Writing — you either love it or hate it, but no matter how you feel about it, if you’re going to take the DIY route to submit a tender response we’ve got some tips to help you put your best foot forward.
Give it some eye candy
Visual appeal is important! Of course, you need to write your response well, demonstrate how awesome your business is, and highlight how you exactly meet the tender criteria. But no one wants to read through a boring-looking submission.
So, add some headings and images to break up the text, add an eye-catching cover page and don’t be afraid to use some diagrams, charts or infographics to make it more interesting.
2. Answer the questions
It really is quite astounding how many tender responses I see where the information that the tender issuer wants simply isn’t provided. Ensure you thoroughly read the requirements before starting the response submission because many of the questions in the response can be tricky.
Quite often, the questions in the response schedule will be general statements along the lines of “Demonstrate your ability to meet the specification” or “Provide three referees for similar projects”. The important thing here is to ensure your response highlights how you meet the brief.
When demonstrating your abilities, refer to each of the requirements in the specification and then write about how your experience relates to each in the tender response document.
When you’re providing referees, ALWAYS make sure you give a detailed overview of what you did, when you did it, and how it is similar to the project you’re tendering for.
3. Include relevant supporting information
Supporting information is your best friend — just make sure that whatever you have is clearly identified in the main submission, e.g., “We have included more information about our Quality Management Processes in Appendix A, a copy of which is attached with this submission”).
Always make sure any supporting information is relevant and that (just like your main submission) it has a nice cover page. If you’re including lots of information in one Appendix, make sure you include a Table of Contents.
Need a hand?
If you need a hand with your tender response or want to prepare for the next one by developing standard responses you can cut and paste from, TenderWise can help. We've written many winning tenders across a wide range of industry sectors and can help you, too. Just give Pauline a call for a chat at 0400 514579 or contact us here.