Tender Improvement Archives - Tender Consultants

Easy Tendering Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

John Hudson — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 08:00:19 +0000

Easy Tendering Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

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

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!

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.
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.
Highlight Your Strengths: Highlight your strengths and differentiate your offering from competitors. Focus on the benefits that your offering will bring to the buyer.
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.
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.
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.
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:

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:

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:

The post Easy Tendering Mistakes and How to Avoid Them appeared first on Tender Consultants.

How to Become a Government Supplier in the UK

Charlotte Jarvis — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 07:00:21 +0000

How to become a government supplier in the UK…if you’re an SME

Many SMEs wonder how to become a government supplier. They recognise the advantages and prospects of listing government bodies as clients and climbing the contract ladder.

It’s true that listing previous contract experience with government clients will help you to secure larger contracts. However, this is a bit of a chicken and egg situation, isn’t it? How can you win a contract in the first place to gain the experience you need? We all remember struggling to land our first job straight out of education, without that all-important experience. Well, this is similar.

In this blog, we’ll explain how to become a government supplier if you’re a small business. We’ll cover:

How to find the opportunities.
How to prepare and ensure you’re tender ready.
3 ways to make sure you meet the brief and have a good chance of winning.
How the government helps small businesses bid for work.
Social value – what is it and how to prepare in advance.
Our top 9 tips for how to become a government supplier.

Firstly, how do you find opportunities in the first place?

We’re not going to get very far without identifying an opportunity, are we! In the UK, there are hundreds of websites that publish new tendering opportunities, including the government’s own website, Contracts Finder. The problem is that these websites are not that easy to navigate and they’re not efficient to use.

Why? The main culprit is CPV codes (common procurement vocabulary). An eight-digit code, used for categorising opportunities into ‘subject matter’…in theory.

CPV codes are often used incorrectly by buyers due to the vast number of codes available. A study by the European Commission sampled 405 contract notices. They found that 23% had the wrong code associated with the scope of work tendered. This results in an inefficient sourcing process for you, the prospective supplier.

That’s why we created our own tendering portals, housed under Hudson Discover. We removed the use of CPV codes or algorithms and replaced them with manual opportunity tracking. Not only that, but the portals are also sector-specific, making them even more tailored to the user. More information about our portals can be found here:

How to make sure you’re tender ready before you begin

If tendering is new to you, becoming tender ready is an important step. In any tender, you will be required to provide certain documents and evidence. The savvier tenderers will spot that the same, or similar, documents are required by each buyer. Therefore, you can get a step ahead by preparing these documents in advance.

From our experience, the most commonly requested documents are:

Company CVs
Case studies – usually three from the last five years
Policies and procedures
Methodologies.

For help with getting tender ready, visit our dedicated Tender Ready service page.

3 ways to make sure you meet the brief

Before you jump into writing your tender responses and working out your pricing, we recommend:

Checking your economic financial standing

As a general rule of thumb, we advise against bidding for contracts with a value greater than half your turnover. This is your economic financial standing. For example, if a contract has a value of £50,000, you should be turning over at least £100,000. This is because you may struggle to prove that your resources meet the requirements. Often, buyers will ask to see your financial accounts during the tendering process.

Making sure you can evidence your experience

As we mentioned above, government buyers will often ask to see three case studies. They should be from contracts you have delivered within the last five years, in a similar field to this scope. If you can get testimonials from your previous clients, this will help to further demonstrate your capabilities.

Thinking about how you can evidence value for money

Government buyers are accountable for their spending. They have to demonstrate how they have delivered the best value for money because they’re spending public purse. This means that to become a government supplier, you need to evidence added value. It’s not just pricing that buyers consider to be good value. It’s a combination of quality and price throughout the life of the contract. So, make sure you highlight how and why your approach is cost-effective and helps the government make savings.

How to become a government supplier if you’re an SME…will the government help?

Becoming a government supplier is beneficial for both you and the government. The UK government is targeted with spending £1 in every £3 with small businesses. So, how are they helping small businesses secure contracts?

Lower value contracts

Since leaving the EU, there is more flexibility for lower value government contracts to be reserved for SME bidders. There is also more flexibility for Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs).

Introducing the prompt payment code

The prompt payment code offers suppliers peace of mind. It states that public sector buyers must include 30-day payment terms in their contracts. They also need to ensure that this is passed down the supply chain. If this is not happening, businesses are encouraged to raise this directly with the Public Procurement Review Service.

If this was the case, interest becomes liable as set out in the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. This means that businesses can claim interest on any late invoices.

The Small Business Commissioner

The Small Business Commissioner is a free service that ensures fair payment practices for all small businesses in Britain. The body supports businesses to resolve payment disputes with larger businesses.

Social value – what is it and how can you prepare?

When SMEs research how to become a government supplier, they sometimes overlook social value. The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 became law on 8^th March 2012. It requires public sector organisations to consider the supplier’s potential to deliver services that benefit the local area and people.

In January 2021, new measures came into effect. Any public sector organisation procuring goods/services with a value of over £180,000 is obliged to ask bidders about social value. A 10% weighting has been placed on these questions in tenders and PQQs. Therefore, it’s worth considering how your business aligns with the aims of the social value measures, which are:

Creating new jobs and promoting skills
Encouraging economic growth
Supporting Covid-19 recovery
Tackling climate change
Levelling up the UK.

Our top 9 tips when tendering for work

If you’re wondering how to become a government supplier, read our top 10 tips:

Invest in the sourcing process

Allocate someone in your team to keep on top of new tendering opportunities. If you’re using the government’s website, they should allocate at least 15-30minutes per day to check for new tenders. If you’re using our Hudson Discover tendering portals, they’ll just need to keep an eye on their inbox. Either way, they need to take action immediately when they identify an opportunity. The rest of your team needs plenty of time to read the documents and write the responses.

Don’t rush in, weigh up the opportunity

Check our top three tips above and answer those questions before diving in. You should also assess the competition and how the new business would impact your current workload. Make sure that you have experience, and that the bid is realistic for you to win.

Familiarise yourself with the buyer’s portal

The portal will be used to:

Register your interest and download the tender documents
Ask clarification questions
Submit the final bid.

Make sure you know your way around and don’t leave it until the last minute to submit your bid. If you miss the deadline, the buyer doesn’t have to grant you an extension or even look at your bid. Even if you missed it because of technical difficulties – the buyer doesn’t have to make allowances. Don’t take the risk!

Make a bid plan

Break down the bid requirements and assign people in your team to take charge. This could be collating your policies, answering specific questions, or keeping your time management in line. Give each team member a clear role and deadlines for any input they will have.

Research the buying organisation

To make an impression on the buyer, it’s important that you understand them and their core values. This will help you demonstrate how your values align with theirs in your responses. If there is an incumbent supplier, you can try to find out who they are and how they are performing. Then, structure your responses around what the buyer is looking for.

Always refer back to the question and provide evidence

When you start writing your responses, always refer back to the question and make sure you’ve answered it. Use the buyer’s exact wording from the question to directly address their requirements.

Avoid empty or cliché statements such as ‘our people are at the heart of everything we do’. Fluffy statements like this are fine for marketing, but not bidding! Make sure you have evidence to back up every claim you make and demonstrate added value throughout.

Avoid jargon

The evaluator is most likely not an expert in your field. Using overly complicated jargon will only make your bid difficult to understand, and in turn, to evaluate. Keep the language simple and the sentences short – around 20 words per sentence is enough.

Don’t skip the proofing! Check for grammatical and spelling errors – they raise red flags with buyers for a lack of attention to detail.

Use clear formatting and design (where appropriate)

Some bids will follow a more rigid approach. The buyer will stipulate the font and point size for your responses and/or provide boxes for you to fill in. Others will follow a free-flowing proposal layout where you are given creative freedom to present the information. If this is the case, we always recommend having your bid professionally designed. It’s a great way to stand out amongst your competitors and make your bid easy to follow.

For help with Bid Design, see our sister company, Vocal.

Get feedback and carry on!

Unfortunately, you won’t always be successful in every tender. It’s important to not be too disheartened and use this as a learning opportunity. Ask the buyer for feedback if it hasn’t been provided and review it with your team.

If you’re losing multiple bids, it might be time to bring in a professional to assess how you could improve. See our Tender Improvement service for more information.

