writing winning bids Archives - Tender Consultants

How to Win Healthcare Tenders: Our 10 Top Tips!

John Hudson — Tue, 23 May 2023 11:54:56 +0000

How to Win Healthcare Tenders: Our 10 Top Tips!

Winning healthcare tenders is a skill that our team at Hudson have successfully crafted over the years. We specialise in a variety of sectors, however many healthcare companies in both the UK and US come to us for help because we are good at what we do. Whether you are an SME, start-up, or large organisation, we can help you win healthcare tenders!

What are healthcare tenders?

Healthcare tenders are public offers for healthcare services or supplies that are made available by healthcare providers or government agencies.

They are generally used as a way for healthcare providers to acquire goods and services at competitive prices. These tenders may involve both public and private sector entities, as well as local and international providers.

Healthcare tenders come in many different sectors:

Domiciliary Care
Home Care
Social Care
Dentistry
Nursing
Medical PPE
Medical Equipment

And more!

What are frameworks?

Frameworks ask one or multiple supplier(s) to deliver goods/services across potentially multiple locations. In the public-funded care sector, frameworks are key to any healthcare business.
Frameworks such as ones by the NHS Supply Chain, NHS Procurement Hubs and local government (Council) give SME’s and start-ups invaluable opportunities for growth. While frameworks differ between Single Provider and Multi-provider Framework Agreements, the opportunity to showcase your involvement with large contract values will only strengthen your company’s reputation.

What is a DPS?

A DPS or Dynamic Purchasing System, are very similar to frameworks and some will even use the terms interchangeably. However, there are some subtle differences.

Ultimately, DPS’ are more accessible than generic frameworks. You can apply for, and leave, the DPS at any point while its running. It is also an entirely electronic process which makes it more accessible in our modern technologically advanced age.

What do I need to bid on healthcare tenders?

If you are looking to bid on a healthcare tender, you need to know these 6 steps:

1. Understand your business’s capabilities: Before bidding on any healthcare tender, it is important to understand the capabilities of your business and ensure that it is able to deliver the services outlined in the tender.

2. Analyse the risk: Healthcare tenders require attention to detail and an understanding of the risks and opportunities associated with the opportunity. Before bidding, carefully review the tender documents and understand what is expected of you and your business. This should include assessing risk factors such as financial, expectational and the dedication of resources (including time) to bid.

3. Know the regulations? Healthcare tenders usually have specific regulations that must be followed. Are you CQC registered? Do you meet the financial threshold, number of years in business etc?

4. Consider the budget constraints: Budgets are an important part of any tender, as they will determine the success or failure of the contract. Make sure you understand the budget constraints outlined in the tender and calculate the associated costs beforehand. Your own pricing is something you have to take control of yourself.

5. Prepare your bid: Take the time to prepare a comprehensive tender response that covers all the specified requirements. Include detailed information and be sure to adhere to all deadlines set during the tender process (this includes your own internal deadlines for your bid writing team).

6. Follow the instructions carefully: Make sure you follow all the instructions exactly as laid out in the tender documents. Any errors or omissions may result in the disqualification or failure of your bid.

Where to find healthcare tenders!

Even if you haven’t found the right healthcare tender for you, we can help you find them! On our portal — Healthcare Tenders!

We house tenders from across the UK and upload new healthcare tenders daily from all sectors including domiciliary care, social care, dentistry, medical equipment and nursing etc. If you want to know if we have any tenders available in your chosen location and sector, contact us!

Alternatively, check out our website where you can see what we do, book a free demo with us and join Healthcare Tenders.

Where to Find Tender Experts!

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

Check out our services below!

How we can help!

Tender Writing

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

Tender Ready

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

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

Tender Improvement

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

Tender Mentor

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

Contact us:

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!

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 How to Win Healthcare Tenders: Our 10 Top Tips! appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Legal Services Tenders

John Hudson — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 08:00:56 +0000

Legal Services Tenders

The procurement of legal services is a critical aspect of the public and private sectors in the UK, with legal service tenders playing an essential role in ensuring fair competition, transparency, and efficiency.

This blog aims to provide a comprehensive guide to legal service tenders, discussing their importance, the various types of tenders available, and the steps involved in the procurement process. By the end of this blog, you should have a solid understanding of how legal service tenders operate and how they contribute to the efficient functioning of the legal system in the UK.

The Importance of Legal Service Tenders

Legal service tenders are invitations to law firms and legal professionals to submit proposals for providing specific legal services. They play a pivotal role in ensuring that public and private entities can procure the best possible legal advice at a competitive cost. Tenders help create a level playing field for all potential suppliers, promote transparency in the decision-making process, and ensure value for money for the procuring organisation. Additionally, they foster innovation and encourage new market entrants, which ultimately contribute to the overall growth and development of the legal industry.

Types of Legal Service Tenders

Legal service tenders can be broadly classified into three categories:

Public Sector Tenders: These tenders are issued by public authorities such as government departments, local councils, and public bodies. Examples of public sector legal service tenders may include the provision of legal advice on employment law, tax law, and public procurement.
Private Sector Tenders: Private sector tenders are issued by private organisations, such as corporations and non-profit entities. These tenders may involve a wide range of legal services, including corporate law, intellectual property, and litigation support.
Framework Agreements: These agreements, also known as panel arrangements, involve the pre-qualification of a select group of suppliers to provide legal services over a specified period. Procuring organisations then call upon these pre-qualified suppliers to provide legal services as and when required, reducing the need for a separate tender process for each legal requirement.

The Legal Service Tender Process

Public vs Private Sector Tenders

In the UK, there are two primary categories of legal service tenders: the public sector and the private sector. Public sector tenders are issued by governmental bodies and agencies, while private sector tenders are released by private companies and organisations. Although the tendering process is similar for both categories, public sector tenders are subject to stricter regulations and requirements, such as adherence to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Tender Notices

Tender notices provide information about available tenders, including the type of legal services required, the contract duration, and the submission deadline. The tender notices are published in various sources, such as the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), Contracts Finder, and Tenders Electronic Daily (TED). Private sector tender notices can also be found on company websites or through procurement portals.

Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQs) and Selection Questionnaires (SQs)

Before submitting a full tender proposal, law firms may be required to complete a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) or a Selection Questionnaire (SQ). These questionnaires assess the firm’s capabilities and financial stability, ensuring that only qualified firms proceed to the tender stage. PQQs and SQs typically request information on the firm’s experience, technical capacity, financial standing, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Invitation to Tender (ITT)

Once a firm passes the PQQ or SQ stage, they will receive an Invitation to Tender (ITT). The ITT outlines the specific requirements of the legal services contract and provides guidance on the format and content of the tender submission. Firms must follow these guidelines closely to ensure their bid is compliant and competitive.

Tips for Submitting a Winning Legal Service Tender

Understand the Client’s Needs

The key to a successful tender submission is understanding the client’s needs and demonstrating how your firm can fulfil them. Review the tender documents carefully, and identify the specific legal services the client requires, their objectives, and any potential challenges. Tailor your proposal to address these needs and provide evidence of your firm’s experience and expertise in handling similar cases or projects.

