Tips for Tendering - Hudson Succeed - Two Stage Tendering Guide

How to Secure Government Contracts Without a Huge Bid Team

Charlotte Jarvis — Wed, 14 Sep 2022 07:00:19 +0000

How to secure government contracts if you don’t have unlimited resources

Wondering how to secure government contracts without the resources of Amazon, Capita or Deloitte? Well, we have good news! You don’t need endless resources to win government contracts. You just need to be:

Smart with your bid or no-bid decisions
Resourceful with your team
Knowledgeable about the tendering process.

In this blog, we’ll take a look at:

How to be smart with your decisions, using a bid or no-bid checklist
What you can do to prepare before you bid for work
How to break down the question
How to get the evaluator on your side with your writing
Where you can find support.

So, let’s get started!

5 boxes to tick for smarter bid decisions

Before bidding for work, you should set out a list of questions to ask yourself before diving in. These questions will form your bid or no-bid questionnaire. They will help you make quick and smart decisions and keep you on the right path.

By making better decisions, you’ll save yourself from wasting resources further down the line. You don’t want to write 10,000 words, then realise you’re not eligible because of an accreditation requirement on page 50.

*Can you tick ‘yes’* to the following?**
Do you turnover more than half the contract’s value?
Is the contract deliverable in your location/can you travel to the location?
Is the contract going to be profitable?
Do you have experience with delivering the services/goods required and can you evidence this?
Can you demonstrate how you will add value to the buyer?

There are plenty of questions to consider but these five are a good starting point.

If you tick ‘no’ to even one of these questions, you need to seriously consider whether you can win. Essentially, we’re saying don’t waste your time and resources on bids you can’t win.

4 things you can prepare before you bid on government contracts

Assign roles in your team

With a smaller team, it’s important that everyone understands the role they play in the wider project. We recommend assigning:

Someone who makes the bid or no-bid decisions
The project manager
Someone who designs the solutions
Someone who will write the bid responses
The person who will compile the pricing document
The person who will sign off the final bid.

Compile your policies and procedures

Even before you start bidding for work, you can pre-empt the policies you are likely to be asked for. For example, in the healthcare industry, it’s sensible to assume you will be asked to provide:

A safeguarding policy
A whistleblowing policy
Your business continuity plans
A risk management policy
And an infection control plan/policy.

You can see here how we have made this assumption based on the industry. You and your team can do the same.

Create consistent, branded company CVs

In the public sector, buyers often ask to see the CVs of the team who will be delivering the contract. We advise spending some time on preparing these CVs and trying to keep the design consistent. It’s easier for buyers to read and digest the information if they’re all formatted the same way. Take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on each member of your team and demonstrate their capabilities.

Create/compile case studies

And more importantly…relevant case studies! When tendering for work in the public sector, you need to evidence your previous experience. This is usually done through providing two or three case studies from the last five years. The projects in the case studies should be similar in size and scope to the tender at hand.

How to break down the question

So, you’ve found a tender, it passes your checklist and you’ve prepared your documents. How do you now breakdown the questions and answer them effectively?

Firstly, don’t just jump straight in and start writing…as tempting as it might be. Sit back and examine the question. Let’s look at an example question:

Please explain your risk management procedures, including what risks you feel are vital to overcome as part of this contract, as well as monitoring and mitigation approaches you would use. Please detail who will manage said risks and provide examples of where you have overcome similar risks.

Does it seem like there’s a lot to answer within this one question? There is! We would tackle it bit by bit, breaking the question down into subheadings, such as:

General risk management procedures – this would include risks, monitoring and mitigation.
Risk lead – risk management experience.

Under each subheading, you can address that section of the question.

How to get the evaluator on your side

When considering how to secure government contracts, it’s not just about what you’re saying, it’s how. Here are our top 5 tips for getting the buyer on your side:

Be definitive. Swap phrases like ‘we aspire to’ with ‘we have’ and ‘we could’ for ‘we will’
Stay positive, focusing on the benefits of your service/solution/goods and the advantages
Back up all your claims with indisputable evidence
Be confident in your writing and write with conviction
Keep your language simple and sentences short. For example, instead of ‘has been proven to be’ use ‘is’.