Summary

We’ve reached the end of our blog on how to become a government supplier. We hope our information was helpful. If you need a quick recap, here you go:

Choose an easy-to-use platform to help you identify opportunities quickly and make sure you never miss out.
Spend some time getting ready to tender for work before you dive straight in. Get your company CVs, case studies and policies in order and file them away so they’re ready to go.
Make sure you meet the brief. Check your economic financial standing, ensure you have evidence and that you can offer value for money.
The government needs to work with smaller businesses to meet their targets. They offer support through:

The prompt payment code
Making interest liable if the terms aren’t met
Offering free support through The Small Business Commissioner.

Do your social value research and make sure you can provide examples of how you meet the aims.
Review our top 9 tips for how to become a government supplier:

Invest in the sourcing process
Don’t rush in
Familiarise yourself with the buyer’s portal
Make a bid plan
Research the buying organisation
Refer back to the question and provide evidence to back up your claims
Avoid jargon
Make your bid easy to read through formatting and design
Get feedback and carry on!

Need help with becoming a government supplier?

Our team of consultants are here to help you.

They have a thorough understanding of the tender process and government contracts, knowing exactly how to respond.

By outsourcing to professionals, you could improve your chances of winning contracts.

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 government 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 the bid 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?

A subscription to one of our sector-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 free 20-minute phone consultation with a Bid Writer every month. Our expert Bid Consultants will chat with you about anything tender related.

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.

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

The post How to Become a Government Supplier in the UK appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Why the National Procurement Policy Statement is Good News for SMEs

Charlotte Jarvis — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 07:00:16 +0000

The National Procurement Policy Statement in a nutshell

Last updated: Dec 17, 2021 @ 9:46 am

The National Procurement Policy Statement was recently released to the public, following the Queen’s Speech in May 2021. The policies require contracting authorities to follow processes in accordance with the priorities of public procurement.

Why should suppliers care about the new changes?

It might not be the most thrilling read, but the National Procurement Policy Statement is crucial for suppliers. At first glance, you might think the information is only aimed at contracting authorities. You would be partially correct. However, suppliers need to also understand the procedures that buyers must adhere to. Understanding how buyers operate and what they want to see will help suppliers formulate winning tender responses.

Any business that is already tendering or looking to grow through tendering should read and understand the policy.

Tendering prior to the National Procurement Policy Statement

In the past, many businesses didn’t embark on the tendering process. They believed that they wouldn’t stand a chance against the larger businesses competing. This is a fair assumption and there are many myths surrounding tendering. But this has caused many organisations to miss out on growth opportunities.

While many tenders require a minimum financial threshold, there are also ways for SMEs to get in on the action. For example, framework agreements, DPS opportunities or even seeking smaller contracts are all methods to beginning your tender journey.

Additionally, the UK Government has a target to spend £1 in every £3 with SMEs. This means they are actively seeking to award contracts to smaller businesses. This is just one of the main advantages of tendering. There are many other reasons why organisations implement tendering in their new business strategy.

Even before the new National Procurement Policy Statement was released, buyers were encouraged to award contracts to the MEAT. The MEAT stands for the Most Economically Advantageous Tender. To decipher which supplier offered the MEAT, buyers would evaluate more than just their quote alone.

Social value and tendering

In recent years, we have seen social value become more prevalent in tendering. In 2020, the pandemic sparked new evaluation criteria which placed a 10% (or higher) weighting on social value responses.

Simply stating that your organisation complies with mandatory environmental and employment policies would no longer be sufficient. Now, public sector buyers need to look for suppliers who go above and beyond. This ensures the maximum value for money for the taxpayer.

An overview of the National Procurement Policy Statement

Who does it apply to?

All contracting authorities as defined in section 39(3) and (4) of the Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015. This includes:

Central government departments
Executive agencies
Non-departmental public bodies
Local authorities
NHS bodies and the wider public sector.

What will public sector bodies need to consider?

In their procurement activities, public sector contracting authorities will need to consider the following:

Creating new businesses, jobs and skills
Tackling climate change and reducing waste
Improving supplier diversity, innovation and resilience.

This is again another step to ensure that public sector buyers consider more than just pricing in their evaluation process. This helps to level the playing field between large, more established organisations and SMEs competing for contracts.

Has Brexit impacted procurement?

Public sector procurement after Brexit was a point of discussion long before the UK left the EU. After the transition period, the UK now has the opportunity to overhaul how public money is spent. To do this, the previous public procurement regulations have been revisited to create a simpler process.

Lord Agnew, Cabinet Officer Minister, said:

The public sector across the UK, from hospitals and schools to central government, police force and universities spends about £290 billion a year through public procurement.

The huge power of that expenditure must support us in tackling some of the most important issues we face today, from generating economic growth and helping out communities recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, to support the transition to net zero.

With the new statement published today, procurement teams will have to consider those issues as well as making sure they deliver top-quality services that are good value for the taxpayer.”

Need help with responding to a public sector tender?

Whether you’re brand new to tendering or a seasoned expert, we all need additional support now and then. With new regulations and considerations to make, outsourcing your bids to experts can increase your chances of winning.

How can we help?

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is perfect for businesses that have never tendered for contracts before. The package includes:

A 12-month subscription to one Hudson Discover portal.
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 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 Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect public sector contract 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.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your own tender response and need it double-checking 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.

Discover Elite

Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity, even when you’re busy. There are two packages to choose from.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Technology and Healthcare, for example.
Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid strategy.
Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package also includes:

All of the above.
Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

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

The post Why the National Procurement Policy Statement is Good News for SMEs appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Bid Writing Help for Your First Tender

John Hudson — Thu, 27 May 2021 07:00:59 +0000

The complete bid writing help guide for your first tender

Last updated: Dec 17, 2021 @ 9:46 am

At Hudson Succeed, we are committed to providing top quality bid writing help. If this is your first time tendering for contracts you probably have a lot of questions. Don’t worry, we can help you out. The tendering process alone is long and complex. We’ve put together a guide of everything you need to know for your first tender.

It can be hard finding the right bid writing help, but we have you covered. Here’s how to win a tender:

Finding the right opportunities for your business

There are numerous private and public sector tenders published each day. It might seem like an endless task finding the right one for you.

You need to be realistic about your chances of securing a contract. Ask yourself the following:

Does my business meet or exceed the technical skills and experience required?
Does the contract fit into my business strategy?
Can my business afford to spend money on time and resources?
Will the contract help my business grow?

Our portals are updated every day with various tenders covering a whole range of industries.

Break it down

It can be overwhelming opening up a tender document and thinking to yourself, “Where do I start?” We suggest you break everything down as it will make the whole process easier. Make a list as you review the tender documents and ask yourself the following:

Which sections/documents need completing?
What tasks need to be done before starting the response?
Do I need to provide any policies?
Does the response need to be designed?
Who in your team needs to be contacted and who will do what?

We recommend breaking down the question into smaller chunks if it is a large question. This will help you answer the question and consider each point of the question. By breaking down the question it will help you construct a more detailed and concise answer.

Make a plan

Another one of our top tips is to make a plan before writing a tender. Before you start writing your answer, you should plan out how you’re going to answer it. Your bid will only be as successful as the planning you put into it. If you don’t make a plan, it will make the writing process harder. This could result in missing out key points in your answer, so be sure to make a detailed plan for guidance.

When bidding for a contract, keep the submission date in mind. This will help with the planning process. You should allow yourself to complete the bid well ahead of the deadline date to alleviate the stress and pressure. The tender writing process can be long and complex, so you want to allow plenty of time. Unexpected delays may pop up and by constructing an effective plan, you’ll know what to do should any issues arise.

Brainstorm

Good bid writing help and advice should recommend brainstorming. If you’re struggling with a particular question, ask your team to pitch in with some ideas. Just because you have been tasked with writing the bid doesn’t mean others can’t feed in ideas to help you. Two heads are better than one. Other team members may have a speciality on a question you’re stuck on, so it’s worth asking for help.

Evidence

When writing your response, think about how you can present what you’re capable of. It’s all well and good telling the buyer what you can do for them. If you don’t back it up with evidence, then why should they believe you? Back up what you’re saying with evidence such as case studies and statistics. This bid writing help technique should help you on your way to winning a bid.

Most economically advantageous tender (MEAT)

We still have plenty of things to discuss about bid writing help, such as MEAT. When applying for public sector tenders, you will need to be the most economically advantageous tender. This does not mean the cheapest bid. The MEAT allows the buyer to award the bid based on aspects other than price. These include:

Technical ability
Accessibility
Proposed design
Innovation
Customer service
Ability to deliver on time
Quality
Environmental benefits.