Provide Clear and Concise Responses

Tender evaluators often review numerous submissions, so it is crucial to make your proposal easy to read and understand. Use clear, concise language, and avoid jargon or overly technical terms. Organise your submission with headings and subheadings, and use bullet points or numbered lists where appropriate. Ensure your responses directly address the requirements set out in the ITT and avoid providing irrelevant information.

Demonstrate Value for Money

In addition to expertise and experience, clients are looking for legal service providers that offer value for money. Outline your pricing structure and provide a transparent breakdown of costs, ensuring that your fees are competitive and reasonable. Highlight any added value your firm can offer, such as innovative approaches, cost-saving measures, or supplementary services that are included in your fees.

Highlight Relevant Experience and Expertise

To build confidence in your firm’s ability to deliver the required legal services, provide evidence of your experience and expertise. Include case studies, examples of past projects, and testimonials from satisfied clients. Focus on showcasing your firm’s experience in the specific areas of law relevant to the tender, and demonstrate a track record of success in similar cases or projects.

Emphasise Your Team’s Qualifications and Skills

The strength and expertise of your legal team are critical factors in a successful tender submission. Provide detailed information on the qualifications, skills, and experience of the team members who will be working on the project. Highlight any relevant accreditations or certifications and demonstrate how the team’s combined expertise will deliver the best possible outcome for the client.

Showcase Your Firm’s Commitment to Quality

Clients want to work with law firms that are committed to delivering high-quality legal services. Outline your firm’s quality management processes and any relevant certifications, such as ISO 9001. Explain how your firm ensures consistent quality across all aspects of its work. This means from client communication and case management to legal research and documentation.

Address Risk Management and Compliance

Legal service providers must adhere to strict regulations and compliance requirements, and clients need assurance that your firm can manage these risks effectively. Outline your firm’s risk management processes, and provide evidence of your compliance with relevant regulations, such as data protection, anti-money laundering, and professional indemnity insurance requirements.

Pay Attention to Presentation and Formatting

The presentation and formatting of your tender submission can make a significant difference in the evaluator’s impression of your proposal. Ensure your submission is professionally formatted, with consistent fonts, headings, and numbering. Proofread your proposal carefully to eliminate any errors, and consider having a colleague or external proofreader review the document to provide an objective perspective.

Submit Your Tender on Time

Failing to submit your tender by the specified deadline can result in automatic disqualification. Allow plenty of time to prepare your submission, and ensure you have a clear understanding of the deadline, any required formats, and the method of submission. Aim to submit your tender well before the deadline to avoid any last-minute issues or technical difficulties.

Let’s sum it up!

Submitting a winning legal service tender requires careful attention to detail, a thorough understanding of the client’s needs, and a demonstration of your firm’s expertise and value. By following the tips outlined in this blog post, you can enhance your chances of securing valuable legal service contracts and expanding your firm’s client base. Stay up to date with the latest tender opportunities, and invest time and resources into crafting high-quality, competitive submissions.

How we can help!

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

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 Legal Services Tenders appeared first on Tender Consultants.

National Lottery Bids

John Hudson — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 09:00:32 +0000

National Lottery Bids: How they work!

What is a national lottery bid?

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

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

Equipment
Training
Transport
Events
Volunteering
Utilities

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

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

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

Do you need to be a registered charity?

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

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

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

Who do they NOT accept applications from?

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

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

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

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

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

England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland

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

Grants under £10,000

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

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

National Lottery Awards for All

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

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

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

Grants over £10,000

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

Bringing People Together
Climate Action Fund

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

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

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

When applying, what do I need to know?

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

What is meant by unrelated?

You must not be:

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

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

Why are schools less likely to get funding?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Need other help?

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

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

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

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can optimise your tendering efforts!

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

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

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

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package

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

Our other divisions:

Vocal

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

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

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

Vocal specialises in:

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 National Lottery Bids appeared first on Tender Consultants.

City of London Bids and Tenders: Everything You Need to Know

Georgie Morgan — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 07:00:03 +0000

City of London bids and tenders explained

Applying for City of London bids and tenders is a great way to grow your business. Local London authorities spend approximately £9billion annually on a wide variety of goods and services.

As an SME, you shouldn’t be missing out on City of London bids and tenders. If you’re thinking that these contracts are only awarded to big companies, you’d be mistaken. As a matter of fact, 23% of government contracts up for bid are awarded to SMEs. This gives you a good chance of competing if you’re a smaller business.

The City of London bids and tenders target outcomes are:

Sustainable cost assurance guaranteed for the future
Key people across the organisation being upskilled in commercialism, contract management and procurement
Their services provide what’s needed and are easy to use
Opportunities to leverage responsible outcomes are maximised

There can be many advantages when applying for City of London bids and tenders. Below are just three ways tendering for contracts can benefit your business:

Prompt Payment

If you become a supplier to the City of London, you will have guaranteed and prompt payment. This is because The City of London takes part in the Chartered Institute of Credit Management’s (CIMC) Prompt Payment Code. That means they pledge to:

Pay suppliers on time

The City Corporation aims to pay undisputed invoices that quote a purchase number within 10 days of invoicing. This applies to the invoice arriving anywhere in the City Corporation for SMEs.

Give clear guidance to suppliers

All invoices should be attached when contacting the Accounts Payable team and include the following information:

An identifying number
The supplier’s name, address, VAT number
Time of supply
Date of issue
Type of supply (E.g. sale, hire, loan, etc.)
Description of the goods or services supplied
Customer’s name (or trading name) and address

The City of London prefers to pay their suppliers via BACS. It’s encouraged that as a supplier, you include your bank details and valid email address on all invoices for remittance.

Secure a pipeline of work

Bidding for City of London bids and tenders can help you secure a pipeline of work for your business. Particularly if you secure a place on a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) or framework agreement. These tendering processes are often used within an array of sectors including construction and healthcare. The benefit of these is that they can run for years at a time. Some even have the possibility of an extension.

Build experience

City of London bids and tenders are a great way to gain experience as a business. Buyers will require 2 – 3 case studies of past contracts you have delivered. They need to be within the last 3 – 5 years. They should be similar in scope and style to the one you’re applying for. Securing smaller contracts can help you build up that experience. The more experience you have, the bigger the contracts you can go for. The bigger bids you can go for, the bigger your business can grow. Securing a place on a DPS or framework is a great place to start.

Where can I find City of London bids and tenders?

So, you now know some of the advantages of City of London bids and tenders. Next, you may be wondering where to find them. As they’re offered for pretty much every sector it can be hard finding the right one for your business. This is where a sector-specific portal could help optimise your search.

Simply relying on CPV codes could result in you missing out on up to a third of relevant opportunities. This is because we researched that up to a third of them are mislabelled.