It might seem like these tips are too simple…what’s the catch? There really isn’t one.

Empathise with the evaluator. You’re reviewing 30 submissions; they all contain very similar information, but they’re written differently. The simple, definitive answers will stand out because they are easy to follow and understand.

Also consider that the evaluator is likely not an expert in your industry or service/goods. Therefore, avoiding the use of too much technical jargon will go a long way. The evaluator needs to understand why they should award you the contract. If they don’t follow your explanations, you’re unlikely to win.

Where can you find government contracts?

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of how to secure government contracts. So where can you find the opportunities in the first place?

There are hundreds of websites across the UK that are updated daily with opportunities. The government has its own tender tracking website called Contracts Finder. The website is free to use but be prepared to spend a long time scrolling through irrelevant tenders.

That’s because the website uses CPV codes to categorise the opportunities which are often incorrectly used.

To speed up the process and make opportunity tracking more efficient, we created our Hudson Discover portals.

Hudson Discover houses our 11 sector-specific tendering portals. As well as being dedicated to one sector each, they’re manually updated by our Opportunity Trackers. They scour over 600 sources to identify new tendering opportunities and tag them with industry-driven keywords.

Visit your industry’s portal to book a free live demo:

In summary…

So, we’re at the end of our blog on how to secure government contracts. Hopefully you’ll take something away with you that you can apply to your next bid. If you need a quick recap, here you go:

We provided a list of five questions to help you form a bid or no-bid questionnaire. This will help you make more informed, smarter decisions and mitigate wasted resources. We understand that smaller businesses need to be smart with their resources. Assessing the bids before diving in will help you do just that.
We provided our top four tips for bid preparation:
1. Assigning roles to your team
2. Pre-empting the policies and procedures you’ll likely be asked to provide
3. Creating company CVs for everyone in your team who will be delivering the contract
4. Compiling three case studies from the last five years that will be relevant to the contracts you bid for.
Together, we looked at a sample question and thought about how we could break it down. We made sure to split the answer into subheadings so that we addressed every part of the question.
We provided five tips to help you get the evaluator on side with your writing:
1. Be definitive with your language
2. Stay positive, focusing on the benefits and advantages
3. Provide evidence to back up your claims
4. Write with confidence and conviction
5. Keep it simple! Short sentences and simple language will go down well with the buyer when they’re reviewing multiple bids at once.
We provided guidance for finding government contracts and recommended our Hudson Discover portals.

Still wondering how to secure government contracts?

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 can 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, send it over to us. One of our Bid Writers will write the tender response for you. We’ll provide a full Tender Writing break down 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 government 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.

Upgrade to 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 Secure Government Contracts Without a Huge Bid Team 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.

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 Ready

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

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.

Win more contracts with a tender consultant

John Hudson — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 16:16:45 +0000

Improve your win rate with a tender consultant

Are you looking to improve your win rate? The best thing you could do is work with a tender consultant. Keep reading to find out more!

What are tender consultants and how can they help you?

Tender consultants (also known as bid consultants), can help you and your business with your tendering processes. By working with a tender consultant, you can rest assured that the bid process will be smooth sailing. Tender consultants are trained professionals, whose sole purpose is to write bid proposals to achieve success. A tender consultant focuses solely on the tender process, whilst your focus can be divided across numerous business needs.

Here is a breakdown of why working with a tender consultant can be beneficial:

A tender consultant has industry knowledge

A tender consultant works on ensuring they are familiar with their client’s industry. Meaning they know exactly what is expected when it comes to the bid proposal, offering expert advice. Here at Hudson Succeed, our team of Bid Writers have knowledge that spans multiple industries. Meaning they’re well-equipped to help with a range of bid proposals.