Case studies

When tendering for work, you will usually be asked to provide some case studies. You will be asked to provide three case studies of contracts similar to the bid at hand. These examples must have been carried out in the last five years.

Buyers want to know what work you have done in the past that is similar. Make sure your examples are relevant. For example, imagine you are writing a tender for a car park extension in Leeds. If your only experience is in social housing in Edinburgh it is unlikely you’re suitable for that particular tender.

Buyers want to see how you’ve handled similar projects in the past. This will give them an indication as to whether you’d be suitable to deliver the contract.

Comprehensive answer

Another key element to bid writing help we can offer is how to construct a comprehensive answer. If the answer is asking for 500 words, writing only one sentence will not suffice. The buyer is looking for a detailed answer. If you aren’t able to provide a detailed answer, you are not suitable for the bid.

Simple language

To communicate clearly and effectively, use simple language to get your point across. You will not gain extra marks for using complicated jargon as this makes it harder to read and evaluate. If your answer has to be read more than once it is not clear and concise.

Proofread

As part of our bid writing help service, we always reiterate the importance of proofreading. You want to demonstrate why you should win the bid, not give the evaluator reasons why you shouldn’t. If you submit a bid that is full of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes, you could lose the bid. This could easily be avoided by taking the time to read over your work. You could ask someone else to take a look as they may pick up on mistakes you’ve missed.

The results

The final step of bid writing help is to ask yourself – what did you learn? The bid management process doesn’t finish once you’ve submitted your bid. Learning from your results is vital to continuously improve your bid writing and approach. Unfortunately, you won’t win every tender but don’t let that hold you back as you can learn from your mistakes. If the buyer doesn’t provide any feedback, ask for it. It’s worth knowing where you lost out on marks and how you could improve next time. Some reasons you may have lost your bid include:

Bidding for the wrong contracts – Be selective about which contracts you tender for.
Lack of evidence – You are not providing evidence to back up what you are saying.
Lack of proofreading – Your answer was full of bad spelling and grammatical errors.
Re-using your old tender – Buyers know when you’re sending them generic copy and paste text.
Too focused on your business – It’s about what you can do for the buyer not about how good your business is.

We provide bid writing help

Hudson Succeed is here to help you with all your bid writing needs. Our team of professionals have decades of experience, and we write to win. Giving you the confidence that your bid writing is in good hands.

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect contract for your business, why not send it our way? Our Bid Writers can take care of it all for you. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your own tender response and need someone to double-check it for errors, Tender Mentor can help. The Bid Team will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar or spelling mistakes. They’ll also ensure that it’s in line with the specification before you submit.

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 make sure you have everything in place to tender successfully. Tender Ready offers your business:

A 12-month subscription to one Hudson Discover portal.
Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3 case studies, 5 CVs and 8 policies.
Additional flexible benefit options.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing the results you want, our Tender Improvement package can help. Our Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents, working with you to improve for future submissions.

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts – even when you’re busy. Our two new time-saving tools can improve your competitor awareness and success rate when tendering.

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

The post Bid Writing Help for Your First Tender appeared first on Tender Consultants.

What is Tendering in Business?

Georgie Morgan — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 07:00:57 +0000

What is tendering in business and how can it help my company grow?

Last updated: Apr 18, 2023 @ 11:36 am

You may be asking yourself, what is tendering in business? It’s a common question if you’re new to the world of procurement. This blog will explain what tendering is, how it can benefit your business and the different types of tendering procedures. There are a lot of similarities across multiple industries in the way they do business in the public sector.

So, what is tendering in business?

Essentially, tendering in business is a formal process where a business is invited to bid for contracts. These tenders can be released by either public or private organisations. Potential suppliers will then complete a tender response and buyers will evaluate the responses and select a preferred supplier.

A tender response should be persuasive and convince the buyer that you’re the best company for the job. Buyers will often have a minimum eligibility criterion that hopeful suppliers will need to meet in order to progress. This varies depending on the tendering procedures selected by the buyer.

Before you begin

Before you begin tendering in business, you should set your business expectations. Being realistic about what contracts you’re going for can help optimise your chances of success. Before you begin, ask yourself:

Does my business meet or exceed the technical skills required?
Do I have the necessary experiences?
Does the contract fit into my business strategy?
Can my business afford to spend the time and resources on the application?
Do I have the time and resources to actually supply the contract?
Will this contract help my business grow?

The tendering process

There are a number of tendering processes depending on the buyer’s needs. They can choose how to procure a good or service. There are two main processes that are used. They are as follows:

Open tendering procedure

The open tendering procedure is frequently used within the public sector. It’s used to procure fairly ‘simple’ goods or services. For an open tendering procedure, buyers are allowing any business to bid for their contract. The process looks like this:

An ITT is released

A buyer would release an invitation to tender (ITT). Any prospective supplier can respond with how they intend to fulfil the contract. In their response, they are persuading the buyer that they’re the best business for the job.

Once the responses have been evaluated, the contract will be awarded. If you are tendering in the public sector, the award will go to the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT).

Restricted procedure

A restricted tendering procedure is used for more complex commodities. As they are usually of a higher contract worth, a buyer implements a vetted procedure. This is to ensure that prospective suppliers are qualified to carry out the work.

They set eligibility criteria that suppliers have to meet in order to qualify. This stage can be referred to as a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) stage. It also can be known as a selection questionnaire (SQ) or PAS91 (specifically used in the construction industry).

The PQQ/SQ stage involves a business being asked for their company:

Turnover
Insurance policies
Non-collusion
Qualifications and accreditations

After this has been passed, the supplier will then be shortlisted and progress to an ITT. Once again, they will respond in line with the specification. They’ll detail how they intend to deliver the contract and why they’re the best business for the job.

Once they’ve been evaluated, the contract is awarded.

Sector-specific requirements for tendering in business:

Depending on the sector your business is in there may be different requirements or expectations when tendering for contracts. Framework Agreements and Dynamic Purchasing Systems (DPS) are more common in some sectors than others, for example.

Framework agreements

A framework agreement is a type of multi-supplier agreement that’s frequently used within the public sector. Frameworks can run for years at a time. They are a good way to secure a pipeline of work for your business, if successful. Some may even have the possibility of an extension. They are most frequently found within the following sectors:

They are split into lots with each lot representing a specific good, work, service or geographical location. This allows suppliers to apply to the specific lots they specialise in or the region they operate in. Depending on the tender agreement, a supplier may be eligible to apply for more than one lot. If this is the case, you’ll need to be prepared to provide evidence. You’ll have to demonstrate that your business has the capacity and resources to undertake the works across the selected lots.

Dynamic Purchasing Systems

A Dynamic Purchasing System is similar to a framework agreement in the sense that they are multi-supplier agreements. Again, DPS’ can run for multiple years at a time and are used by public sector organisations. We have seen DPS’ that have been open for 10 or more years. There are two main differences between a DPS and a framework:

Suppliers can a DPS join at any time while it’s open
It is a completely electronic process.

The following sectors often have tendering opportunities in the form of DPS’:

Healthcare
Facilities
Logistics
Technology
Creative.

The process often starts with a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) or selection questionnaire (SQ). This is done to narrow down those who will be sent an invitation to tender (ITT). The PQQ and SQ stage is mainly comprised of capability and competency-based questions. Buyers will likely ask for your company’s policies and statements of non-collusion and other box-ticking exercises. This includes stating any grounds for mandatory exclusion and so on. This is the initial stage of tendering for a DPS.

Once a business has passed the first stage, it will progress onto the ITT stage. This is when your business will answer more technically focused questions on how you will carry out the contract.

Successful suppliers will receive a place on the DPS and then a range of tenders will be released. This streamlines the process for both buyers and suppliers as they don’t need to resubmit a PQQ or SQ.

Spot provider frameworks

Spot provider frameworks are used within the healthcare industry and are a great way to help your business grow. Securing a place on the framework can guarantee income, secure a pipeline of work and enable you to gain experience. These are just a few advantages of tendering.

A spot provider framework is a great way for your business to gain experience if it’s relatively new. This is important as the more experience you have as a company, the bigger the tenders you can go for. This can help your business grow. Almost every tender will require you to demonstrate your capabilities via case studies. A buyer will usually require up to three case studies within the last five years.

Such case studies should demonstrate previous contracts your business has fulfilled. They should be similar in scope, scale and complexity and location where possible. They should be relevant to the contract at hand. Depending on word count, adding a testimonial from previous happy clients will strengthen your response.

