surefire way to win contracts! However, it takes time and resources to develop this skill. Whether you want to outsource your tender writing needs to our experts or become an expert yourself, we can help you.

In this blog, we will cover what a tender expert is, the skills required, their benefits, how to become one and how to find them.

What is a Tender Expert?

A tender expert is a professional tender writer with vast experience and knowledge in the tendering process. All tender writers will have varying levels of experience; however, the most effective and successful tender writers will have experience spanning many sectors.

Tender Expert Skills

Becoming a tender expert means you must have a particular skill set than just strong written communication skills (though that is important!):

1. Adaptability: The tendering process is always unpredictable. No tender is the same, meaning the same planning process will not apply, nor will the content of your work. Also, there are bound to be hurdles during the writing process, so being able to adapt to any challenges that may come your way is vital.
2. Teamwork: Tender responses are rarely written by one writer alone. They are very collaborative, which means that you must be able to provide the best work you can individually, and deliver as a team — providing a seamless, unified response.
3. Understanding Client Needs: This is the most crucial aspect of the tendering process as without knowing what your client wants from their tender response, you won’t be showing their business in the best possible light. Open communication between the tender expert and the client is vital for keeping up-to-date with client requirements.
4. Time Management: It goes without saying that you must meet all internal and external deadlines. If you are new to tendering, you may just want to dive right into the tender writing and forget to plan. However, this is a vital part of the process which involves everything from client meetings, research, developing a timeline and planning your responses. Manage your time accordingly so you give yourself ample time to plan!
5. Compliance: Every tender expert needs a strong understanding of government procurement processes, industry regulations and the ability to meet requirements as stated in the tender specification in order to produce a fully compliant tender. Failure to comply with the specification can get your tender disqualified and failure to comply with laws and regulations can lead to fines and criminal prosecution.

Benefits of Hiring a Tender Expert

1. Save Time: Hiring a tender expert can save you time and hassle when preparing a tender response. They can take care of all the research and paperwork involved in the process, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.
2. Maximise Your Chances of Winning: A tender expert will have experience and knowledge of what makes a successful tender and how to present your business in the best light. They can also help you to create a winning tender that stands out from the competition.
3. Improve Your Quality and Professionalism: Tender experts have the skills and knowledge to craft high-quality, professional, and persuasive tender documents. This can help to give you an edge over your competitors and increase your chances of winning the contract.
4. Provide Insights into Winning Strategies: Tender experts have a wealth of experience in writing and submitting tenders. They can provide you with insights into winning strategies and provide advice on how to improve your chances of success.
5. Meet Deadlines: Tender experts understand the importance of meeting deadlines. They can help you to stay on track and ensure that your tender is submitted on time and according to the requirements of the tender.

How to Become a Tender Expert!

Now you know what a tender expert is and the skills you need to become one, let’s take a look at how we can help you become an expert yourself!

Our online virtual learning environment Tender VLE houses our first of many tender training courses. Take our FREE introductory tender course on June 1^st, 2023.

Where to Find Tender Experts!

At Hudson, there is no shortage of tender experts! All of our tender writers are experts and write for a variety of sectors. If you need assistance with your tender, whether it involves writing, reviewing, submission, improvement, or a full end-to-end service, we can help!

Check out our services 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?
• Legal Services Tenders
• 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 How to Become a Tender Expert appeared first on Tender Consultants.

The tendering process can be daunting, particularly if you have never tendered for contracts before, or for SMEs who may lack the necessary in-house resources to complete the tendering process. However, outsourcing the process to a professional tender writer can take away that stress and help you produce a successful tender response.

In this blog, we will cover the tendering process, the easy-to-make mistakes that can be avoided, how to correct these mistakes and where to find tender help.

What is tendering?

Simply, the tendering process is a formal process that involves the selection of a contractor to provide goods or services to a company. It involves the company issuing a tender document outlining their requirements and the criteria they will use to evaluate potential suppliers. Companies then tender for the work and are evaluated based on the criteria set out in the tender document. The winning tender is then awarded the contract.

The process can also involve a number of stages, including pre-qualification, submission of the tender, evaluation of the tender and the contract award. The aim of the tendering process is to ensure that contracts are awarded in a fair and transparent manner.