Tender consultants are experts in their field of writing

Tender consultants’ expertise in writing is of the highest level. Our Bid Writers have written hundreds of bids. Therefore, they have perfected their writing skills to create high-quality proposals. So, you can rest assured you are getting nothing but the best.

Communication is second to none

A tender consultant excels at all things verbal – making for excellent navigators in complex bid proposals. They clearly and effectively communicate why a client should be awarded the contract. Showcasing your business to the buyer.

Tender consultants have controlled project management abilities

You’re probably familiar with how the tender process works, and how complex and long-winded it can be. A tender consultant consistently meets deadlines, without sacrificing quality. Managing their workload and ensuring they gather all the required information.

Want to find out more about how working with a tender consultant can be beneficial to you? Get in touch with our team today, to discuss this in more detail.

How can a government tender consultant help you?

Are you looking to specifically win government tenders? Then bringing in a tender consultant for support will help improve your win rate.

You may be thinking you don’t need the help. However, when it comes to government tenders, the better your response is, the more likely you are to see results. Here are three reasons why you should consider working with a government tender consultant:

They understand the complexity a government contract can bring

Due to the nature of tenders, there is an added complexity as there are regulations and legalities that need to be considered and followed. Without adhering to certain regulations, you may not even make the shortlist. A government tender consultant has first-hand expert knowledge when dealing with government contracts. They understand what is needed and are dedicated to writing a winning response.

A government tender consultant understands the importance of social value

Social value is a major component when it comes to government contracts. A government tender consultant understands this and ensures it is well established within the tender response. They will work with you and how you will effectively tackle economic, environmental, and social issues.

A government tender consultant understands the MEAT

Government contracts are always awarded to suppliers who showcase the MEAT. This stands for the Most Economically Advantageous Tender. What this means is, the buyer is evaluating tender submissions based on those who provide the most value for money. Thus, rewarding them with the contract. Because of the nature of tenders, each can be different from the next. Working with a government tender consultant can be the difference between winning and losing a tender. A government tender consultant understands what the buyer is asking, what the specifications are and how to best respond. Increasing your chances of being successful.

Let’s Summarise

By now you will be more than familiar with how a tender consultant can help you. Let’s recap why working with a tender consultant can be beneficial for increasing your win rate.

4 things a tender consultant brings to the table:

Industry knowledge
Writing expertise
Effective communication skills
Project management abilities

Looking to bid on government contracts? – Here are three reasons why you should work with a government tender consultant:

They understand the complexity a government contract can bring
Have a thorough understanding of the importance of social value
A government tender consultant understands the MEAT

Want to improve your win rate? – Enter Hudson Succeed

Our team of tender 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.

Tender Writing

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

Tender Mentor

Tender Ready

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?

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

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

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

You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector!

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

Unlimited portal access. You can browse your industry’s portal to your heart’s content. See all the opportunities that are available, intuitively categorised, and easily accessible.
A daily email bulletin. When we upload new tenders, we will send you an email alert.
A free 20-minute phone consultation with a Bid Writer. Our expert Bid Consultants will chat with you about anything tender related.

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

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

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

Discover Elite

Vocal

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

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

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

Our team specialise in six areas, including:

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

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

The post Win more contracts with a tender consultant appeared first on Tender Consultants.

What to expect from tender specifications

John Hudson — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 09:00:25 +0000

Understanding tender specifications can improve your chances of success…here’s how

Tender specifications are probably the most important part of any bid proposal. You need to ensure that you fully understand what you are reading when it comes to the tender documents.

Basically, the tender specifications are there to provide you with a detailed description of the overall contract. It will outline the purpose of the contract, what is required and the solution the buyer is seeking. It will also go into detail about what is required from you, the supplier, to win the contract.

In this blog, we go through some of the common tender specifications you could see when responding to a bid.

What is included in tender specifications?

Here is a breakdown of some of the common tender specifications that you can expect within a tender document:

Description of the contract

This is where the buyer will briefly outline the intent of the contract. This will highlight what will be involved in the contracts, and the services it will require. There will also be a general description of the contract. This is to give you context of why the buyer issuing the tender, and what they are expecting from you.