Pseudo Dynamic Purchasing Systems

Pseudo Dynamic Purchasing Systems (PSPS) or pseudo-DPS, can be found within the healthcare sector. It is a type of online procurement tool used by NHS England. It includes a list of pre-approved GP providers that can be invited by local commissioners to deliver local GP services.

Where can I find tendering opportunities for my business?

Now you know what tendering is in business, you might wonder where you can find tendering opportunities. There’s no shortage of websites offering multi-sector tendering opportunities and leads. Ideally, you should be searching for a sector-specific portal that posts unique, public and private sector opportunities.

Simply relying on CPV codes can result in missed opportunities as they are often mislabelled. Finding a portal that uploads and categorises tenders by keywords, location and budget and more can streamline the process. Our sister company, Hudson Discover, hosts 11 sector-specific tendering portals. One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help you save time, streamlining the process.

These sectors consist of;

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

The benefits of tendering for work

Now you know what tendering is in business, you may be wondering what the benefits of tendering are. There are a number of advantages for your business. These can include:

Securing a pipeline of work. If you secure a place on a DPS or framework as mentioned above, you can secure a pipeline of work. This will ensure that you have business opportunities.
Guaranteed pay (in the public sector). The Crown Commercial Service must pay contractors within 60-days of invoicing to comply with the Prompt Payment Code. This gives suppliers peace of mind, especially for first-time winners.
Increased experience. The more contracts you win, the more experience you have. The more experience you have, the bigger contracts you can go for. The bigger contracts you go for, the bigger you can grow your business.

Need help when tendering for work?

No matter the sector you’re in, buyers care about the quality of your tender response. If writing isn’t your forte, then outsourcing to bid writing experts can help get you on the path to success. Not everyone has the time, resources or experience to write a winning response. Here at Hudson Succeed, we pride ourselves on being bid writing experts.

We hold an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bid writing experience. They know how to win a tender. We offer four levels of bid writing support to suit every business need. Whether you’re completely new to tendering, or need a response proofread before you submit – we can help. The services on offer include:

Tender Writing

Tender Ready

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

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your own 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.

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts – even when you’re busy. Our two new time-saving tools can improve your competitor awareness and success rate when bidding for a contract.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Healthcare and Technology, for example.
Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid strategy.
Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package also includes:

All of the above.
Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

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

The post What is Tendering in Business? appeared first on Tender Consultants.

The 5 Steps of Bidding for a Contract

Georgie Morgan — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 07:00:52 +0000

Bidding for a contract: How to succeed in 5 steps

Last updated: Dec 17, 2021 @ 9:52 am

Bidding for a tendering contract can be overwhelming at the best of times, particularly if you’ve never done it before. However, tendering for work is a great way to grow your business.

COVID-19 has changed the way in which company’s do business. Gone are the days of face-to-face meetings and traditional networking events. As we come out of the other side, tendering is a great way to secure a pipeline of work. We have devised five steps that can help you understand what happens when bidding for a contract.

Step 1: Find the right bid for your business

Once you’ve decided to tender for work, you’ll be wondering how you can find the right contract for your business. There’s no shortage of websites that post multi-sector opportunities and leads daily. Ideally, you should be looking for a sector-specific portal that posts unique, public and private sector opportunities.

One centralised and easy-to-navigate portal can help save you time. Simply relying on CPV codes can result in missed opportunities as they are often mislabelled. Finding a portal that uploads and categorises tenders by keywords, location, budget and more can streamline the process. Our sister company, Hudson Discover, hosts 11 sector-specific tendering portals.

These sectors consist of;

Once signed up, you’ll have access to an on-hand Account Manager. They’ll be able to answer any questions you have about contract bidding. You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded.

Book a free live demo of your preferred portal.

Step 2: Planning and research

Planning and research are a couple of the most important aspects when bidding for a contract. You want to make a note of all the important dates and what documents you’ll need. These could include:

Final submission date and time
Clarification questions deadline
Site visits deadline
Documents that need attaching
Format of submission.

When bidding for a contract, you should double-check that you meet the minimum eligibility criteria. You don’t want to waste resources starting a bid only to realise you don’t qualify on financial standing, for example.

Check that your business:

Meets the economic and financial standing
Has enough experience
Meets the minimum turnover threshold
Has the resources to carry out the contract.

When bidding for a contract, you should aim to complete it with plenty of time before final submission. This can help ease the pressure and stress. Tenders can be long and complex at the best of times, so you want to allow for plenty of time. Unexpected delays may pop up and by planning ahead you can help safeguard your response in case this happens. Setting internal deadlines for you and your team can help with this.

Step 3: Price your services right

Pricing your services right is a crucial aspect of contract bidding. You don’t want to price your services too low as it may result in the contractor questioning your legitimacy. The evaluation criteria of every contract is different and depend on the buyer’s needs. The weightings will differ, but generally speaking, you can expect a split between two or three aspects:

Price
Quality
Social value (for public sector contracts).

The private and public sector differ in how they award contracts. The private sector isn’t bound and constrained by the same rules and regulations the public sector is. If a private organisation wants to award a contract on price alone, they can.

However, the public sector has certain rules and regulations they must meet to award a bid to a supplier. Public sector organisations will award bids to the most economically advantageous tender, known as the MEAT. The MEAT seeks to achieve the most value for money from a contract. A buyer will take into account a range of factors that will be specified in the tender documents. They’ll evaluate them both individually and in combination. They might include the following:

Accessibility
Technical ability
Ability to deliver on time
Innovation
Environmental considerations
Sustainability
Customer service
Quality.

Step 4: Write a high-quality bid response

Writing a high-quality bid response is crucial. As mentioned above, even if the weighting on quality is less than cost, buyers care about the quality. You want to be persuasive when bidding for a contract. You want to convince the buyer that you are the best business for the job. When writing bids it’s worth considering:

Format

Clearly format your response with subheadings and bullet points. Often you will be able to break down the question and use these as subheadings. This can help ensure that you are covering and answering every aspect of the question asked. Bullet points can also help keep your response ordered. This will help you get in the buyer’s good books. Put yourself in their shoes. If you’re having to evaluate tens to hundreds of bid responses, you’ll favour those that are clearly laid out. This helps you outshine your competitors as opposed to submitting a chunk of text.

Assumptions

Furthermore, don’t allow the buyer to make assumptions from what you’ve written. Leaving room for assumptions can allow for the wrong assumptions to be made. Clearly explain everything and avoid overly technical jargon. Don’t assume they know anything about you, your business or your bid.

Word count

When bidding for a contract, you should aim for your response to be as close to the word or page counts as possible. They’re there for a reason. If a buyer expects a 1000-word response, simply writing one paragraph won’t do. Keep answers relevant, clear and concise.

Sector-specific contract bidding tips

Before going ahead with any tender, you must analyse your business and determine the contract values you’re eligible for. This helps ensure you can remain competitive while still making a profit.

Often the contract value will be stated in the tender specification. If it’s not, there’s a simple way you can figure it out. As a general rule of thumb, you shouldn’t be bidding for contracts that are more than half your annual turnover. For example, if your turnover is £100,000, you shouldn’t tender for contracts that are more than £50,000.

Contract bidding in the creative sector

The creative industry can cover many different services such as:

Marketing and PR
Design
Digital works
Event management
Videography.

Tender proposals in the sector are usually a lot more free-flowing, allowing suppliers to demonstrate their creativity. If successful, a buyer will likely require a supplier to do a presentation before the contract is awarded.

Contract bidding in the facilities management industry

Contract bidding in the facilities management industry is booming, with the cleaning sector, in particular, being flooded with opportunities. SMEs can tender for contracts that have values ranging from anything from £2,000 to upwards of £100,000.

The cleaning sector covers areas such as:

Commercial
Corporate
Education
Private and/or domestic
Local government
Industrial.

The contract bidding process is typically a two-stage process:

A contractor will release a selection questionnaire (SQ) or pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ).
Once completed, successful suppliers will be sent an invitation to tender (ITT).

This is when an interested supplier will submit their tender response. Each has the aim of convincing the buyer that they are the best company for the job.

In our experience, cleaning contracts are typically evaluated with a larger weight being placed on price. For example, 60% price and 40% quality. However, in the public sector, it’s worth bearing in mind the 10% minimum weighting on social value. Therefore, although it’s important to remain competitively priced, it isn’t the only thing to think about when contract bidding.