Our sister company, Hudson Discover, hosts 11 sector-specific tendering portals. You are able to filter the results and search by keyword, budget, location and more. This streamlines the process, making it easier to find government contracts.

These sectors consist of;

Before you apply to any tender, you should ask if your business:

Is able to deliver the work
Meets the economic and financial standing
Have the resources and time to fulfil the contract
Has the necessary experience
Is able to write a winning response before the submission deadline

Remember to be the MEAT

Like all government contracts, the contract will be awarded to the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT). The buyer will be looking for bids that provide the most value for money while delivering the contract. The MEAT means that the buyer is looking at more than just the price. The cheapest bid does not win here. You should consider a range of factors including, but not limited to:

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

Each buyer will be wanting something different depending on their needs. This will be outlined in the specification. You should demonstrate added value in your response. This is because government authorities want to be assured that they are getting the most for taxpayer’s money.

Don’t skimp on social value

There is now a minimum mandatory weighting of 10% on social value for public sector contracts. In some cases, it can be as much as 30%. This means it is not something you should consider as an afterthought.

The promises you make in City of London bids and tenders are contractually binding. Therefore, you should be making promises you can keep. Social value is the social, economic and environmental aspects that you’ll consider while fulfilling the contract. It was launched with five key themes in mind that should be addressed where possible. These are:

Supporting COVID-19 recovery
Tackling economic inequality
Fighting climate change
Improving equal opportunities
Showing commitment to health and wellbeing.

Social value is an opportunity for SMEs to differentiate themselves from their competitors, adding commercial value to their bids.

So now, you should be more aware of what’s expected from City of London bids and tenders. Following this advice should help you get on the path to success and winning your next tender.

Need assistance when writing your next City of London bids and tenders?

Now you’re a bit more familiar with what’s required, you may be looking for some writing support. Writing isn’t everyone’s strong suit and that’s ok. Outsourcing a bid you’ve found to bid writing specialists can help you secure that next contract.

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. We offer four levels of bid writing support to suit every business need. You may not need the whole bid written for you; you may simply need it proofread before you submit. We can help with that. Our services 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. Our Global Bid Director will manage the bid strategy.

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

The post City of London Bids and Tenders: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Charity Bid Writing: What Not to Do

Georgie Morgan — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 07:00:12 +0000

Charity bid writing: 8 mistakes to avoid

[Last modified: July 2021]

Charity bid writing can be overwhelming at the best of times. Opportunities may come around a few times a year, so it’s best to be prepared to writing bids. You want to allow plenty of time to create a winning charity bid. It can be easier said than done if you’ve never done charity bid writing before.

Ultimately, you want your bid to outshine your competitors and persuade the funder’s that you’re the best for the job. Below are eight tips on what not to do when charity bid writing.

Don’t make your project meet a funder’s needs

When writing a charity bid response, all too often applicants try and make their project meet a funder’s needs. Organisations that are trying to wedge their project to fit a funder’s priorities have less chance of being successful.

However, it should really be the other way around. You should be looking for a funding opportunity that aligns with the needs of your project. If you try to accommodate your project, you may not be able to achieve your desired outcomes. Be that either in meeting a need or securing appropriate funding.

Don’t forget to read the funding guidelines before you apply

One thing not to do when charity bid writing is apply for an opportunity without reading all the funding guidelines. Each funder will require something different and have different needs and pre-requisites that should be met. There may be a certain qualification that you need on page 30 that you don’t see. You don’t want to waste time and resources writing a response if you aren’t eligible to apply.

Avoid rambling incoherent applications that have no substantial evidence of a need

Funders want those applying for funding to have substantial evidence of a need for a project. There’s no point developing a way to tackle an issue just because you think it’s the right thing to do. Funders will see right through this and unthought out projects won’t get very far.

Moreover, if your response is rambling and unclear, a funder will be less likely to award you the funding. Your response should be clear, concise and compelling. You should be persuasive when charity bid writing. You want to convince the funder that you need their funding and that it will be well spent.

Don’t submit your application in the wrong format

Before submitting your response, be sure to check the formatting requirements. This is an obvious error that can be easily avoided. Making a checklist of important dates and information can help prevent this from happening. This checklist could include, but shouldn’t be limited to, the following:

Submission date and time
Submission format (email, online, portal, hardcopy)
Site visit deadlines
Clarification questions

Don’t ask for an unreasonable amount of funding

Many funders want you to be as honest and realistic as possible regarding how much everything is going to cost. If you ask for too little you won’t be able to complete the project, defeating the purpose. Funders want to see a positive change from the money they’re giving your business. You should take this into account when charity bid writing.

Funders want to know how every penny is going to be spent. It’s common for them to check how the money is being spent either during the project or once it’s finished. They will want to see that their money is making positive changes. They will be expecting to see the best value for money and that their funding is providing long-term solutions.

The costs the funder will cover should be outlined in the specification. Some will only pay for Capital Costs, some will only pay Core Costs, and some may only pay for salaries. You should avoid being unnecessarily flashy. For example, don’t ask for the money for a MacBook Air when any other brand or cheaper laptop will suffice.

Never assume that the funder already knows about you

When tendering for contracts, it’s important that you don’t assume the funder knows anything about your business. It’s common for a commissioner to have no knowledge of what your organisation does.

You should explain who your organisation is, what it does and why it needs the funding. Leaving room for assumptions allows for the wrong assumptions to be made. This could end up hindering your bid when it could have been avoided in the first place.

Don’t write too little or too much

Word or page counts are given for a reason. When charity bid writing, you want to avoid writing too little or too much. If a funder thinks a question deserves a 500-word response, simply writing a couple of sentences response won’t suffice. Your bid will likely suffer as a result, so it’s best to try and match the word or page counts where possible.

Never submit it late

One of the most common mistakes made by organisations is thinking that they can submit their bid late. A response will not be accepted even if it’s submitted one minute late. If you aren’t able to meet a submission deadline, a funder may think that it’s slightly unprofessional. They may not think that you are able to then carry out the project or trust you with their money. Great time management is a must when charity bid writing.

Need help with charity bid writing?

It’s worth knowing the tendering process is long and complex. If you don’t have the experience, resources or time to submit a winning charity bid in-house – we can help with writing bids.

Here at Hudson Succeed, our dedicated team have over 60 years of collective bid writing experience. We boast an 87% success rate 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 charity bid, why not send it over to us? Our Bid Writers will let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll take care of it all for you and 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. Our Bid Team will proofread your bid for any inconsistencies, spelling or grammar mistakes. They’ll also ensure that it’s in line with the specification before you submit.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is perfect for those who have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to make sure you have everything you need in place to tender successfully. The 4-week programme offers your business:

A 12-month subscription to a Discover portal for your choice
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

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

How can I find charity bid writing opportunities?

Charity bid writing opportunities can arise in any business sector. Keeping tabs on the right opportunity for your company can turn into a bit of a headache. There are thousands of sites across the UK posting bid opportunities. Ideally, you’d want one centralised, industry-specific portal that hosts these leads and opportunities.