Service requirements

This tender specification will define, in detail, what the requirements are for the contract. But it will also highlight what you will need to do to meet them. This will outline the following:

Timescales
Budgets
Quantities (if it requires the delivery of a product)
How the products/services will be delivered
Quality expectations
Contingency plans
Reporting structures, and who will be the contracting authority.

You may find that the tender specification is split into two sections: functional requirements, and performance requirements. This will be down to the buyer, and how they want to establish their specifications.

Functional requirements – define the desired result of the contract, highlighting what the overall goal is. The buyer will be looking to see if you put forward any innovative solutions that will meet their requirements effectively.

Performance requirements – goes into detail about the inputs and outputs of the solutions that will be put into place. For example, it will look at the standards of the products. Ensuring it meets to the relevant European Standards (or equivalent).

Mandatory requirements (if any)

With some tender specifications, you may find that there are mandatory requirements. These will be essential criteria defined by the buyer that you will need to meet when responding to the tender. If you do not, you may be rejected early in the process. An example of this would be security regarding company information. If your services require data handling, then the buyer will want reassurance that their data is well protected.

Contract length

The buyer will clearly highlight the length of the intended contract. They will also inform you if it is a recurring contract, so that you can tender for it again. You will also need to state what your exit plans are. This is the plan you will have in place when the contract is coming to an end.

Sustainability considerations

This is to ensure that your services/products are in accordance with the Programme for Government commitments. Buyers will want to see detailed plans to ensure their sustainability targets are met.

Contract management plans

For this tender specification, the buyer will be looking to see your management plans for the duration of the contract. Will there be a need for regular meetings? Is there a requirement for regular reviews? These are just some of the questions you will need to answer.

Summary

So, by now you should probably have a better understanding of what tender specifications are. But also, what the buyer is looking to see within your tender response.

Here is a recap of some of the tender specifications you could come across:

Description of the contract – will outline the intent of the contract.
Service requirements – what the buyer requires from the supplier.
Mandatory requirements (if any) – that you need to be able to provide to the buyer, this is non-negotiable.
Contract length – so you know how long the contract will run and when you need to reapply if it is recurring.
Sustainability considerations – outline how you will meet the buyer’s sustainability goals.
Contract management plans – how will you manage the contract.

Now you know what to expect from tender specifications, you can begin to prepare your bid proposals.

Want to improve your win rate? – Enter Hudson Succeed

Understanding tender specifications is one thing but knowing how to respond to them can be tricky. Why not consider a professional bid writer to help you with your response? By outsourcing to professionals, you could improve your chances of winning contracts.

Tender Writing

Tender Mentor

Tender Ready

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?

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

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

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

You’ll also get an email alert when new and relevant tenders are uploaded to your sector.

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

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

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

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

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

Discover Elite

Vocal

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

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

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

Our team specialise in six areas, including:

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

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

The post What to expect from tender specifications appeared first on Tender Consultants.

How to Win Contracts: 7 Secrets You NEED to Know

Millie Newbold — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 06:00:50 +0000

Learn how to win contracts from the experts

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

Research, research, research

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

Study the tender documents

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

Prepare your evidence

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

Show, don’t tell

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

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

Demonstrate added value

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

This could include:

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

Review – and then review it again

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

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

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

Submit the bid on time

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

In summary

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

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

How Hudson Succeed can help

So, are you learning how to win contracts?

Enter Hudson Succeed!

Tender Writing

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

Tender Improvement

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

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

Need help with searching for tenders?

Are you curious about finding tenders for your business?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Discover Elite

Vocal

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

Our team specialise in six areas, including:

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

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

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

Tender Writing Tips: 7 of the Best FREE Tips from Professional Bid Writers

John Hudson — Wed, 22 Jun 2022 06:00:48 +0000

Here’s 7 tender writing tips from professional Bid Writers!