Common Tendering Mistakes

1. Not reading the tender documents carefully: Before submitting a tender response, it is important to thoroughly read and understand the tender documents. If you don’t take the time to properly review the documents, this can result in the submission of an incomplete or inaccurate tender.
2. Not addressing the selection criteria: Most tenders include a list of selection criteria that must be addressed in the tender response. Failing to address all of the criteria can lead to the tender being disqualified.
3. Not providing detailed information: Tenders should provide detailed information about the organisation, the goods or services being offered, and the prices being charged. Vague or incomplete information can lead to misunderstandings and disqualification.
4. Not following the rules: Tenders must be submitted in the correct format, on the correct date, and with the correct paperwork as stipulated in the specification. Failing to comply with the rules can lead to disqualification.
5. Not being realistic about pricing: Tenders should provide a realistic price that is competitive and provides good value for the customer. Tender responses that show goods/services being too high or low priced can lead to disqualification or a lost contract.
6. Not seeking advice: Tenders can be complex documents and it is important to seek professional advice when necessary to ensure the tender is completed correctly.

How to Improve Your Tender Response

Follow these 7 top tips to save your tendering mistakes and submit a successful tender response!

1. Research the Tendering Process: Research the tendering process and familiarise yourself with the requirements of each stage. This will help you to submit a more competitive and compelling offer.
2. Understand the Buyer: Understand the needs and objectives of the buyer. Make sure that you have a clear understanding of the buyer’s requirements, and tailor your response accordingly.
3. Highlight Your Strengths: Highlight your strengths and differentiate your offering from competitors. Focus on the benefits that your offering will bring to the buyer.
4. Demonstrate Your Value: Demonstrate the value that your offering will bring to the buyer. Show how it will help them to achieve their objectives and how it is the right solution for them.
5. Provide Supportive Evidence: Provide evidence to back up your claims. This could be customer testimonials, case studies, or other forms of proof that demonstrate the effectiveness of your solution.
6. Use Clear Language: Use clear language and terminology that is easy to understand. Keep your writing concise and make sure that it is free from spelling and grammar errors.
7. Use Visuals: Use visuals to bring your response to life. Graphics, diagrams, and images can help. Also, investing in bid design can help your tender response stand out from your competitors who may also be submitting professionally designed tender responses.

How we can help!

Avoid tendering mistakes by outsourcing the process to an expert tender writer!

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?
• Legal Services Tenders
• 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 Easy Tendering Mistakes and How to Avoid Them appeared first on Tender Consultants.

What is a national lottery bid?

National lottery bids, or national lottery tenders, are grants given by the National Lottery to organisations in the UK in order to provide aid to their communities.

Often, the National Lottery will fund a community’s necessity for:

• Equipment
• Training
• Transport
• Events
• Volunteering
• Utilities

Depending on the size of the grant, will determine how a bid is written. For example, applying for funding of less than £10,000 holds different requirements than funding of more than £10,000, which is usually more complex.

This is why it is vital to make sure your bid writer has the experience and expertise to write for both large and small grants. At Hudson, our writers are experts at writing winning bids which meet the funding needs of the buyer.

With over 60 years of experience and over £300m value of funding and grants secured in 2020, you can be certain that we know what we’re doing!

Do you need to be a registered charity?

No, various organisations in many sectors (including the third sector) can apply for lottery funding. This includes:

• Voluntary/community organisation
• Charity
• Club/Group
• School
• Non-profit
• Council
• Parish
• Social Enterprise

Simply put, you must be a registered group/organisation to apply for lottery funding.

Who do they NOT accept applications from?

The National Lottery does not accept applications for funding from individuals. So, this means that the following are usually denied:

• Sole traders
• Non-UK organisations
• Individuals
• Organisations applying on other’s behalf
• Companies limited by shares

However, this depends on their programme. If you fall under any of these categories, you may not be entirely ruled out!

You can locate relevant projects depending on where your project will be delivered!

As the National Lottery only accepts projects in the UK, your project must be delivered in either:

• England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Northern Ireland

Also, it is important to note that all projects available across the UK are those which align with the government’s objectives. In other words, all projects outside the government’s statutory responsibility.

Grants under £10,000

The National Lottery offer funding from £300 to £10,000 to support UK-wide communities.

As of February 2023, the National Lottery is inviting applications for the following programmes:

• National Lottery Awards for All

The National Lottery Awards for All programme is suitable for voluntary/community organisations. This programme is offering funding between £300 and £10,000 for up to a year.