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 exclusive, 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 or charity bid writing.
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.

Upgrade to our new time-saving tools

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 Save 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 Hospitality 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 Account Manager to discuss viable charity bid writing

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 funding opportunities with Discover Grants

Discover Grants can help you find and write your next funding application. Get in touch for more information.

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

The post Charity Bid Writing: What Not to Do appeared first on Tender Consultants.

The Getting Ready Series Part IV: Considering a Critical Friend

Charlotte Jarvis — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 07:00:52 +0000

Have you considered enlisting a critical friend?

[Last modified: July 2021]

A critical friend is typically an external person who will challenge you by asking provocative questions and introducing ideas. Sometimes when you work closely on a project, you can lose sight of the original aims. An external critical friend can take a step back and see the project from a fresh perspective. As they are not an internal employee, they are more able to offer frank and honest feedback.

Sometimes, being a business owner is a lonely occupation. All your employees have a vested interest in the outcome of your decisions. This can make it difficult to ask questions and get impartial answers.

In our world, the world of tendering and procurement, a critical friend can be paramount to submitting winning bids.

How do you know if you need a critical friend?

If you are producing tender responses in-house, it can be difficult to take a step back and evaluate your process. If you are submitting bids but not seeing success, it’s likely that there is room for improvement in your procedure.

Alternatively, if you are new to the tendering process, submitting your first bid can be daunting. You have likely spent hours and hours formulating your responses. It’s easy to doubt yourself when faced with the imposing ‘submit’ button.

By enlisting the help of a critical friend, you will spend less time guessing and more time proactively bidding.

Common mistakes when you don’t ask for help

It is unreasonable to assume that your methods are always perfect without any room for improvement. We are all human and it’s likely that a second pair of eyes would identify issues that you have missed.

In our experience, we have seen the following mistakes in tenders that didn’t undergo a second review;

Inconsistencies

This is especially the case with large bids. If the tender requires a 10,000+ word response, it’s highly likely that you won’t finish the work in one day. Typically, as Bid Writers, we aim to write 2,000 words per day. This means that even for experienced writers, a bid this size will probably take around 5 days to complete. Therefore, some inconsistencies are predictable. Without putting the work through a second proofing stage, these inconsistencies will remain for the buyer to see.

A lack of attention to detail raises red flags with buyers and you will risk losing the bid.

Spelling and grammatical errors

This type of error signals that your bid was probably rushed. Spelling and grammatical errors tell the buyer that your organisation isn’t focussed on producing high-quality work. Regardless of the compelling experience you demonstrate, these errors will raise concerns for the buyer.

500 words of waffle

If a question asks for a 500-word response, it’s normally for a reason. The buyer wants you to go into detail. Therefore, we always advise filling the space with the word count required. However, this doesn’t mean providing one highly detailed sentence and then waffle irrelevantly, never reaching a conclusion. It means crafting 500 words of rich, thorough content that answers the question. Without a second pair of eyes, you risk ‘bid blindness’. In other words, your desire to win the contract blurs your focus on what the buyer is actually asking. A critical friend will be able to identify this and highlight inconsequential sentences.

How can a critical friend help you win bids?

We have briefed over the reasons for working with a critical friend. Now, let’s dive into the benefits in terms of tendering for contracts.

If you are familiar with the tendering process, you will know that it can be challenging. Even the most experienced organisations will come across tenders that they need extra support with. Whether it’s advice or help to assess how they have interpreted the question, a critical friend can provide this support.

Acting as the buyer

A critical friend can act as a practice buyer. You can submit your tender responses and the specification for a practice evaluation. The critical friend will take on the role of the buyer. They will fully digest the specification to understand what the buyer is looking for. With this information, they can then evaluate your responses from the buyers perspective. They will consider;

If you have answered the questions, providing the most detailed responses you possibly can.
Whether you wasted word counts on waffle that could be replaced with high-quality content that scores top marks.
Your sentence and response structure. Does it make sense, or could your points be made clearer?
If you have skimmed over any particularly impressive experience that could be expanded on.
Inconsistencies, spelling or grammatical errors.
If you have misunderstood the buyer’s question.
Whether your bid will stand out, impress the buyer and persuade them to award the contract to you.
If you have properly labelled appendices and supporting documents throughout so that they are easy to refer to.

Advising if this is the right bid for you

Sometimes, businesses simply need a second pair of eyes to help make their bid or no-bid decision. A contract might sound perfect at the surface, but on closer inspection, it could be unsuitable for your business. There are many factors that can determine the viability of winning and delivering a contract. Here are just a few things to consider;

Your eligibility

You won’t always be eligible to bid for every contract you find. In the public sector, the buyer could require a minimum turnover threshold. If this is the case, be sure to assess your suitability before proceeding further with the process. If the threshold isn’t specified but the buyer has provided a budget, you can use this as an eligibility guideline. As a general rule, we only advise tendering for contracts with a budget of half your annual turnover – maximum. This is usually a good indicator of whether you will be able to deliver the contract to the standard required.

In the newly published green paper for reforming the procurement procedure in the UK, one proposal revolves around exclusion. It suggests that government organisations will be able to exclude businesses from bidding if they have underperformed previously. You don’t want to risk future exclusions by bidding too big and underachieving.

Demonstrable experience

When tendering for work in the public sector, buyers will often ask for three relevant case studies. Here, they want to see your previous experience, challenges you have faced and how you overcame them. This will help the buyer to determine your capability. If you don’t have the required experience, we wouldn’t recommend pursuing your bid. It’s likely that you will waste time and resources for an unsuccessful outcome.

Top tip: If you have never tendered for work before, we would recommend developing your case studies in advance. Focus on the services you want to provide and create case studies that demonstrate your competency.

If you need support with creating compelling case studies, we offer support as part of our Tender Ready package.

Your capabilities

Reading the full specification will help you to determine your capability to deliver the contract, should you be successful. For example:

Contract title: Home care support packages

Budget: £500,000

Description: Local authority seeking to establish a contract with a provider of home care services across London, Birmingham and Yorkshire.

Deadline: 01-02-2021

Initial considerations you should make:

Do you turnover at least £250,000?
Do you have at least three case studies to demonstrate your capabilities of delivering home care services?
Can you meet the location requirements? Do you have the infrastructure to deliver services across a range of locations?
Can you compile a compelling, high-quality tender response in this time frame?

Ultimately, the aim is to use your time wisely. Don’t waste time and resources bidding on projects you can’t win or can’t deliver.

Tender Mentor

Our Tender Mentor service is your critical friend. This is our guide and review service, ensuring that you submit an effective, error-free bid.

At Hudson Succeed, our team have sat on both sides of the procurement table. They know what it takes to submit a compelling bid and they are on-hand to help you do just that.

Upload your written responses and the tender specification for a full review.