Contract bidding in the construction sector

The construction industry is one of the biggest industries that tender for work. Billions of pounds are being invested in the construction industry by both the UK government and the private sector.

Within construction, although you do find open tendering procedures begin used, you will more likely come across a two-stage process. Similar to the facilities industry, as mentioned above, suppliers will likely have to complete a PQQ for larger contracts. A fairly recent type of PQQ, used within the construction industry, is the PAS91.

PAS91

The PAS91 was developed by the British Standards Institute to save construction companies from filling out multiple PQQs. Although a PAS91 is slightly longer than a PQQ or SQ, it has the same ‘what have you done’ mentality. The main benefits are that once completed, you are:

Exempt from completing some core sections if you possess certain accreditations
Able to develop a standardised response to the standardised questions
Save you time the in long run.

If you’re a member of Constructionline you will automatically be exempt from completing the most time-consuming parts of the PAS91. The PAS91 demonstrates to the contracting authority that you meet the necessary requirements. Construction PQQs and PAS91s usually require the following:

Supplier and identity contract information
Financial standing
Business and professional standing
Health and safety
Equal opportunity and diversity policy
Environmental management policy
Quality management

After completing the PAS91, and the minimum eligibility criteria is met, the supplier will receive an ITT.

Contract bidding in the healthcare industry

Understandably, the healthcare industry has boomed over the last two years. The global pandemic and an ageing population have led to billions being invested in healthcare services.

There are two things to consider when undertaking contract bidding within the healthcare sector:

Experience

Providing evidence of contract experience is one of the most important aspects when tendering in the healthcare sector. This is because buyers want to be reassured that they have the experience to carry out the contract. They want to see evidence you have the resources to provide the good, service or works you are applying for.

You may be required to demonstrate up to three previous case studies within the last five years. These must be similar in scope, scale and complexity to the contracts you’re bidding for. Remember to keep the case studies relevant.

The more experience you have, the bigger contracts you can go for. The bigger contracts you go for as a business, the more income you’ll get, the bigger your business will grow.

Qualifications

Having the relevant qualifications is vital for contract bidding in the healthcare sector. Having relevant qualifications and accreditations can strengthen your tender response. Internationally recognised certifications will convey that you are experienced and safety competent. Relevant qualification could include:

CQC registered
ISO 9001; 13485; 14001; 23001; 27001
NVQs (level 3 and above)
CyberEssentials
RMADS

3 trends within procurement

Innovation

Innovation is seemingly a new trend throughout multiple industries in procurement. Buyers are wanting to see the latest innovative solutions when procuring goods, works or services. This may be innovative environmental solutions or innovative and collaborative working. Research, technology, healthcare, construction and creative are just some of the sectors that look for innovation in tendering responses.

Sustainability and environmental considerations

Sustainability and environmental considerations are taken a lot more seriously within procurement. Contractors like to see how your organisation is tackling carbon emissions, reducing waste and encouraging recycling to name a few.

This is evident within the public sector with their mandatory social value weighting. However, the private sector is also looking at the way they do business. Moreover, how they can be more environmentally friendly and sustainable. Reflecting on how they can sustainably cut emissions without comprising on quality or service is becoming a priority for many.

Local supply chains

Buyers, particularly in the public sector are seeking to establish and maintain a local supply chain. They are hoping to establish this supply chain closer to home. The pandemic has led to businesses reflecting on how they do business. Moreover, what happens when the global supply chain is disrupted. Brexit has also been a contributing factor. More and more, businesses are looking to work with local SMEs in order to secure their supply chain.

Establishing a local supply chain will enable companies to build resilience for the future. It also helps them manage risk. A lot more businesses will be forward planning. Many will now have procedures in place in order to safeguard their business from future disruptions to business.

Need help bidding for a contract?

Not everyone has the time, resources and experience to sit through the tendering process and write a winning response.. Outsourcing to bid writing experts can help you get on the path to success, helping you win your next tender.

We proudly have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. They offer four bid writing support services that can help you when bidding for a contract. Whether you’re completely new to contract bidding or just need your response proofread – we can help.

Tender Writing

Tender Mentor

Tender Ready

A 12-month subscription to one Hudson Discover portal.
Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3 case studies, 5 CVs and 8 policies.
Additional flexible benefit options.

Tender Improvement

Step 5: Submit your bid

Before you submit your tender response, you should proofread it. Leaving a day or two from completion before you submit can help with this. Additionally, having someone else read over it can help spot any spelling or grammar mistakes or inconsistencies.

Once this has all been completed, you should submit your response and wait to hear back from the buyer. This can take a while, try not to fret if you haven’t heard. Some tenders can get hundreds of responses, so reviewing these can take time. Either way, the buyer will always notify you once they have reviewed all bids. They can either do this via the tender portal or email depending on the method of submission.

You may not be successful with every tender you submit and that’s ok. Ask for feedback from the buyer if unsuccessful. This can help you see which aspects you can improve on for future bids.

Discover Elite

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Healthcare and Technology, for example.
Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid
Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package also includes:

All of the above.
Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

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

The post The 5 Steps of Bidding for a Contract appeared first on Tender Consultants.

A Guide to Crown Commercial Service Frameworks

Georgie Morgan — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 07:00:31 +0000

Crown Commercial Service Framework FAQs

[Last modified: July 2021]

The Crown Commercial Service frameworks help the UK’s public sector save money when buying common goods and services. The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is the biggest public procurement organisation in the UK.

They help buyers in the central government, public and third sectors to purchase a wide range of services and goods. From building materials to police cars and networks to nursing staff – they cover a wide and varied range. Crown Commercial Service frameworks are also referred to as Crown Commercial Service (CCS) commercial agreements.

Crown Commercial Service frameworks allow their buyers to get the best commercial deals in the interests of taxpayers. Being a supplier on Crown Commercial Service frameworks can be a lucrative opportunity for your business. Tendering for contracts has many advantages, particularly for SMEs.

If you’re wondering how Crown Commercial Service frameworks work, read our guide below.

What is purchased via Crown Commercial Service frameworks?

There are four main categories and a number of sub-categories of Crown Commercial Service framework agreements. They are as following:

Buildings

Construction
Energy
Workplace

Corporate Solutions

Document Management & Logistics
Financial Services
Fleet
Marcomms & Research
Office and Travel

People

Contract Centres
People Services
Professional Services
Workforce Health & Education
PSR & Permanent Recruitment

Technology

Digital Future
Network Services
Software & Cyber
Technology Products & Services

How to respond to Crown Commercial Service frameworks

In order to respond to tender opportunities, you will need to be registered on the CCS eSourcing tool. To register, you will need to provide the following information:

The full legal name of your organisation.
Your DUNS number (a unique nine-digit number provided to your organisation by Dun & Bradstreet).
Profile information describing your organisation and the size of your business.

What are Crown Commercial Service frameworks?

Buyers are able to purchase everyday goods and services such as office supplies from the CCS catalogue. The CCS publishes commercial agreements for more complex procurements. For example, if one is looking to buy a fleet of vehicles, they would be procured via a framework.

A framework comprises a description of common public sector requirements. They are multi-supplier agreements and these suppliers have been evaluated and deemed capable of delivering the requirements and contract. Frameworks are typically divided into lots, often by product, service type or location. There are various tendering procedures used by a buyer to purchase something. Businesses looking to buy from a framework can directly award a supplier or run a further mini competition among suppliers.

Further competitions

Further competitions enable the purchase on high-value or complex goods or services. Anything from stationary to complex facility management. These Crown Commercial Service frameworks can run from a few weeks, to several months depending on the complexity of requirements. Further competitions allow an open and fair procurement process for potential suppliers.

3 key things to note

Here are some things to consider when writing bids:

Timing

Once a framework has been awarded, additional suppliers can’t be added – unlike a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). If this is the case, you will need to wait until the next opening arises. As mentioned above, the length of Crown Commercial Service frameworks can vary from a couple of months to years.

New procurements often start several months in advance of the active arrangement’s expiry date. This is because the procurement process can take a number of months to complete. It all depends on the complexity of the goods or services being procured.

Sub-contracting

Sometimes there may not be tendering opportunities available in your area of business. If this is the case, you may be able to sub-contract your services to suppliers on existing arrangements. For this to happen, you should directly contact the relevant supplier. Suppliers can be found on the CCS website.

The Government eMarketplace

Registering on the Government eMarketplace will enable you to advertise your capability to supply products or services. The eMarketplace is an online marketplace providing customers with a request for quote (RFQ) service for low-value, less complex purchases. This enables you to supply on a national or regional basis without the need of going through the tendering process.

