7 Tips for Novice Tender Writers

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Are you a novice tender writer? If you are new to
tender writing, it can be a intimidating task to
create a successful and competitive submission.
However, with the right knowledge and guidance,
tender writing can become an easier and more
rewarding undertaking. In this article, were
getting back to basics by providing seven great
tips for novice tender writers to give them the
confidence and skills needed to write a
successful tender.
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SUMMARY
Understand The Client's Needs
Use Graphics and Design
Keep It Simple, Specific and Concise
Follow The Instructions
Have A Contingency Plan
Be Responsive
Be Honest Realistic
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Understand The Client's Needs
Before you start tender writing, make sure you
understand the client's needs and requirements.
This will help you to tailor your proposal to
their specific needs and increase your chances of
winning the bid. The first step for any tender
writer should be to understand the particulars of
their client's company, industry sector and
business processes. This may involve research or
requesting relevant information from the client.
Tender writers should ask questions about the
customers goals, objectives and requirements, as
this can often reveal crucial details about what
they need from a winning bid. It is also
important to gain insight into how the clients
current operations are managed, what systems they
use and what challenges they have faced in the
past. Additionally, tender writers should ask
clients specific questions regarding what they
expect from the end result, such as budget
parameters or timeline expectations.
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Keep It Simple, Specific and Concise
Keep your tender writing proposal clear and easy
to understand. Avoid using jargon or technical
language that may be difficult for the client to
understand. Tender writers should aim to mirror
the language style and terminology in the
clients tender documentation. Use specific
examples and evidence to support your claims,
especially from any past projects of a similar
nature that your organisation has successfully
completed. This will help the client to
understand how your solution will meet their
needs. Avoid unnecessary details, keep your
proposal concise and to the point. Tender writers
can fall into the trap of repeating the same
points too often. While there is a certain amount
of merit in restating some critical points,
especially those which differentiate you from
your competition, care should be taken to balance
this throughout the proposal.
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Use Graphics and Design
Experienced tender writers make use of graphics
and design to make proposals visually appealing
and easy to read. Infographics are a great way to
present complex information in an
easy-to-understand format. They can be used to
show timelines, processes, and statistics. Use
images to break up text and make the proposal
more visually interesting. Make sure the images
are relevant to the proposal and of high
quality. Tender writers use colour to highlight
important information and make the proposal more
attractive. Tender writers should take care
though to use a colour scheme that is consistent
throughout the proposal and easy on the
eyes. Most importantly, tender writers should
use a consistent design throughout the proposal.
This will make the proposal look professional and
well-organised.
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Follow The Instructions
Make sure you follow the instructions in the
tender document when tender writing and be sure
to submit your proposal in the format required.
This includes any specific format or file types
and sizes stipulated for attachments. Make sure
you address all the requirements adequately and
answer all the questions in the document. Utilise
word counts effectively, but remember to stay
within any limits stipulated.
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Be Honest Realistic
When tender writing, you really need to go all
out and sell yourself.  You need to spell out
what makes you and your service the best choice.
You know why you are the perfect choice so
convince them. What makes you different from
everyone else who is being considered?  Use your
tender writing opportunity to spell out what you
excel at and how you will make the buyers job
much easier.  Thats what they really want.
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• Promising to complete a project in an unrealistic
  timeframe can create unrealistic expectations and
  lead to delays or project failure.
• Offering prices that are significantly lower than
  the market rate may indicate that the writer has
  not fully understood the scope of the project or
  has underestimated the costs involved.
• Making promises about capabilities that the
  writer's company does not possess, such as
  certain certifications or advanced technologies.
• Making guarantees of success can create
  unrealistic expectations and lead to
  disappointment if the project does not meet those
  expectations.
• Not providing a transparent cost breakdown can
  lead to mistrust and disappointment if the
  project costs exceed the budget.

Remember the mantra It is better to under
promise and over deliver rather than the other
way around.
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Have A Contingency Plan
Having a well-written contingency plan in place
can help tender writers to minimise the impact of
unexpected events on a project and increase the
chances of success. More importantly, it
demonstrates to the client that you have thought
through the project and actually have a plan in
place.
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Your contingency plan should cover the following

• Risk assessment Identify potential risks that
  may impact the project, such as delays, cost
  overruns, or changes in scope.
• Mitigation strategies Identify strategies to
  mitigate the risks identified in the risk
  assessment. This could include adding extra
  resources, adjusting timelines, or implementing
  cost-saving measures.
• Escalation procedures Identify procedures for
  escalating issues to management if the mitigation
  strategies do not work.
• Backup plans Identify backup plans for key
  project activities, such as an alternate supplier
  or a different delivery schedule.
• Budget Identify contingencies for unexpected
  costs, especially price movements that may occur
  between the time of submission and project start.

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Be Responsive
It is important for tender writers to be
responsive to any requests for additional
information or clarification. If the requested
information is not readily available, the tender
writer should contact the client to let them know
and request the needed time (within reasonable
limits) to provide the requested information.
Tender writers should also whitelist the key
email address(es) for the tender so that emails
do not end up in spam folders and get
missed. Following the above tips, novice tender
writers can increase their chances of winning a
bid and creating a professional, compliant, and
compelling proposal.
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