More bid writing support

If tendering for work is part of your 2021 strategy, we would strongly recommend enlisting a critical friend. However, there are also other avenues of support available to you. Our services are comprised of;

An ad-hoc Tender Writing service, from asking clarification questions, to crafting responses and submission;
Support to become Tender Ready including the creation of important corporate literature and access to tender tracking software;
Our Tender Improvement package to help you increase your bid success rate.

For more information about how we can help your business grow this year, please get in touch.

Thank you for following our Getting Ready Series! We hope you were able to pick up some helpful tips about bid writing to kickstart your tendering strategy next year.

We’ll be back in the new year with more weekly tips and advice.

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

The post The Getting Ready Series Part IV: Considering a Critical Friend appeared first on Tender Consultants.

The Getting Ready Series Part III: 3 ways to impress a buyer at the invitation to tender stage

Charlotte Jarvis — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 07:30:29 +0000

Approaching the invitation to tender stage like a professional

[Last modified: July 2021]

An invitation to tender (ITT) is usually released when the buyer has shortlisted a group of appropriate suppliers. This most commonly follows a pre-qualifying exercise such as a PQQ, SQ or PAS91, depending on the industry/services required. Some buyers may publish an invitation to tender immediately, without a shortlisting round. However, during the tendering process for the public sector you should expect to submit a pre-qualifying application before receiving an ITT.

Making it to the invitation to tender stage is certainly cause for a small celebration. The buyer has seen potential in your business, and you have proven your capability (to some extent). They are interested to hear more from your business and now is your chance to impress them.

If you are new to tendering for contracts, don’t give up now! You have made it this far. When you receive the ITT documents, you should be prepared to feel a little overwhelmed. Especially if your business doesn’t have a team dedicated to responding to ITTs. It’s understandable to feel daunted by the work that may be required.

Our team has been bid writing for almost two decades. In that time, we have seen buyers ask for anything from 2,000 words to 50,000+. Not to mention supporting evidence, company policies, procedures, accreditations and CVs.

Don’t panic! Let’s break this down

First, take some time to digest the work involved

Before submitting your pre-qualifying response, you should have fully read and digested the specification. Therefore, you will already be familiar with the requirements of the contract. You may have been able to pre-empt some of the buyer’s requests based on this.

Take your time reading the questions, assess the required supporting evidence and compile a list of work to be completed.

Set internal deadlines

Gathering the evidence and information you need may require liaising with multiple departments, depending on the size of your business. Next to each task to complete, set a deadline for yourself and anyone involved. This will avoid last-minute panicking and rushing to produce documents.

Reach out for support before it’s too late

If you don’t have the in-house resources to produce the work required to a high standard, consider outsourcing – in advance. You may want to try and complete the bid yourself but leave enough time to source help if required.

Don’t wait until two days before the deadline to decide that you need a Bid Writer. This will mean risking submitting a rushed bid, or not submitting anything at all.

Our “How to work more effectively with your Bid Writer” blog will help you with things to consider before outsourcing. This includes timescales, word counts and the evidence you can produce.

With the above in mind, let’s explore our top three tips for impressing buyers at the invitation to tender stage.

Keep asking yourself ‘how’ and ‘why’

When responding to the buyer’s questions, consider;

How does what I’m saying positively impact the buyer?
Why will my responses persuade the buyer to choose my organisation over my competitors?

Remember, you are not the only business bidding for this contract. Even if you know the buyer or have established a previous working relationship, this doesn’t guarantee a win. So often we hear businesses say, ‘we know we’ll win because we know the buyer’. We would strongly advise against relying on this and spend time creating high-quality, detailed responses.

For example, if a buyer requires domiciliary care services, they may ask something along the lines of:

“How will your organisation ensure the safety of the service users throughout the contract?”

Here, it is not enough to simply say that you have experience and will ensure patients are safe. You must demonstrate your competence. Provide a detailed response, outlining your safety policies and make the buyer feel confident in your ability.

Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes

Imagine yourself as the buyer. They are not only evaluating your invitation to tender responses but several others. When bidding for the same contract, the responses will understandably begin to sound very similar. It’s important to provide your information concisely. Provide detailed responses but don’t allow yourself to go off on a tangent about how wonderful your business is.

When writing your concise responses, you should also be aware of your tone. You want to sound assertive and sure of your answers. Stay away from words such as ‘we could’ and ‘we might’ and replace them with ‘we will’ and ‘we are’.

If you were the buyer, you would undoubtedly choose the supplier who fills you with confidence. Don’t leave any room for doubt in your invitation to tender responses.

Evidence, evidence, evidence

If you follow our Insight Series, you will know that we always reference ‘evidence’ in our blogs. That’s because evidencing your capability is crucial. It will mean the difference between a win and an unsuccessful submission.

In public sector tendering, we always advise that buyers often ask to see at least three relevant case studies. If you know you can’t provide three examples of similar work, you should probably reconsider bidding. Our ‘to bid or not to bid’ blog can help you make this decision.

Case studies allow the buyer to assess your company’s competency in context. They can see how your organisation responded to similar scenarios that you could be faced with on this contract. An effective case study will:

Demonstrate that you have experience in delivering similar work;
Detail how you overcame obstacles and responded to challenges;
Provide information about the lessons you learnt whilst delivering the contract, and;
Showcase impressive results.

Should you be tendering for work now?

We know some businesses put tendering on hold in December, until the new year. However, we always advise tendering for contracts, while you are still delivering work. This means that you can build a pipeline and secure income for the future.

After the challenges most businesses have faced in 2020, we are advising our clients to schedule their bid work early. They can then get a head start on the new year and make up for lost time.

Do you need support with an ITT?

We know that most businesses don’t have endless resources to dedicate to tendering. In order to be successful, you will need skilled writers with experience of how to win a tender.

If you need extra support, our team are here to help. At Hudson Succeed, we have been helping businesses to grow for almost two decades. Our team of multi-disciplinary Bid Writers have helped organisations in a variety of industries to see success. Their experience includes;

Our Bid Writers proudly hold an 87% success rate and they are trusted by over 700 businesses globally. Get in touch for a free consultation.

Don’t just take our word for it, see what our clients have to say

Could not recommend higher”

– Nick Steiert, Managing Director at Invasion Ltd.

We are thrilled to have been successful for all 3 pieces of work.”

– Matthew Meanie, Managing Director at MJ Support Staffing.

It was a pleasure to work with Hudson and we look forward to collaborating in the future.”

– Dave King, Director at Imagine You Can.

With such a tight deadline, we could not have done this without Hudson.”

– Fred Kivumbi, Managing Director at Care Solutions Recruitment Agency.

We would highly recommend Hudson and look forward to future endeavours together.”

– Nick Sheehan, Sales Director at iLine Technologies.

We would highly recommend Hudson to any company who require bid support of any kind!”

– Samantha Reid, Director at APM Cleaning Ltd.

Find more client testimonials.

Stay tuned for the final part of our Getting Ready Series. Our next blog will explore the role of a critical friend and how this can help your business.