Any supplier can register for the marketplace. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that registering on this marketplace does not mean you’re a CCS supplier. You will not be listed on the Crown Commercial Service website as a supplier. This shouldn’t dishearten you as it is still a great way to secure a pipeline of work.

Where can I find Crown Commercial Service Frameworks?

You’re able to find Crown Commercial Service frameworks by registering with the government’s Contract Finder and Tenders Electronic Daily (TED). These two services can be used for finding tender opportunities relevant to your business area.

TED is the online version of the supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). Contracts Finder shows the longer term and wider government pipeline. You are able to find all public sector tenders over £10,000 here. It’s automatically updated every weekday night with new notices published on TED.

Both sites will give you information about both CCS and wider government tender opportunities. You will need to constantly monitor the procurement pipeline for new opportunities. This can all take quite a lot of time out of your day or night.

What if we told you, there’s an easier way to go about this that streamlines the process, saving you time?

Enter…Hudson Discover!

Hudson Discover gives you access to all the Crown Commercial Service frameworks, unique and public sector opportunities in your industry. Find them all in one, easy-to-use, central portal.

At Hudson Discover, we house 11 sector-specific tendering portals. These consist of:

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

Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industries portal to your heart’s content. See the hundreds of opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised and easily accessible. You’ll have access to all unique, public and private tendering opportunities in one place.
A daily email bulletin. Receive email alerts when new tenders are uploaded, straight to your inbox.
Filter results. There’s no reliance on inaccurate CPV codes. You are able to filter and search results by keyword, location budget and more. This allows you to find the perfect opportunity for your business.
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 for 20-minutes about anything tender-related. They can recommend all the tender searching options that are available to you.

Need assistance securing a place on a Crown Commercial Service framework?

If being a supplier on a CCS framework is something your business is interested in, we can help. It’s understandable if you don’t have the necessary resources or time to complete an application in-house. Our dedicated Hudson Succeed team have over 60 years bid writing experience, boasting an 87% success rate. We have secured direct contract wins totalling over £300million for our clients. We offer four bid writing support services.

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect Crown Commercial Service framework for your business, why not send it our way? Our Bid Writers can take care of it all for you. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf. The tendering process is time-consuming which is why we are here to help with writing bids.

Tender Mentor

Tender Ready

A 12-month subscription to one of our Hudson Discover portals.
Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3 case studies, 5 CV’s and 8 policies.
Additional flexible benefit options.

Tender Improvement

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts – even when you’re busy. Our two new time-saving tools can improve your competitor awareness and success rate.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Healthcare and Facilities, for example.
Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid
Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package also includes:

All of the above.
Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

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

The post A Guide to Crown Commercial Service Frameworks appeared first on Tender Consultants.

How to Find the Right Healthcare Bid Manager

Millie Newbold — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 07:00:45 +0000

How to find the right healthcare Bid Manager for your business

Last updated: Dec 17, 2021 @ 9:56 am

Are you in the healthcare sector and looking for the right healthcare Bid Manager for your business? This blog will explain what you should consider when choosing a healthcare Bid Manager when tendering for contracts.

Why do you need a healthcare Bid Manager?

If you’re new to the tendering process, you might be thinking, “why do I even need a healthcare Bid Manager?”

As you probably know, securing work in the healthcare sector often requires bidding for work. This is because most healthcare work is procured by Local Authorities, Central Government and the NHS.

So, to win work, grow your business and generate a profit, your company will need to bid for tendering opportunities.

Health and social care tenders are on the rise in the UK. This is because services for the elderly and other vulnerable groups are being transferred to private sector companies.

Tendering for work can be a lengthy, time-consuming and demanding process. From actually finding the bid, to answering the buyer’s questions and submitting your responses. It takes a lot of skill and expertise to write persuasive, compelling bids every time.

And we know how challenging running your own business can be. There’s so much else for you to focus on – do you have time to write a winning tender response?

It’s possible to manage your own healthcare bids, but why not let someone else take care of it for you? It might seem like an additional cost that your company doesn’t need, but it’s actually more cost effective. It’s better to outsource the process to a professional service than waste your in-house resources. Especially if you lose bids due to a lack of expertise!

Let’s look at the key skills needed in bid management

Time management

To be successful as a healthcare Bid Manager, your time management skills need to be second to none when bid writing. Meeting deadlines is an essential part of the tendering process. If you miss the tender deadline, buyers will not evaluate your bid. And buyers won’t be impressed if you ask for extra time! It will make them wonder if your company will be able to deliver the contract on time – and within budget.

There’s no doubt about it – running your own business is time-consuming. Do you have the time to oversee the bid management process on top of your other responsibilities? Outsourcing your bid writing needs to a dedicated healthcare Bid Manager will save you time, money and resources.

Writing capabilities

To write a successful bid, you need the ability to write persuasive, compelling tender responses. It’s not just about being a talented writer – although this helps! But it’s more important to write short sentences that easily convey the information to the buyer.

Perfecting this skill takes time – even for talented writers! So why not outsource your bid writing needs to a dedicated healthcare Bid Manager? You can be sure that your tender responses are being taken care of by experts. And you can focus on other aspects of running a business!

Communication skills

A successful healthcare Bid Manager will have excellent communication skills – both written and verbal. You need to communicate with the buyer and show them that you can deliver their contract. This includes your tender responses and any communication you have with clients, suppliers or sometimes buyers in person.

If you run your own company, we’re sure that your communications skills are up to scratch. But even with top-notch communication skills, you’ll still benefit from outsourcing the work to Bid Writing Consultancy. An external Bid Manager will be skilled in communicating with you (the client) and ensure that you are kept up to date throughout the process.

Industry awareness

It goes without saying that you’ll be an expert in your sector. But what about bid writing?

A healthcare Bid Manager might not be an expert in your particular specialism – that’s where you come in. But their industry awareness is invaluable to writing a successful bid response. A successful Bid Writer will be able to read the tender’s specifications and know how to tick all the boxes.

What can a healthcare Bid Manager do for you?

As we’ve already explained, the tendering process can be lengthy, time-consuming and demanding. To write and oversee a successful bid takes a lot of skill and expertise.

If you haven’t got the time, resources or personal skill to write winning bids – then don’t worry. A healthcare Bid Manager can help you with every step of the tendering process.

Of course, it varies from tender to tender, but you can expect your dedicated Bid Manager to:

Review any documents relating to the tender and understand the scope of the contract.
Plan the bid writing process, including the time it will take to complete.
Match your company with an appropriate Bid Writer or Bid Writers.
Track the Bid Writer’s work and update you on the tender’s progress.
Advise on supporting documents and develop missing literature.
Oversee the review process.
Submit the bid on your behalf.

Think about it. Do you have time to oversee every aspect of the tendering process?

Relying on a bid manager for your tendering needs will allow you to focus on other aspects of your business.

How to find the right healthcare Bid Manager for you

So now you know why you need a healthcare Bid Manager. But how do you find the right one for your business?

When looking for a healthcare Bid Manager, it’s important to find someone that understands your company’s needs and goals. The Bid Manager you choose will be working closely with your company until the tender’s submission date. So, they have to be the right fit for your company.

Looking to apply for healthcare tenders? Here at Hudson Succeed, we can take care of it for you.

If you’re looking for a healthcare Bid Manager to start your tendering journey, our expert Senior Bid Manager can help.

With an 87% success rate and over 60 years of collective experience, we are experts at bid writing. And we’re experienced in healthcare tenders! Our team of Bid Writers have worked with numerous clients across the healthcare sector, including the following services:

Domiciliary Care
Supported Living
Medical Equipment
Social Care
Mental Health.

Visit Healthcare Tenders to save time, money and resources! It’s a time-saving tool used by healthcare professionals. Don’t worry about spending hours searching for new business opportunities – our smart search solution does the work for you!

Upgrade to Discover Elite

Want to optimise your tendering efforts? Then upgrade to Discover Elite.

With Discover Elite, you can find the best tendering opportunities for your business – even when you’re busy!

Choose your Discover Elite package:

The Ultimate Time Saver package

What you’ll get:

A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
An annual subscription to two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This is a great option for businesses that overlap industries!
Pre-market and aware engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss future tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package

What you’ll get:

All of the above.
Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
Your own Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with at least 5 years of experience. Your Bid Strategy will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Together we can make your business grow. Contact a member of our team to find out more.

Need help with a tender response?