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

1. Use writing and communication to your advantage

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

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

2. Don’t use technical jargon

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

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

3. Proofread your work before submission

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

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

4. Read all the documents before you start

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

5. Use bid management skills to stay on track

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

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

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

6. Ensure you use relevant case studies

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

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

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

7. Be compliant with the instructions

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

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

Summary

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

Here are the seven tender writing tips we explored:

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

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

Need help searching for tenders?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What we can do for you

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

Tender Writing

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

Tender Mentor

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

Tender Ready

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

Tender Improvement

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

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

Vocal

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

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

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

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

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

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

Need Help with Your Tender or Bid? Here’s 5 of the ESSENTIAL Tips for Success

John Hudson — Wed, 11 May 2022 07:00:34 +0000

Here are 5 of the MOST IMPORTANT tips for when you’re writing a tender or bid

So, you’ve got questions about a tender or bid. Well, Hudson Succeed are here to help! Our Bid Consultants have over 60 years of experience and an 87% bid success rate. So, we are confident in our ability to help you and your business see success. Keep reading to learn more…

How to find a tender or bid

If you are beginning your journey and you’re looking for a tender or bid, there are tools at hand. Most people will simply use a search engine such as Google to find contracts. However, this can bring up countless sites with very little information about the bid. You’ll have to read lengthy documents just to find out if a contract is suitable for you. Our sister company, Hudson Discover, makes it easy to find tenders and bids.

Hudson Discover has 11 sector-specific portals to streamline the process of finding bids and tenders. They have Opportunity Trackers that manually search for bids. They don’t use CPV codes when searching for tenders. So, there is no risk of missing a tender opportunity due to a mistake in the code. They then upload these contracts to the portals daily. You can also receive daily notifications to keep up to date with the latest opportunities.

Discover Elite

How to win a tender or bid

When it comes to winning a tender or bid, there are a few very important aspects that come into play. They are as follows:

1. Prioritise bid management

Bid management is one of the most essential parts of handling a tender or bid. This is how you can stay organised and on track. By managing the workload and knowing what needs to be done, you will be less stressed. In turn, there won’t be any last-minute rushes that lead to easy mistakes that could cost you the bid.

2. Make sure the tender or bid proposal is clear and well written

The buyer wants to know why you should be awarded the contract. So, it is best to get straight to the point and explain exactly that. Ensure your tender or bid proposal is well written and communicates your ideas clearly. You should focus on what the buyer is asking and avoid waffling. This will also play into your wordcount and bid length.

It is important that you follow the buyer’s instructions and stick to the wordcount. If you can’t do this, the buyer is unlikely to award you the contract as you come across as unprofessional. Why should they trust you with a contract if you can’t follow the instructions in the tender documents?

3. Thoroughly edit your work

Even the best writers can make mistakes. Often it is minor mistakes that can easily be overlooked. However, it is important that you correct these. The buyer will get the impression that you are not thorough with your work if you fail to catch mistakes.

4. Don’t use technical jargon

As mentioned in point two, your tender or bid proposal must be clear. So, don’t use any technical jargon that the buyer may not understand. This will lead to them feeling confused by your bid and it could cost you the contract. They want to know exactly how you can help them. So, be as clear as possible.

5. Ensure you are eligible for the contract

It may surprise you to know that many businesses will write a tender or bid for a contract they cannot deliver. This is a complete waste of time and resources. So, when you find a contract, make sure you read all the documents. This will help you to understand exactly what is expected. Therefore, you’ll know if you are eligible for the contract.

Summary

To find tenders and bids, you can use an opportunity tracking portal. Hudson Discover has 11 sector-specific portals to streamline the process of finding bids and tenders. You can upgrade to Discover Elite to have a dedicated Account Manager find bids on your behalf.

Here are our five tips for how to win a tender or bid:

Prioritise bid management
Make sure the tender or bid proposal is clear and well written
Thoroughly edit your work
Don’t use technical jargon
Ensure you are eligible for the contract.

We hope we have answered your questions about tenders and bids. If not, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our team are always more than happy to help!