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

The post The Getting Ready Series Part III: 3 ways to impress a buyer at the invitation to tender stage appeared first on Tender Consultants.

The Getting Ready Series part II: The best way of writing tenders and proposals

Charlotte Jarvis — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 07:00:23 +0000

Writing tenders and proposals that actually win contracts

[Last modified: July 2021]

Writing tenders and proposals is a skill that comes naturally to some but not to others. If you’re trying to educate yourself around the best way to see success, you’ll notice an abundance of theories. For those of you who are new to writing bids and proposals for your business, it can seem very daunting. It’s important not to be discouraged and give up before you’ve really begun.

If you’re struggling to make sense of the best way to approach tender writing, you’re in the right place! In this blog, we will provide tips and advice for successfully securing work when tendering for contracts.

Why listen to our advice?

Allow us to introduce ourselves.

We are Hudson Succeed, the bid writing division of our overarching Hudson Group.

Our team have almost two decades of experience helping to grow businesses around the world. In fact, the team are trusted by over 700 businesses internationally.

Not only do we have extensive experience in numerous industries and sectors, but we also hold an 87% success rate.

So, now that we have been properly introduced, let’s get to the real reason you’re here – how to win.

The public sector

Tendering is most commonly a method of securing public sector contracts. When writing tenders and bid proposals, it’s likely that the buyer will be based in the public sphere.

Public sector buyers must put contracts out to tender if they meet or exceed the current OJEU thresholds.

At the time of this blog (December 2020), the current thresholds are;

Supplies & Services (except subsidised services contracts)

Schedule 1 bodies £122,976

Others £189,330

Subsidised services contracts

All bodies £189,330

Works (including subsidised works contracts)

All bodies £4,733,252

Light Touch Regime for Services

All bodies £663,540

Small lots

Supplies and services £70,778

Works £884,720

These thresholds are in place to ensure that public money is spent wisely with a fair process in place.

Types of public sector tenders

When writing tenders and proposals in the public sector, it’s important to understand the various procedures. These tendering processes include;

Open procedure

This is the most commonly used process. Within an open procedure, anyone can submit a full tender.

Restricted procedure

This type of procedure requires a pre-selection phase. Anyone may participate and apply to tender, however, only selected tenders may submit the final bid.

Competitive negotiate procedure

Similar to a restricted procedure, any supplier may ask to participate. However, only selected suppliers may submit tenders and negotiate. This procedure can be used as standard practice for defence & security, water, energy, transport and postal industries. Other entities can only use this procedure when the purchase is specific or complicated and negotiation is necessary.

Competitive dialogue

This method would be used when a contracting authority seeks to establish a method of addressing their needs.

Innovation partnership

When the authority requires goods/services that are not yet available on the market, they may use an innovation partnership. Multiple companies can participate throughout this procedure.

Design contest

As the name suggests, this procedure is used when the authority needs to obtain design-based ideas.

Top tip:

Writing tenders and proposals in the public sector can require jumping through a few hoops. However, in our experience, it can be a very lucrative way of growing your business and securing regular income. Consider the following before you begin;

Do you have the experience required by the buyer and can you demonstrate this?
Is there a minimum turnover threshold that you have to meet?
If successful, do you have the resources required to deliver the contract? For example, does the specification require you to work in different regions?
Can you price your services competitively? After all, public sector buyers will be most likely to award the most economically advantageous tender (MEAT).
How can you demonstrate your social value? As of January 2021, the UK government will introduce a 10% weighting on social value when tendering. You must be able to demonstrate how your organisation goes above and beyond to positively impact society.

Our To Bid or Not to Bid blog can help you decide if a tender is right for your business.

The private sector

Buyers in the private sector are not bound by as many regulations. They don’t have to tender for work. When they do, it’s more likely to be a quotation-based exercise.

It can be more difficult to source private sector opportunities. Sometimes, it’s more about who you know. In our experience, we have found that successful private sector tendering can be heavily influenced by your relationship with the buyer.

With this in mind, we wouldn’t recommend relying on your relationship building skills alone. Accreditations and qualifications are just as important to demonstrate your capabilities.

Top tip:

If you’re focussing on the private sector, relationship building should form a large part of your business development strategy.

Flying through the pre-qualification stage

As mentioned above, public sector tendering may require a pre-qualification stage. Successful suppliers will then be invited to submit the full tender response.

The format for the pre-qualification stage will largely be determined by the industry you work in. For example, in the construction industry, this procedure usually takes the form of a PAS91. Other buyers may use a Selection Questionnaire or a PQQ.

In order to successfully pass this stage, you must be able to demonstrate that you comply with the requirements. Some buyers may require a specific turnover. If this is the case, we would recommend checking that the contract value does not exceed 50% of your turnover. This is a general rule of thumb in public sector procurement. It will often mean that you’re not eligible to bid.

Top tip:

Read the full specification. If you are confident that you meet the criteria, the PQQ stage shouldn’t be a problem.

Managing the workload and saving time in the future

Writing tenders and proposals can be time-consuming, especially if you don’t have a dedicated team working on this. However, there are ways of saving yourself time for future bids. Put smart methods in place now to help yourself later down the line.

Here are our top 4 tips to help you manage the workload;

Start with a bid plan

The first step when writing tenders and bid proposals should be a bid plan. This is especially useful if the specification requires a large amount of work. The bid plan will help you and your team work collaboratively and ensure that you meet the deadline. This plan can include;

Timescales;
Assigned roles to show who is responsible for each section, and;
The documentation you may need from other departments.

Create supporting documents in advance

It is likely that you will need to attach supporting documents and appendices when writing bids. You can often pre-empt which documents you are likely to need when writing tenders and proposals. For example, healthcare businesses can assume that they will be asked to provide a health and safety policy. In the public sector, it’s safe to assume that you will be asked for at least three relevant contract examples. Think about the contracts you want to win and develop three case studies in preparation.

Creating a library for the future

Once you have created the documents, we would recommend filing them in a “bid library”. This will make reactive tendering a smoother process in the future. However, it’s important to thoroughly proof the documents before attaching them to each bid. You don’t want to accidentally leave in another buyer’s name or contract title for example.

Taking accountability for bid quality

Additionally to the above point, it’s vital that you have a thorough proofreading process in place. In your bid plan, you should assign accountability for this. When planning your process, you should consider who will be responsible and how many people will check the work. In our experience, we have seen businesses rush this process, only to be unsuccessful. Spelling, grammatical and consistency errors suggest a lack of attention to detail to the buyer. This is not a quality they are looking for.

Are you adding value?

When talking about your own business, it’s easy to go off on tangents about how amazing your organisation is. However, when writing tenders and proposals, it’s important to always keep added value in mind. When creating your tender responses, continuously ask yourself how you are going to add value to the buyer. It’s not enough to just state how you meet the requirements. You must demonstrate how your services/goods will benefit the buyer.

What about social value?