We offer four bid writing support packages to help your company succeed. No matter your experience level – new to tendering or a seasoned expert – Hudson Succeed has something for you.

Choose one of our services:

Tender Ready

If you’re completely new to tendering, why not try our 4-week Tender Ready package? Work closely with one of our expert Bid Writers and your business will be ready to tender for work.

Tender Improvement

Have you tendered before but are yet to see any results from your efforts? Choose our Tender Improvement package. One of our bid writing professionals will evaluate your previous tender responses and help you improve for future submissions.

Tender Mentor

Have you written your tender response but need someone to proofread it before the final submission? Try our Tender Mentor package. We’ll look over your tender responses and check for any inconsistencies or grammar, punctuation and spelling errors. We’ll also check your responses to make sure you meet the buyer’s specifications.

Tender Writing

If you’re new to tendering or don’t have the capabilities to write your own responses, choose our Tender Writing package. One of our bid writing professionals will help you with every step of the bidding process, from writing to submission.

If you’re interested in any of our services or want to learn more, contact a member of our team!

Want to learn more about tendering for work? Visit Tender VLE!

Interested in finding the right healthcare Bid Manager for your company? We want to take it one step further and teach you about the tendering process

Tender VLE – the UK’s first virtual learning environment – hosts a range of free videos all about tendering for work.

Visit Tender VLE to start your tendering journey or get in touch to find out more!

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

The post How to Find the Right Healthcare Bid Manager appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Tender Writing in London: is “local” better?

Millie Newbold — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 07:00:05 +0000

Why searching for “tender writing London” won’t benefit your business

[Last modified: July 2021]

Searching for “tender writing London” online?

If your business is based in London, your online search for tender writing support probably hasn’t surpassed “tender writing London”.

There’s a common misconception that, when it comes to tender writing, local is better. But why restrict your search to tender writing support in your area? You might miss out on a pool of talented, dedicated Bid Writers that can help your company grow.

This blog will explain the benefits of using a distance-based Bid Writing Consultancy for all of your tender writing needs.

Why “tender writing London” might not be the best option for your business

We’ve all been guilty of assuming that London houses the best in the business. After all, London is considered the business capital of the world. If you’ve searched for “tender writing London”, you’ll know how many options there are for Bid Writers in the city. It can be overwhelming to choose which one is the best fit for your business.

But just because a company is based in London, does that mean it’s the best option for your business?

If you’re based in London, you might not have considered any other option. It might seem bizarre to look further afield when there are plenty of options close by.

Perhaps you’re settling for a Bid Writer near you, or maybe you’re thinking about hiring one in-house. However, both options come with a set of disadvantages. But there is a third option out there. Have you considered outsourcing your bid writing needs to a remote team, outside London?

The benefits of a remote bid writing team

At Hudson Succeed, we can work remotely to provide your company with bid writing support. We work with clients via phone, Skype, Zoom and email. It doesn’t matter where your company is based, we can work with you to write winning bids for your business.

And there’s no compromise on quality. Without the need for in-person work, your company can cut the cost of travelling and time spent in meetings. This will save your company time, money and resources when tendering for contracts.

Don’t settle for tender writing in London. No matter where you’re based (in the UK or overseas), our distance-based methods have proven a success. In fact, we have supported clients in 23 countries, including the US, the Caribbean and Russia. But if you still need convincing, let’s look at the advantages of working with a remote team of Bid Writers.

Why outsourcing your bid writing needs remotely is the best option for your business

One in-house writer vs a full, remote team

If you want to move away from your search of “tender writing London”, let’s take a look at your team. Does your company already have an in-house Bid Writer? Or maybe you have someone who handles the bids, but isn’t an expert in tender responses?

Hiring an in-house Bid Writer won’t be cost effective for your business. Not only do you have to pay their wages, but the hiring process itself can cost your company thousands. Especially in London’s competitive market.

If you rely on an in-house Bid Writer, you might be limiting your company’s chances of success. There’s no guarantee that there’ll be suitable tenders for your company to bid on. So, you might be left paying an in-house Bid Writer to do little (or no) work.

An in-house Bid Writer won’t be an expert in every area – it’s just not possible! They might even take time out of the working day to search for information or look for answers elsewhere. And your in-house Bid Writer might have to juggle their responsibilities, especially if bid writing isn’t their only role.

If you outsource your tender writing needs to a dedicated consultancy, you have access to a full team of experts. Our team are always communicating with each other, sharing their industry knowledge and expertise. They know exactly how to craft a winning tender response, leaving you to focus on running your business.

Save your company money

As we’ve already discussed, hiring an in-house Bid Writer will cost your company money. But what’s the difference between outsourcing to Bid Writers in London or a consultancy further afield?

To keep up with the capital’s competitive market and rent demands, Bid Writing Consultancies in London charge an extortionate rate. This is because companies based in London have to increase their pricing.

Limiting your search to “tender writing London” will mean your options for Bid Writers will come with an excessive cost. You might think that a company that charges a lot for their services must be the best one out there. But that simply isn’t the case.

If you outsource your bid writing needs to a company further afield, you can avoid London’s inflated prices. Companies outside of London offer services that are just as good – or even better – for a fraction of the cost.

In fact, Hudson Succeed rank among the most competitively priced Bid Consultancies in the country!

Flexible working

If you limit your search to “tender writing London”, you can’t take advantage of the flexible working opportunities on offer.

As we’ve already discussed, remote working can have many advantages for your business. Not only will a remote team save your company time, money and resources, but we’re able to work around you.

You don’t have to work around your in-house Bid Writer or wait for your local consultancy to schedule a meeting. When you work with a flexible Bid Writing Consultancy, the time and place is completely up to you.

And if your company requires in-person meetings from time to time, we’re able to accommodate that. We have office space in Durham, Manchester, London and Florida, and can meet at whichever location works best for you. But in today’s remote world, bid writing is one profession that doesn’t require regular face-to-face meetings!

A responsive team

Just because your company searches for “tender writing London”, there’s no guarantee that you’ll find a responsive team. Being geographically close doesn’t mean that they’ll be the best fit for your business.

But what if you outsource your tender writing needs to a distance-based Bid Writing Consultancy?

Working with a remote team can offer many advantages for your company. A distance-based Bid Writing Consultancy can react to deadline shifts or urgent work. There’s no need to factor in travel time or cost. Simply pick up the phone or send an email and our team will get straight to work.

Take your bid writing further with Hudson Succeed

Looking for a Bid Writing Consultancy that will write winning tender responses at a fair price? Contact our team at Hudson Succeed. We have an 87% success rate and over 60 years of collective experience – you can be sure you’re in good hands!

Your company doesn’t have to search for “tender writing London” to win contracts. Don’t limit yourself to overpriced consultancies, just because they’re nearby! No matter your company’s needs, we offer a range of services that can help your company grow. Our Bid Writing team can help you with:

Tender Writing

Completely new to the bid writing? Why not try our Tender Writing package? This service is designed for companies that don’t know how or don’t have time to tender for work. A member of our expert Bid Writing Team will work with you through every step of the tendering process. We’ll support you from finding the tender through to submission.

Tender Mentor

Know how to tender for work but want to make sure your responses are up to scratch? Try our Tender Mentor package. One of our Bid Writers will proofread your responses, checking for inconsistencies, poor grammar and punctuation and spelling errors. We can also check your responses to make sure they meet the buyer’s specifications.

Tender Ready

If you want to learn more about the tendering process, why not try our 4-week Tender Ready programme? Our expert Bid Writing Team will work with you to make sure your business is ready to tender for work.

Tender Improvement

Try our Tender Improvement package if you’re yet to see the benefits of your tendering efforts. One of our Bid Writers will assess your previous tender responses and help you improve. With Tender Improvement, you’ll be ready for future submissions!

Upgrade to Discover Elite

Running a business can be so time-consuming – you might not have time to think about tendering for work.

Why not upgrade to Discover Elite and really optimise your tendering efforts? No matter how busy you are, you can find the latest tendering opportunities with our new time-saving tool.

With two great packages on offer, you can choose between:

The Ultimate Time Save package

You’ll receive five tender breakdowns per month, an annual subscription to two sector-specific portals, and a dedicated Account Manager. The perfect package for those on the go!

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package

You’ll receive all of the above, plus seven tender breakdowns per month and your own Bid Strategy! Your Bid Strategy will be delivered by a Senior Bid Manager and managed by our Global Bid Director.

Upgrade to Discover Elite and watch your business grow. Contact us to find out how to win a tender.

