As a tender response writer, I’ve helped loads of cleaning businesses win lucrative Government and private-sector cleaning tenders. If you prefer to DIY it rather than use the services of a tender writing consultant, here are a few tips that will help you to win:
Answer the questions the tender issuer is asking. It may seem pretty obvious, but I’ve seen heaps of tenders where previous submissions were cut and pasted and then shoe-horned into a new submission. I’ve got nothing against cutting and pasting, but you need to make sure that you actually answer the question being asked rather than just shoving some content in that may not be as relevant as it should be.
Health, safety, and environmental management systems are vital for commercial cleaning tenders, and it’s not unusual these days to see questions about your quality management system, too. At least half of the cleaning companies I work with have independent ISO certification for their management systems, so it will give you some extra points if yours is certified. If you don’t have an HSEQ Management System in place, I can source this for you.
Really highlight your experience working on similar contracts or sites, and ensure you reinforce how close the requirements are to the cleaning tender you are submitting for.
Include an organisational overview and reinforce the experience of your key people. I also include a description of the role that each of the key people will have on the contract. Don’t forget the Account Manager, as this role is pivotal to address any issues.
Include a proposed roster and describe the daily on-site supervision and frequency of management quality checks.
Don’t just list the equipment, material and chemicals you will use on the cleaning contracts for tender — include images and a short paragraph for each. Focus on any environmentally friendly aspects.
Describe your induction and training process using the right words, and include evidence of training with the submission.
Provide an overview of your workflow management system so the tender issuer understands how the contract will be set up, schedules issued and staff assigned, including coverage for planned and unplanned absences.
Describe your staff code of conduct and uniform requirements, and include an image of your uniform.
The appearance of your submission is crucial from a readability perspective. Break up your text with lots of headings, add a nice cover page, and include a cover letter, as it's the first thing the tender evaluation panel sees when they turn over the cover page of your cleaning tender.
That’s it! Pretty simple, really, but you can jazz up your tender submission. I know first-hand how long it takes to prepare a quality submission. I usually spend around 40 hours producing an outstanding tender response, and if you don’t have that sort of time to spare, why not give me (Pauline) a call to chat about how I can help? You can reach me on 0400 514 579 or email pauline@tenderwise.com.au