Need help searching for tenders?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now you know how to accurately perform a tender search, you may be wondering how to write a bid. Well, luckily for you, Hudson Succeed, are experts in bid writing.

Tender Writing

Tender Mentor

Tender Ready

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

Tender Improvement

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

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

Vocal

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

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

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

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

The post Need Help with Your Tender or Bid? Here’s 5 of the ESSENTIAL Tips for Success appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Bid Writers Near Me: Here’s Why Closer Doesn’t Mean Better

John Hudson — Wed, 04 May 2022 08:00:48 +0000

Searching for ‘Bid Writers near me’? Here’s what you should consider…

Have you found yourself searching for ‘Bid Writers near me’? It is understandable that many people will assume that services closer to them are more suitable. But this isn’t always the case…

Here at Hudson Succeed, we have offices in Durham, London, Manchester, and Florida. We have also supported businesses all over the world!

We know that many businesses will likely look for local businesses for help. In this blog, we will discuss whether these professionals are you best option. As well as what other help there is available to you. Keep reading to learn more…

Why do so many businesses search for ‘Bid Writers near me’?

Many businesses will opt for local Bid Writers for several reasons. Firstly, they may believe that it is more suitable. In some cases, this can be true. For example, a local business will work to the same time zone. Therefore, there won’t be a limited timeframe for communication. This would be the case if a business hired a Bid Writer on the other side of the world.

Similarly, some businesses may prefer to do things in person. They may want to meet with their Bid Team. It mainly comes down to personal preference. They may even trust local businesses more and want to support other local companies. However, this mindset can be limiting when it comes to your choices of Bid Writing Professionals.

Why can outsourcing remote Bid Writers be more beneficial?

Since the pandemic, we have become ever more aware of how much we can use technology to our advantage. Schools and places of work were able to continue because of our access to technology. Working with a remote Bid Writer would work similarly. They’ll be able to have phone and video calls to clearly discuss the project if this is preferred. Afterall, talking directly to someone can make things easier than via several emails.

By limiting yourself to ‘Bid Writers near me’, you may be missing out on the best expert for you. Local Bid Writers may not connect as well with you and your business. Many businesses in London actually use Bid Writers in the North East. This is because their prices are considerably cheaper without London office overheads.

We have won contracts for businesses all over the world. So, we can confidently say that doing your research can benefit you far more. See which Bid Writer suits you best, rather than one that is close to you for convenience.

Summary

Let’s recap everything we covered!

Many businesses prefer searching ‘Bid Writers near me’ out of convenience. This is especially the case if they want to meet in person.

However, this can limit the quality of Bid Writers available to you.

Still got questions about Bid Writers? Feel free to contact us! We are always happy to help.

Need help searching for tenders?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now you may be wondering how to write a bid. Well, luckily for you, Hudson Succeed, are experts in bid writing.

Tender Writing

Tender Mentor

Tender Ready

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

Tender Improvement

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

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

Vocal

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

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

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

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

The post Bid Writers Near Me: Here’s Why Closer Doesn’t Mean Better appeared first on Tender Consultants.

How to Find a Tender: Tips from Tender Experts

John Hudson — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 09:44:11 +0000

Here’s all the information you need on how to find a tender

So, you are wondering how to find a tender. You may be wondering where to begin. Hudson Succeed is here to help! We have decades of experience and an 87% success rate, so we’re confident we can help you.

Let’s dive right into how to find a tender.

What are tenders?

For those who may be unfamiliar, we thought we would briefly cover what tenders actually are. When a company needs work done that they cannot provide themselves, they will often outsource the work. This means they will invite other companies to bid for a contract. This is the practice of tendering for work. The suppliers will produce documents on why they are most suitable to carry out the work. The buyer will then consider the suppliers and look for the most economically advantageous tender. Often times, a single tender can provide years of work for a supplier.

Where to find a tender

Now, the reason you’re here. How do you find a tender?