You can also only apply for one grant, per country in the UK, at a given time. You must wait for your grant to close before applying for another.

Note: Organisations with a large annual income are less likely to be guaranteed funding.

Grants over £10,000

The National Lottery offers to fund opportunities above £10,000. As of February 2023, the National Lottery are inviting applications for the following programmes:

• Bringing People Together
• Climate Action Fund

These programmes are UK-wide and offer a funding size of over £50,000.

For grants, the National Lottery is looking for projects which:

• Deliver across at least two UK countries (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales) – you can work in a network or partnership
• Are bold and experimental responses to bringing people together using new approaches, or a new combination of approaches
• Can demonstrate clear positive impacts for communities, including those communities most in need of support
• Have a clear focus on equality, diversity, and inclusion
• Can demonstrate they can learn and adapt as they go.

When applying, what do I need to know?

You will be asked to provide contact details. Most importantly, you will be asked to provide the names, contact details and dates of birth of two unrelated people from your organisation.

What is meant by unrelated?

You must not be:

• Married to each other
• Long-term relationship with each other
• Living together
• Related by blood.

 Note: Alongside this, you will also need to provide organisation details, accounting details and bank statements.

Why are schools less likely to get funding?

The National Lottery can/do support applications that involve schools; however, they must have evidence of providing a wider community benefit.

The benefit to students, parents and teachers is not considered as a significant involvement or wider benefit to their community.

Note: Usually, the National Lottery will fund extras to a school’s normal curriculum activities which benefit the wider community.

So, you need to apply for a grant. But don’t know where to start? 

As previously mentioned…at Hudson, we are expert grant writers!

Whatever size grant, we can help you. So, if you’re considering applying for funding opportunities, contact us for a free consultation and support with the tendering process!

Alternatively, have a look at our virtual learning environment, Tender VLE, the first of its kind to provide advice and tips on all things tendering.

Need other help?

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
• 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

The post National Lottery Bids 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.

Last updated: Dec 17, 2021 @ 9:48 am

Public sector procurement including Council tendering can be a tricky business. Now, the vast majority of public sector organisations use the tendering process to streamline their purchasing of goods and service to make this fairer, more efficient and to ensure they get the best value for money. And it’s not just councils.

The following are just a few examples of the public sector organisations that use tendering and procurement to streamline, improve and simplify their purchasing efforts:

• Schools
• Hospitals
• Health Trusts.
• Benevolent organisations.
• Universities
• Cultural and heritage-related organisations.

We get lots of questions from clients wanting to find out more about the council tendering process who are often confused about buyer requirements, how the process works and how to produce a winning submission. A few of these are listed below:

Q: Where do Councils list their tendering opportunities?

A: During the Council tendering process, purchasing authorities use all sorts of platforms to advertise their opportunities. Therein lies the problem! Rather than there being one, single, concise and easily navigable list of all council tender opportunities across the country, each council will, in all likelihood, use a different site.

Each of these will be specific to the individual purchasing authority, each with its own, unique list of opportunities specific to that local authority. Moreover, each site will typically require prospective suppliers to sign up, create an account and log in, to express interest. So, it’s not straightforward I’m afraid.

However, we here at Hudson have developed a solution to help. With our sector-specific portals under the Hudson Discover branch of the business, we have our opportunity tracking team searching all the published council tendering lists of opportunities we can find to log these in one central, searchable database.

Contact the Hudson Discover team today to see how we can help you simplify your efforts to find tenders published by local authorities nationwide.

Q: What sort of services do councils tender for?

A: Like many other public sector organisations, councils tender for most of the goods and services they require ranging from small-scale jobs such as grass cutting and cleaning to large scale requirements such as the construction of a school or hospital.

Some services are, however, too small for it to be worth many councils’ while to put out to tender. In such cases, councils tend to employ small teams of specialist servicemen and women to take care of smaller jobs such as routine repairs, painting and grounds maintenance.

For the opportunities that are put out to tender, talk to our Hudson Discover team today about how our sector-specific portals can help you find the local authority tenders that are right for you.

Q: Tell us more about Council tendering practices.

Councils typically want suppliers to provide a lot of information and to give lots of detail on their policies, internal procedures, past experience, competencies and accreditations, to allow them to make the most informed decision possible about which prospective supplier offers the best value for money.