As we mentioned earlier, from January 2021, public sector organisations will place a 10% weighting on social value responses. Previously, we have seen some businesses simply state that they do, essentially, the bare minimum. In other words, they only go as far as what is required by law. From next year this won’t be enough. Buyers want to see how your organisation goes above and beyond to positively impact society.

This is good news for SMEs!

The new requirements will mean that large organisations and SMEs are evaluated by the same standards. The new system will apply tests that all bidders are capable of meeting, regardless of their size. This will help to level the playing field for small businesses.

Further support

Do you need help with writing bids or the tendering process? We understand that spending days writing tenders and proposals just isn’t feasible for some businesses. But that shouldn’t mean that you have to miss out on all the fantastic opportunities.

We provide four levels of bid writing support to ensure that we can help businesses of any size.

Tender Writing

Our ad-hoc bid writing service allows you to reactively respond to tenders. Our team will write your tender responses, ask clarification questions and submit the final bid on your behalf.

The Tender Ready programme

Designed for businesses who are new to tendering, the programme ensures that you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Mentor

If you don’t have time to conduct a thorough proofreading process, Tender Mentor can help. Our Bid Writers will assess your work, in-line with the specification. They will check for any spelling mistakes, grammar errors or inconsistencies and ensure that you have answered the specification.

The Tender Improvement programme

If you’re already tendering for work but not seeing success, Tender Improvement was designed for you. During the programme, we will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. We will then make any amendments that will increase your chances of winning.

Both our Tender Ready and Improvement packages also include a 12-month subscription to one of our tendering portals.

Our Hudson Discover division houses 11 sector-specific tendering portals. The subscription ensures that you never miss an opportunity and increases the efficiency of your tender tracking process.

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

The post The Getting Ready Series part II: The best way of writing tenders and proposals appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Changes to social value in procurement will create more opportunities for SMEs

Charlotte Jarvis — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 07:30:13 +0000

Social value in procurement – driving positive change

[Last modified: July 2021]

Social value in procurement refers to the way that your business positively impacts the community and environment. When tendering for public sector contracts, it is imperative to demonstrate how you provide social value.

A new social value model has recently been launched with the aim of;

Creating new jobs and promoting skills;
Encouraging economic growth;
Tackling climate change, and;
Levelling up the UK.

The changes mean that central government will be required to go beyond the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. These new measures will come into effect on the 1^st of January 2021.

How will the new model be used?

The new social value in procurement model will be used by government bodies to assess the social impact of suppliers. From January 2021, a 10% weighting will be placed on social value in your quality responses, when bidding for central government contracts.

When evaluating your bid writing, government departments will use the new model to score potential suppliers. This scoring will focus on the wider, positive impact that your business will provide whilst delivering the contract.

The new model also means more value for money for the UK taxpayer.

The Minister for Civil Society, Baroness Barren said:

“This hugely positive change will ensure taxpayers’ money supports levelling up across the country, encouraging businesses to give back to their communities and offering more opportunities for our dedicated charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups. This way we can ensure government contracts are helping to tackle economic inequality and support our recovery.”

Social value in tender responses will be assessed based on;

How your organisation supports COVID-19 recovery;
How you are creating new businesses, jobs and skills to tackle economic inequality;
The environmental considerations you take to help fight climate change and reduce waste, and;
The equal opportunity policies you implement and adhere to within your organisation.

Levelling the playing field

This new social value in procurement model will help to level the playing field between large corporations and SMEs. The new system will apply tests that all bidders are capable of meeting, regardless of their size.

Cabinet Minister, Julia Lopez, said:

“Government has tremendous buying power, spending £49bn each year on vital public services. Value to the taxpayer should lie at the heart of our procurement decisions.

Too often, however, ‘value’ has been narrowly defined by price without taking into account other important factors such as the number of local jobs or apprenticeships a contractor will provide, the care they show the environment in their business practices or the number of SMEs involved in their wider supply chain.

We want to see a greater variety of companies deliver government contracts, from every corner of our country – not just because that benefits local economies and communities but because it helps diversify our risk, create a more resilient supplier base and deliver some of our critical priorities.

If we can use government’s buying power to drive that broader value, the better our chances of levelling up our country and investing in our people as part of our COVID recovery.”

Consistency across public sector organisations

With a vast number of government departments across the UK, consistency is vital for ensuring equal opportunities for all suppliers. Therefore, commercial teams, working within these departments, will be expected to complete specific training. This training will focus on implementing the new model and deriving the maximum social value from contracts.

Chair of the Social Value Policy Unit at the Federation of Small Businesses, Arnab Dutt, said:

“I welcome the announcement of social value procurement as an important step forward for public sector supply chains. Its focus on addressing economic inequality, the climate emergency and societal wellbeing is a 21^st century agenda.

Social value has the potential to be transformational in bringing opportunity to all parts of our county and the many small businesses that are the lifeblood of our communities.

The Federation of Small Businesses continues to help shape the policy of a dynamic ecosystem for our UK SMEs in collaboration with the public sector, acknowledging that the government’s SME growth agenda and social value policy go hand in hand.”

In summary

The new social value in procurement model will challenge and encourage suppliers to think beyond their own, internal objectives. In the future, suppliers will need to consider the impact of their organisation on the wider community and environment. The actions they then implement will need to be demonstrable in order to be successful when tendering for contracts.

The model will also challenge government authorities to choose the best supplier based on more than just price. They will need to assess the positive impacts of their chosen supplier and ensure that they maximise taxpayers’ money. In turn, this also means that suppliers of different sizes can be compared more fairly. Large corporations and SMEs alike will be measured against the same initiatives.

Further support

Do you need support with tendering process or how to win a tender? Get in touch with our team for a free consultation. Simply call, email or upload your tender specification.

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

The post Changes to social value in procurement will create more opportunities for SMEs appeared first on Tender Consultants.

Writing a Bid in 2020/21 – We take a look into the future

Charlotte Jarvis — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 07:30:52 +0000

Writing a bid could look a bit different in the future

[Last modified: July 2021]

Bid writing in January 2020 could look very different by the end of 2021 and beyond. It goes without saying that most industries, around the world, have undergone a tremendous period of adaption this year. Whether the obstacle was remote working, adapting processes or changing your service altogether, 2020 has certainly challenged us.

“The procurement industry hasn’t come to a standstill” – Daniel Hall, Head of Bid Management – Hudson Succeed.

During the initial UK-wide lockdown, we noticed that some businesses assumed that tendering contracts had ceased to be published. This led them to be concerned about tendering for work in the current climate. However, this was not the case. Local authorities still called for suppliers to deliver services, albeit in a slightly different manner.

Our Hudson Discover division has reported record numbers of tendering opportunities in the last few weeks. This includes contracts for industries such as;

As we look towards the future of tendering, some of the requirements and tendering processes could look very different. We expect some of these changes to stay in place for the foreseeable future. Adapting your strategy now could save you precious time in the long-run and help you to be more reactive.

Ever-increasing emphasis on social value

If you follow our Hudson Insight Series, you will have noticed more and more emphasis on social value.