Well, a simple search on a search engine such as Google can do the trick. You’ll be able to find countless websites with information on tender opportunities. However, this can be a tedious stage. It can take hours to scour through so many websites. Not to mention they will all display information differently. So, you might have to read through long documents to find a deadline date. If the date is too close and you don’t have time to bid, you have wasted all that time.

We recognised this issue, so we created 11 sector-specific portals to help suppliers find opportunities. By using our portals, you can streamline the process when trying to find a tender.

How do our portals work?

When you’re using our portals to find a tender, you can select filters to adjust your search. You can choose the location of opportunities, their budget, and see their deadline date. These portals can save you hours of time and frustration. You can also use keywords to find the exact work you’re looking for.

We don’t use CPV codes. So, you can rest assured that the opportunities on our portal are legitimate and listed correctly. Our admin team update the portals daily, so you can check frequently for opportunities.

Our portals consist of:

How to win a tender

When you have managed to find a tender, you may then wonder how to win it. There are two ways you can then go about the tender. If you have the time and you’re confident in your abilities, you may want to write the bid yourself. However, if you are busy running your business and can’t spare the time, why not hire a Bid Writer?

How can a Bid Writer help you?

If you are considering turning to a Bid Writer, you may want to know how they can benefit you.

Firstly, Bid Writers have experience writing winning bids. They know what it takes to appeal to buyers and persuade them in their favour. They have excellent communication and writing skills. Plus, their bid management abilities are essential for success. They know how to break down a tender and manage the workload efficiently. You can rest assured your bid will be done on time. Plus, it will be of the highest standard when relying on tender services.

What skills are required to win a tender?

Whether you hire a Bid Writer or write the bid yourself, here’s what is required to win:

Excellent writing and communication skills

For a bid to be successful, you need excellent writing and communication skills. You need to be able to clearly convey concepts and ideas without confusing the reader. You also need to be able to persuade them that you are the best fit for the contract.

Bid management abilities

Bid management is crucial for success. You need to be able to break the tender down and manage the workload. If you don’t, you can feel overwhelmed and will almost certainly miss important details. You could even end up not getting the bid finished in time for the deadline. Rushing a bid will almost certainly result in mistakes, and this could cost you the bid.

Proofreading and editing mastery

As mentioned above, mistakes can cost you the bid. A buyer does not want to see any kind of errors within your bid. This will give the impression you are not thorough with your work. Why would they want to hire you if you do not ensure your bid is of the highest standard?

Summary

So, now you know all you need to on how to find a tender. Let’s recap what we have covered so nothing is forgotten!

What are tenders?

Tenders are opportunities for work. A supplier can bid for a contract from another company to carry out their required work. Tendering is the process of suppliers bidding for the contract by showing why they are the most suitable.

How to find a tender

You can use our tender portals to find a tender. We created our portals to streamline the process, making it easier for businesses to find opportunities.

Our portals consist of:

How to win a tender

There are certain skills required to win a tender. You may choose to write your bid, or you can turn to a Bid Writer. A Bid Writer can help by taking the stress out of the process and handling the entire workload for you. They also have the experience of conducting many bids. So, they can use their expert knowledge to increase your chances of success.

Whether you hire a Bid Writer or write the bid yourself, here’s what is required to win:

Excellent writing and communication skills
Bid management abilities
Proofreading and editing mastery.

Still have questions about how to find a tender? Why not contact us? We will be more than happy to help!

Check out our other blogs! We cover topics including:

Our services

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. They can also help you better understand the tendering process. 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 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. This can help you formulate a winning submission.

Additional support

If you only need assistance with PQQs or SQs we can help. Send the information over to us and we can provide you with a quote for the work involved.

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.

The post How to Find a Tender: Tips from Tender Experts appeared first on Tender Consultants.

What Can Tender Services Offer You?

Kathryn Wright — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 11:43:56 +0000

Thinking of outsourcing tender services? Here’s how they can benefit your business

Tender services have a lot to offer your business. This is why so many businesses outsource to companies that offer them. At Hudson Succeed, we offer our own tender services. We conduct these tender services to help businesses win contracts for their company. A lot of these contracts of for multiple years too. Therefore, we support our clients in securing years’ worth of work. Let’s get into what exactly tender services are.