In procurement terms, this is known as sourcing the “MEAT” – the “most economically advantageous tender.” Hence, rather than being asked to create a proposal of their own envisaging, suppliers are often asked to adhere to a strict set of requirements as part of the tender process. Hence, as a prospective supplier, you’d have to be prepared to read the local authority’s requirements in detail and carefully construct answers accordingly. If you are confused by the requirements of council tendering, talk to our Hudson Succeed team who can guide you through the process, review your work, or take the writing and tender management processes off your hands altogether.

Q: How do councils evaluate tenders?

A: As mentioned above, councils typically look for the most economically advantageous tender and use this as the criteria for selecting a winning supplier. However, it is important to understand exactly how councils ascertain this. Local authorities, and indeed other public sector purchasing organisations, assess prospective supplier responses based on a combination of their price and their response to the quality/competency questions associated with each tender.

It is also important to note that it is not always a 50/50 split between cost and quality, rather, buyers often give more credence/weight to the quality side of this. Indeed, a typical quality/price split, and certainly the kind of split we see most often, is either 60/40, or 70/30.

Hence, it is important for prospective suppliers to realise that just “going in cheap,” as it were, will not necessarily win them the bid. The emphasis on quality in council tendering means that whilst a competitor may charge more than you, if they can demonstrate significantly better answers to the quality questions and display their organisation’s strengths and key competencies in a way that exceeds your answers, then they will in all likelihood win the contract, or at least, place more highly in the rankings than you.

Check out our free resource Tender VLE, the UK’s first, free of charge, online, tendering, virtual learning environment. Our video of “Sourcing the MEAT” will explain this process in more detail.

Q: Is council tendering uniform across the country?

A: The short answer is No. We rarely see uniformity of any description when it comes to council tendering. The only allusion to uniformity that you might see is in the form of a Selection Questionnaire or “SQ”. This is often “First hurdle” in many councils tendering processes containing a standardised list of pass/fail questions for prospective suppliers to answer. Typically, once applicants pass this stage, they are then invited to tender.

This next part of the process typically takes various different forms and includes a variety of questions on various subjects which largely depend on the sector of the goods/services being procured, including health and safety, contract management, business continuity and specific proposals for the works at hand. In short, there is no real template for what a council tender looks like.

Q: How is council tendering adapting to change?

The world has entered new territory following the spread of COVID-19. Individuals, communities and businesses must rapidly respond to local and global news and changes. These changes affect every part of our lives and livelihoods – these are unprecedented times.

At Hudson, we are doing everything we can to support our clients going forward into this new landscape. We will continue to do so – we are in this for the long haul. Our team at Hudson will do all we can to adapt, thrive, and ensure our clients can too.

Making the future matter now

In times like these, it is essential to maintain a positive approach to the future. The choices and actions that business owners take now will affect their future prospects. Let’s make those prospects good ones – not just for businesses, but for our communities.

Key workers play an essential role in the fight against coronavirus, and the public sector fully recognises this. Communities supporting each other makes sense, now more so than ever. Council tenders will seek out businesses that add real social value to their work during these difficult times.

For now and in the coming weeks, we are in a unique situation where proximity to others is limited. The government, health officials and individuals are coming together to tackle the spread of COVID-19. Ultimately, when a resolution is found, businesses will be in a unique situation.

Councils and public sector bodies will look for businesses that championed social value during this time. Turning this crisis into an opportunity to make a difference to communities is essential. Doing so will benefit our wellbeing, our community relationships and our economy in ways previously unimagined.

Q: What can I do?

Many people will have heard of the term ‘social value’. Put simply, social value is the positive social impact that businesses have in society. We create this impact directly and purposefully through our business practices. This impact can be generated in the form of:

• Policies and procedures
• Spending
• Training
• Volunteering
• Mentoring
• Community engagement

We can deliver positive social impact through delivering public sector and council tenders.

By doing so, we create a positive impact in terms of wellbeing, resilience and other factors. It makes business sense to support communities. In turn, communities will increase engagement with businesses long-term. The challenge here is doing so within the current limitations we have. It is challenging – but not impossible.

Q: where do I start?