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

The post Tender Writing in London: is “local” better? appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Bid Writing Support Following the DAPCAS Model

John Hudson — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 07:00:52 +0000

Looking for bid writing support? Follow our tried and tested model

[Last modified: July 2021]

At Hudson Succeed, we pride ourselves on delivering high quality bid writing support. Collectively, we have over 60 years of experience and an 87% success rate. It’s fair to say that we are the best in the business when it comes to bid writing support.

To support our clients, we developed the DAPCAS model.

What is the DAPCAS model?

The DAPCAS model was created in-house by Head of Bid Management, Dan Hall. DAPCAS is an acronym for Decipher, Assess, Plan, Compose, Analyse and Submit. When it comes to tendering for contracts bid writing can be complex which is why we invented this model to condense the process in its simplest form.

Decipher

Our first tip for bid writing support is before you start tendering you must decipher the opportunities. Bidding for any opportunity in the hope that it will be successful is a waste of time and money. Not only that, but it weakens your overall tender approach. Three things to consider in the deciphering process are:

What services do you want to deliver?
What location/s do you want to deliver these services in?
Who is your ideal buyer?

Once you have decided on your opportunity you can sign up to our sector-specific tendering portals. You will receive daily tender opportunities that are specific to your service.

Our Hudson Discover portals are time-saving tools. Each day, our team of opportunity trackers manually search for new tenders and upload them to the relevant portal. This ensures maximum relevancy in your search. Our 11 sector-specific tendering portals include:

Assess

The ultimate question to ask yourself is to bid or not to bid?

Once you’ve deciphered what you’re tendering for, and you’ve found an opportunity you need to decide whether to bid. The contract title doesn’t tell you everything so it’s important you know exactly what you’re tendering for. A few things to think about when assessing whether to bid or not are:

Have you delivered contracts similar to this before?
What is your Unique Selling Point (USP)?
Can you afford it?
Does the opportunity align with your company’s long-term strategy?

Plan

Another important bid writing support tip is to plan. Your bid will only be as successful as the planning put into it. Each tender is different, and the planning involved in it must match the specification. You should set out a list of what needs to be completed and the timeframe to complete it by. An effective plan will lead to an effective bid.

The length of an Invitation to Tender (ITT) can vary from 10 pages to 50 or more. Each contains information that is crucial to consider. Therefore, you must develop a concise plan to correspond with the tender. We advise reading each document one by one with the following in mind:

Read the instructions – allow plenty of time as the instructions will contain all the important information you need to know.
Submission deadline – the deadline date is important, if you submit your bid just one minute late you can be disqualified.
Clarification details – if there are some aspects of the document that don’t make sense, remember to ask questions.

Compose

Just like the tendering process the bid writing process can be a long and complex process. Many people don’t have the time or knowledge to write detailed bids in-house. Writing isn’t for everyone, especially when you’re busy running a business. This is why we offer our bid writing support.

If you do wish to write the bid yourself, a structure to follow to write a successful bid is:

Point

You should state what you are going to do. The buyer wants to know what you can do, not what you will try to do. Your point should be clear and concise so the buyer understands exactly what you can deliver.

Evidence

It’s no good talking about what you can do if you can’t back up what you’re saying. Demonstrate why you should win the bid by providing evidence such as case studies and statistics.

Explain

Explain how you will deliver the desired outcome.

Structure

One of how our top bid writing support tips is how to structure your answer. Some points to consider include:

Format – Use subheadings and bullet points to clearly format your response. You can break down the question to use these for subheadings. Bullet points can keep your response in order. The evaluator wants to read a response that is clearly laid out. If they have to read your response more than once it isn’t clear enough.
Simple language – You should clearly explain everything and avoid using complicated jargon. You shouldn’t assume the buyer knows what you mean.
Word count – You should aim for your response to be as close to the word or page counts as possible. The word/page count is there for a reason. If the buyer asks for a 1,000 word answer, they expect a clear and detailed response. Writing one paragraph won’t suffice. Although it’s important to reach the word count, don’t waffle just to add extra words. Your answer should be relevant to the question.

Analyse

Analysing your work regularly throughout the writing process is something we strongly recommend as part of our bid writing support. We suggest you create several drafts and have them reviewed by a few colleagues. You could even ask a new colleague to overlook the work. This ensures the inner workings of your company can be understood by someone with little knowledge on the company. You should never assume that the buyer is already familiar with your organisation.

Submit

The final process of the DAPCAS model is to submit the bid. Although this may seem like a simple step, it is actually quite daunting to a newcomer. Always ensure you allow plenty of time to submit your bid ahead of the deadline. If the bid is due at 12pm and you submit it at 12.01pm your bid will not be accepted. Once you have submitted your bid, you should receive some acknowledgement that your bid has been received. This is usually done via an email or online portal.

Aside from the DAPCAS model, our final tip to bid writing support is the importance of doing your research. When bidding for a contract always make sure that you meet the eligibility criteria. You don’t want to waste time preparing for a bid to realise you don’t meet the criteria. For example, check that your business:

Meets the economic and financial standing – your annual turnover, financial ratio and your insurance
Has enough experience
Meets the minimum turnover threshold
Has the resources to carry out the contract.

Need bid writing support for an immanent tender?

Our sister company, Hudson Succeed are here to help you with writing bids. Our team of professionals have over 60 years of experience and they write to win.

They offer four services:

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect contract for your business, why not send it our way?

Once you decide to ahead with a bid, you will be assigned to one of our Bid Writers. The process doesn’t require you to have any formal meetings with your Bid Writer. Communication can be made via phone, email or Zoom.

Our Bid Writers can take care of it all for you. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf.

Tender Mentor

Tender Ready

A 12-month subscription to one Hudson Discover portal.
Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3 case studies, 5 CVs and 8 policies.
Additional flexible benefit options.

Tender Improvement

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts – even when you’re busy. Our two new time-saving tools can improve your competitor awareness and success rate when tendering.

Bid writing training

Tender VLE houses free and upgraded bid writing masterclasses.

Join the UK’s first ever virtual learning environment for a whole range of

free tender-related videos. Whether you have years of tendering

experience or are starting out from scratch, Tender VLE will have

something for you.

See something you like? Contact our team for a quick chat and start your Tender VLE journey today.

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

The post Bid Writing Support Following the DAPCAS Model appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Tender Improvement Archives - Tender Consultants

Easy Tendering Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Easy Tendering Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

What is tendering?

Common Tendering Mistakes

How to Improve Your Tender Response

How we can help!

Tender Writing

Tender Ready

Tender Improvement

Tender Mentor

Contact us:

Additional support:

Discover Elite

Our other divisions:

Vocal

Alpha

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

How to Become a Government Supplier in the UK

How to become a government supplier in the UK…if you’re an SME

Firstly, how do you find opportunities in the first place?

How to make sure you’re tender ready before you begin

3 ways to make sure you meet the brief

Checking your economic financial standing

Making sure you can evidence your experience

Thinking about how you can evidence value for money

How to become a government supplier if you’re an SME…will the government help?

Lower value contracts

Introducing the prompt payment code

The Small Business Commissioner

Social value – what is it and how can you prepare?

Our top 9 tips when tendering for work

Invest in the sourcing process

Don’t rush in, weigh up the opportunity

Familiarise yourself with the buyer’s portal

Make a bid plan

Research the buying organisation

Always refer back to the question and provide evidence

Avoid jargon

Use clear formatting and design (where appropriate)

Get feedback and carry on!

Summary

Need help with becoming a government supplier?

Tender Writing

Tender Mentor

Tender Ready

Tender Improvement

Need help with searching for tenders?

Discover Elite

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

Why the National Procurement Policy Statement is Good News for SMEs

The National Procurement Policy Statement in a nutshell

Why should suppliers care about the new changes?

Tendering prior to the National Procurement Policy Statement

Social value and tendering

An overview of the National Procurement Policy Statement

Who does it apply to?

What will public sector bodies need to consider?

Has Brexit impacted procurement?

Lord Agnew, Cabinet Officer Minister, said:

Need help with responding to a public sector tender?

How can we help?

Tender Ready

Tender Improvement

Tender Writing

Tender Mentor

Discover Elite

Bid Writing Help for Your First Tender

The complete bid writing help guide for your first tender

Finding the right opportunities for your business

Break it down

Make a plan

Brainstorm

Evidence

Most economically advantageous tender (MEAT)

Case studies

Comprehensive answer

Simple language

Proofread

The results