What are tender services?

Tender services can consist of several elements. Primarily they will involve the process of writing the tender/bid. A lot of companies choose to outsource to a bid writer for several reasons. Other services may include mentorship advice or consultancy support.

How tender services can benefit you

One of the reasons companies turn to tender services is that it saves the company time and money. They could write the tender themselves, but if they aren’t experienced, they may not see the results they desire. They may also find the various documents and information to be overwhelming as there can be a lot. Not to mention the word count required for some bids can be excessive! So, if you don’t have the time to dedicate to writing a bid, then tender services can help.

You may want to hire an in-house bid writer if you intend to bid for work often. This would likely be a good idea. If you only intend to bid for one contract, it’s a lot of money to hire someone for one job. Not to mention the whole hiring process and more. That is one way that tender services companies can save you time and money.

They also help by being experts in their field. It makes sense to rely on an expert if you aren’t sure of something. They have the experience to know exactly how to complete the bid. It can be good to research companies that offer tender services to see their success rate. For example, ours is 87%, so we are confident in our ability to support and succeed for our clients.

What skills do tender service companies possess?

Those companies that offer tender services will possess a plethora of skills. For example, they will have excellent writing and communication skills. It is important for the buyer to get a good impression from you. If your bid is unclear or features grammatical errors and mistakes, you’ll leave the impression that you aren’t thorough. This could be the detail that costs you the bid. So, it is important to get it as perfect as possible. Bid writers can do this for you. They’ll make sure your ideas and concepts are communicated clearly too.

A very important skill that they have is time and project management. The bidding process can get complicated when there are lots of documents. Luckily, tender services providers have dealt with this plenty of times. Therefore, they know how to break down the workload to avoid mistakes and stress. They do this so they have plenty of time, later on, to review the work and submit it early. We do this as we know there can always be technological errors at the finish line or other unforeseen issues. If you are stressed and rush a bid, it will almost certainly have mistakes and you won’t succeed. Don’t let this be the reason for your loss!

Summary

Let’s recap what we have covered in this brief look into how tender services can support you and your business.

Tender services are companies that offer support for businesses looking to tender for work.

They can help you by taking the workload off your hands. They’ll also use expert skills and industry knowledge to increase your chances of success.

If you have further questions on tender services, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be more than happy to help.

Our services

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

Additional support

If you only need the assistance with PQQs or SQs we can help. Send the information over to us and we can provide you with a quote for the work involved.

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 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 Can Tender Services Offer You? appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Tips for Tendering - Hudson Succeed - Two Stage Tendering Guide

How to Secure Government Contracts Without a Huge Bid Team

How to secure government contracts if you don’t have unlimited resources

5 boxes to tick for smarter bid decisions

4 things you can prepare before you bid on government contracts

Assign roles in your team

Compile your policies and procedures

Create consistent, branded company CVs

Create/compile case studies

How to break down the question

How to get the evaluator on your side

Where can you find government contracts?

In summary…

Still wondering how to secure government contracts?

Tender Writing

Tender Mentor

Tender Ready

Tender Improvement

Need help with searching for government tenders?

Upgrade to Discover Elite

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:

Win more contracts with a tender consultant

Improve your win rate with a tender consultant

What are tender consultants and how can they help you?

A tender consultant has industry knowledge

Tender consultants are experts in their field of writing

Communication is second to none

Tender consultants have controlled project management abilities

How can a government tender consultant help you?

They understand the complexity a government contract can bring

A government tender consultant understands the importance of social value

A government tender consultant understands the MEAT

Let’s Summarise

Want to improve your win rate? – Enter Hudson Succeed

Tender Writing

Tender Mentor

Tender Ready

Tender Improvement

Need help with searching for tenders?

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

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

Discover Elite

Vocal

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

What to expect from tender specifications

Understanding tender specifications can improve your chances of success…here’s how

What is included in tender specifications?

Description of the contract