There are four key areas of social value which we can contribute to. These are:

1. Economic impact. This considers:

• Employability, work placements and recruitment
• Training opportunities, apprenticeships and upskilling
• Graduate schemes
• Volunteering
• Using local resources

2. Environmental impact. This considers:

• Sustainability
• Carbon footprint
• Energy reduction
• Minimising waste
• ISO 14001
• Embodied carbon
• Passivhaus

3. Community impact. This considers:

• Supporting charities
• Supporting local and cultural heritage
• Community groups

4. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This considers:

• All of the above
• A region’s Strategic Economic Plan
• Policies
• Supply chain management

How these apply to your organisation is sector dependent. Each sector will have its own unique opportunities and challenges to do the above. In procurement, buyers will prioritise certain matters. For example, council tenders who need cleaning services may prioritise the environment. On the other hand, those who need HR services may prioritise community and economic impact.

Q: How do I know what to look for?

The key here is to identify where your organisation can make a difference and implement this in your bid management strategy.  This way, you can judge what buyers may look for within your sector. You can do this in a number of ways:

1. As a business owner, self-reflection. Is there anything you have been overlooking that you could improve?
2. Ask your team. Feedback is essential. Take comments on board, particularly if several people are providing the same feedback. Similarly, if a team member has an innovative idea, consider it.
3. Review your policies and procedures through an internal audit.
4. Produce a Social Value Action Plan. Map out what you are doing now, and what you will do in future.
5. Listen to past experience. If you have tendered before, don’t ignore issues where you may have tripped up in past submissions. Do you have the certification, policies or evidence the buyer asked for? If not, don’t ignore it. Implement those changes. It will benefit your social value responses further down the line.

Q: What council tenders and public sector contracts are there?

In the coming weeks, public sector and council tenders will request services including:

• Facilities Tenders.

These include cleaning contracts for schools, offices, hospitals, social housing and more. These are essential and will be in high demand. Councils will seek to protect their staff and individuals as much as possible from illness. Other contracts may involve manned security or building repairs.

• Logistics Tenders.

This can involve contracts for vehicle hire, transport and deliveries. They might involve courier services or storage. Effective logistics which limit physical proximity will be essential in upcoming contracts.

• Hospitality Tenders.

These tenders can involve catering contract services and laundry service contracts. These are essential to ensuring key workers whom council tenders may serve are supported.

• HR Tenders.

Opportunities here might include contracts for recruitment, HR or restructure planning. New opportunities may arise in the form of virtual and offsite staff. Swift changes in how we must communicate with colleagues digitally can stimulate new types of council tenders.

Going forward, councils and public sector bodies will seek businesses that demonstrated social value in the face of adversity. When tendering, they will ask how you delivered social value during the crisis. The critical question will be:

How did your business go over and above what was asked, whilst delivering what was needed?

Of course, buyers will be mindful of the impact on businesses. Organisations must keep a balance between supporting others and staying afloat. It is critical to reflect on your organisation’s ability to support others. We must be proactive, innovative and pragmatic to meet these challenges.

Delivering social value is critically dependent on our ability to maintain business, first and foremost. Businesses without essential plans in place to tackle the crisis will lack the capacity to deliver social value. Reflection now is essential for future delivery. It is useful to reflect on aspects such as:

• How do I keep my staff safe from COVID-19 to do their job? Is it possible at this stage?
• Do I have the finances in place to deliver? If not, have I looked at available support?
• How will the impact of COVID-19 change the way my service is delivered in future?

Q: How do I move forward?

In these uncertain times, there has been huge support from communities across the country. Individuals and businesses are rallying to volunteer across the UK. They are providing services such as deliveries, driving and phone calls.

1. Even if your organisation does not have the resources, the best asset you have is time. Make some time.
2. As an organisation, you can engage with your local community through volunteering and advice.
3. When business is slow, use this time wisely to develop your policies and procedures. Can you implement current needs into future policy?
4. Develop your training and mentoring programmes to respond to the new social and economic climate. Refine and hone how you do things not just now, but for the future.
5. Be adaptable. Demonstrate this in facts and figures.
6. Use social media. It can be an easy trap to fall under the radar – don’t. Communicate with your clients. Demonstrate that you are taking positive steps forward. Engage with your community through social media. This uncertain time highlights now more than ever that we are all human. If you have good news or have achieved something locally, let people know. Celebrate the successes of others, let them know that your organisation cares.

By doing so, you will have a bank of social value evidence for council tenders in future.

How can we help with your council bid?

