The Perfect Pitch

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The Perfect Pitch

• Richard John
• RJA GB Ltd

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Remember

• Public sector organisations only buy on cost
  alone with regard to commoditieswhere it is a
  straightforward matter to define the product and
  where there is an active marketplace that
  competes on price one reason why Compulsory
  Competitive Tendering policy was abolished was
  because buying cheapest lost money. Best Value
  principles are designed to inform all purchasing
  decisions whole life costs have to be
  considered. (Public sector) organisations have
  to take into account the life-time cost and it
  might be necessary to spend more money in the
  short term to save money over the medium and long
  term.

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Etymology

• Old French tendre
• - "to offer"

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The Perfect Pitch

• Find the opportunity
• Prepare for the opportunity
• Present at the opportunity
• Learn from the opportunity
• (interspersed with three real examples)

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The Perfect Pitch

• Find the opportunity
• Prepare for the opportunity
• Present at the opportunity
• Learn from the opportunity

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If

• you need to find new opportunities

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The Perfect Pitch

• Find the opportunity
• Prepare for the opportunity
• Present at the opportunity
• Learn from the opportunity

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Should you bid?

• Do you have the time?
• Do you like the odds?
• How much would it cost to bid?
• Would it fit your strategy?
• Would it be profitable enough?
• If you won, what would the consequences be?
• Would you cause offence by NOT bidding?
• From the bid documents, can you match
• Technical requirements
• Skill requirements
• Experience requirements

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Thoughts

• NEVER be frightened to ask questions
• Can you get a meeting?
• Are they serious? (is this a T and T parade)
• Are you concerned about intellectual theft (NDA?)

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The Tender Document

• Focus on the client
• Help the client by coming up with ideas
• If the client has provided a qualification
  document, cover everything (CV analogy)
• Value for money - not price alone - decides most
  bids
• Analyse all cost and pricing factors
• Don't ignore fixed and opportunity costs
• What you include could appear under FoI
• Contract and project management counts
• Demonstrate risk analysis (April 6th!)
• Give details of your team

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Internal Process

• Who gathers information and does research?
• Who co-ordinates all the material you need?
• Who writes the drafts?
• Who checks them?
• Who keeps the rest of the business going
• How will the rest of the your firm's work get
  done?
• Play Devils Advocate at every opportunity
• Consider the JFK approach

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Write Right

• Sentences and paragraphs short and punchy
• Bullet points and headings to break up text
• A consistent typeface
• Standardise everything e.g. CVs
• Develop a logical argument
• Spell check, grammar check, readability check
• Appendices for supporting additional information
• Make the executive summary count
• Usability (paginated, numbered paragraphs,
  contents)
• Get it there on time

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The Perfect Pitch

• Find the opportunity
• Prepare for the opportunity
• Present at the opportunity
• Learn from the opportunity

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Social Styles
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Social Styles
Analytical
Driver
Amiable
Expressive
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Social Styles
Analytical
Driver
Amiable
Expressive
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Social Styles
Analytical
Driver
Amiable
Expressive
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So

• Address and involve everyone
• Look out for verbal cues
• Stick to time
• Imagine what its like for them!
• Remember your differentiator
• Think about the magic dust

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The Perfect Pitch

• Find the opportunity
• Prepare for the opportunity
• Present at the opportunity
• Learn from the opportunity

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Remember

• There is no failure
• There is only feedback
• Anon

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After weve parted

• Top 10 tips
• Where to find tenders
• Tender terminology
• Three case studies
• Tender checklist
• Social styles analysis
• Copy of this presentation

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Its been a pleasure

• Richard John

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Case Study - AGA
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Case Study - BBL
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Types of Tender

• Open tenders
• Restricted tenders
• Three main procedures for some European contracts
• Open procedure
• Restricted Procedure
• Negotiated procedure