Social value has always been prevalent in the tendering process. However, writing a bid in the future could require more detail about your adherence to supporting your employees and local community.

We predict that more buyers will ask for demonstrable examples of how your business has a positive impact.

When offering examples, it will be important to emphasise that your actions are purposeful and autonomous. Simply demonstrating that your organisation complies with environmental or social legislation will not be sufficient.

You can demonstrate social value in the form of;

Policies and procedures
Spending
Training
Volunteering
Mentoring
Community engagement
Sustainability approaches

Even in the private sector…

Usually, public sector tenders will require details of social value, while private sector organisations may be more cost-driven.

However, we are now seeing a shift in private sector businesses asking for this information in their bidding process.

For example, Vodafone recently announced that it was committed to evolving their bid selection process. The company pledged to place greater emphasis on diversity and sustainability.

From October 2020, the supplier’s ‘purpose’ will account for 20% of the RFQ evaluation.

Vodafone’s Group CFO, Margherita Della Valle said: “We want Vodafone’s supply chain partners to be aligned with and support our desire to build a resilient, sustainable and inclusive digital society.”

The company also announced support for SME suppliers. They will introduce positive scoring if those suppliers commit to introducing policies that align with Vodafone’s purpose.

“We will be providing practical support for our smaller suppliers, providing help and tools to ensure that vendors of all sizes have the opportunity to align with our purpose when we consider them for contracts” – Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone’s Group CFO

Calls for changes to single-stage tendering

In some industries, there have been calls to abolish single-stage tendering when the contract value exceeds £10million. This would be replaced with a two-stage tendering process.

The recent Fine Margins report by The Confederation of British Industry, recommended this for the construction sector.

The rationale is that a longer process would allow more time for design and pricing certainty. This would in theory lead to increased productivity, once the contract commences.

According to PBC Today, every £1 spent on construction in the UK creates £2.92 of value to the UK economy. Additionally, the UK construction industry contributes to 6% of the countries GDP. Therefore, an increase in productivity in this sector could have extensive implications for the UK economy.

Whilst writing a bid in the construction sector could require jumping through more hoops, the long-term benefits could be exponential.

How to win new contracts

With these predictions in mind, it’s time to start winning some work.

You should be able to submit a compelling bid if you have in-house resources such as;

Exceptional writing skills;
Vast experience of procurement processes; and,
Knowledge of procurement terminology.

We have many materials to support you and your team, including our blogs, bid resources and Tender VLE.

However, writing a bid can be a time-consuming process. We understand that not every business has these resources in-house. That’s why we developed our suite of bid writing services.

At Hudson Succeed we have been supporting businesses with their tendering efforts for almost two decades. Based on our experiences, we developed the following four services.

Tender Writing

This is our ad-hoc bid writing service. Tender Writing was designed to support businesses who need to reactively bid for work but don’t have the resources in-house. This service consists of;

The full development of written responses;
Clarification question management, and;
The final submission of the bid on your behalf.

Our team are trusted by over 700 businesses globally and they proudly hold an 87% bid success rate.

Do you currently require support with writing a bid? Send the tender documents and get a free quote in four working hours.

Tender Ready

This is one of our most popular services. The Tender Ready programme was designed to support our initiative to make tendering a fairer and more transparent playing field. This service supports businesses who are new to tendering. The package includes;

The creation and design of the policies and procedures you will need to submit when tendering for work;
A 12-month subscription to the Hudson Discover tendering portal of your choice;
Support to identify the contracts that you should be bidding for, and;
The choice between a full bid writing service for your first tender, or guided support for two bids.

For more information about the Tender Ready programme, please call or email the team.

Tender Improvement

Are you already tendering for work but not seeing success? We often hear clients say they have spent countless hours writing and preparing bids, only to receive an unsuccessful result. There is often an easy solution for this. That’s why we developed our Tender Improvement package. This service includes;

A thorough analysis of your previous tender responses and suggestions for areas of improvement;
The re-development of any corporate literature that could be used more effectively;
A 12-month subscription to the Hudson Discover portal of your choice to help you find new opportunities, and;
The choice between guided support for your next two bids or a full bid writing service for one tender.

Get in touch with our team to enquire about our Tender Improvement package.

Tender Mentor

Are you ready to submit a bid? Has it been thoroughly proofread?

Failure to proofread a bid before submitting it is one of the most common mistakes that suppliers make.

Our Tender Mentor service ensures that you submit an error-free bid. Our bid writing experts will;

Thoroughly proofread your bid, checking for any spelling or grammatical errors;
Assess your responses against the specification to ensure that your content directly answers the requirements and impresses the buyer, and;
Make recommendations to help you increase your chances of success.

Simply send your tender responses and the specification and receive a free quote in four working hours.

Where to find new tendering opportunities

Finding new tendering opportunities requires both time and monetary resources.

Before the Hudson Discover portals launched, your business development team would need to either;

Since launching our Hudson Discover division, we have managed to eliminate these inefficiencies for numerous businesses, globally.

Hudson Discover houses our 11 sector-specific tendering portals. These portals were designed as time-saving tools to help you find new business opportunities.

The portals consist of the following;

What makes these portals different to other tracking systems?

Manual opportunity tracking

Instead of relying on CPV codes and algorithms to do our sourcing, we have a dedicated team of opportunity trackers. On a daily basis, the team searches thousands of sources to find newly published tenders. They then upload their findings to the relevant portals, categorising them with industry-led keywords.

What does this mean for you?

In a nutshell, it means that you can simply log into your portal, enter the keywords you want to see and immediately find opportunities. Not only that, but the portal allows you to be even more granular. You can also filter by location, budget and the buyer’s sector. But don’t worry! You won’t need to perform this search every time. Our clients build a profile page when they first sign up. By entering this information, you can tell the system what to look out for. Then, each time you log in, you will only see relevant tenders on your dashboard.

Don’t have time to log in every day? Don’t worry, we know that you’re busy! That’s why we send our clients an email alert when relevant opportunities are uploaded.

Account managers

Upon joining the portal, you will be assigned an account manager. Your account manager will be on-hand throughout your subscription. They can support you with;

General tendering-related queries;
Maximising your portal account;
Finding the best opportunities for your business;
Connecting you with a bid writer who can help you win the contracts you find on the portal, and;
Help you find suppliers if you need support with a project.

Free advice from our Hudson Succeed consultants

As well as support from your account manager, you will also be entitled to 20-minutes of free consultancy each month.

Our Hudson Helpline is available to our Discover clients to support them with more technical queries. If you require this type of support, your account manager will schedule a call for you.

But don’t just take our word for it, see for yourself. We encourage you to test the portal via a free live demo. The demo allows you to access the live portal of your choice. Here, you can take a tour of the features, ask our account manager any questions and see the live opportunities. This will help you to understand exactly how the system will help your business grow.

Schedule a free live demo of your preferred portal.

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

The post Writing a Bid in 2020/21 – We take a look into the future appeared first on Tender Consultants.