To support you, at Hudson Succeed we offer our Tender Mentor service. This is for businesses who want to ensure the bid they have produced is the best it can be. Here, we will externally review and advise on all aspects of your written submission. This way, you can be sure that your responses – including social value – will be persuasive and engaging. Through this service, we will mark your bid against scoring criteria, in advance of submission. If you have done your research, produced your draft and are looking for bespoke consultation, get in touch.

Council Tenders – Looking to the future

Businesses are in a unique and intimidating position during the COVID-19 pandemic. When we look outwardly at news reports, the situation seems bleak. It is so important to look inwardly – at our team members, local communities and business practices. We can find ways of helping our communities. Our approach must be a mindset of not just mitigation, but planning for an optimistic future.

Further Support

If you’re confused by council tendering, its practises, processes and how to track down those all-important opportunities, talk to our tender experts at Hudson Succeed. Our Bid Writers will help guide you on your path toward tendering success.

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. Yeah

The post Council Tenders – We Answer Your Frequently Asked Questions appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Last updated: Dec 17, 2021 @ 1:14 pm

Tendering can often be a stressful, difficult and time-consuming process for any business. Did you remember to attach that vital certificate?

Have you included the relevant information in your answers? Have you provided the relevant case studies? Given the complexity of the tendering world, it is crucial to have a second pair of specialist eyes glance over your tenders.

How Tender Reviews Work:

Tender reviews consist of having a specialist team or individual look over your proposals, be it PQQs, ITTs or any of the intricacies within.

Each aspect of your proposal will be looked over with a fine-tooth comb, ensuring that you have submitted responses that reflect what the buyer requests and also utilised the best of your business’ relevant sector experience.

Tenders will often differ from one another and hence each response you make must be tailored to the buyer’s specific demands.

Our Tender Mentor service provides that vital guidance to get you over the last hurdle and ensure that your tenders are as fine-tuned as they can be.

Our expert Bid Writers have been producing tenders for over a decade for all different sectors, as well as holding experience on the buyer’s side, critiquing and marking tenders against scoring mechanisms.

Having this expert guidance allows your tenders to stand out from the crowd and ensures your business is showcased in the best possible light. They can help you tender for contracts and write winning bids.

We also provide a Tender Improvement package in which we carry out reviews on any unsuccessful tenders.

In this, we analyse previous tenders and provide feedback as to what went wrong and what can be done to improve your tendering efforts going forward.

We provide improvement points to allow individuals/teams to strengthen future responses and falls in line with our ethos of improving tender success rates for all.

Common Mistakes That Tender Reviews Flag:

• Failure to follow the specification

  – Often suppliers will fail to fully digest the buyer’s specification, this can result in responses that can often be irrelevant and superfluous. Our expert team will flag this before it is too late, allowing you to keep your responses to the point and ensure you reflect the buyer’s demands.

• Time management Managing tender deadlines is an essential part of providing detailed and thorough responses. Rushing responses can often result in forgetting to attach vital certifications such as ISO certificates, staff qualifications, CVs and company organograms, to name a few. Tender reviews can flag any failure to attach certificates and will ensure that you accurately submit all information in your responses. For further information on this please see our ‘Time Management’ video on our Tender VLE site.

• Incorrect formatting

  Indeed, this sounds simple enough, however, ITTs can often be particularly lengthy, and we can all make mistakes. Buyers will often specify a certain font and size and this needs to be consistent throughout. As well as this, incorrect formatting such as mismatched paragraphs and bullet points can look messy and off-putting to buyers. The tender review process can ensure that all formatting remains consistent and that your tender submissions are visually appealing to buyers.

• Proof Reading

  One of the key mistakes in tendering is failing to proofread the content you produce. Rushing work can often lead to mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation, making your work appear unprofessional. Tender reviews can alleviate the need to proofread, ensuring that all your work is spelt correctly and flows in a way which appeals to buyers and can be easily understood. Our team of procurement experts can rigorously check your responses for any mistakes, providing you with peace of mind with every submission.

We understand the many difficulties associated with tendering and our goal is to make this easily accessible for all businesses.

If you require any more information do not hesitate to get in touch with our Tender Consultants team who will be happy to guide you with all your tendering endeavours.

We’re here to help you SUCCEED!

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 Reviews – Red Flags and How to Improve appeared first on Tender Consultants.