Welcome to the first part of our advice series on improving your chances of winning tender bids.

First of all, the advice we give out about improving your chances to win tender bids will not be a step by step guide on how to fill the forms in a better way or how spin information about your existing business to make you look better. 

Our advice will make you think more about your business itself as this is what you are selling when you bid for tenders.

Starting today you should be thinking about the positive and negative aspects of your business, and in what way they are either supporting your bids, or holding you back. Only when you improve your business and they way it looks to the outside world will you improve your chances.

So our first piece of advice, and perhaps the most essential piece of advice when bidding on tender opportunities is be completely honest on the tender bid forms, and perhaps just as importantly, with yourself. 

When it comes to your business, there is nothing more important than your reputation, and there is no easier way to get a bad reputation than to make promises that you have no chance of keeping. Therefore, when you bid for tender, do not make an offer that you cannot deliver on. If you cannot live up to your word then you will be found out very quickly, and you would be surprised just how fast word travels about business that don't deliver.

You should start by being honest with yourself, is this something that you can really deliver on time and to a high standard? If not then do not bid. Instead, see it as an opportunity to look back at your business and see what you can improve so that you can bid for such tenders in the future. By comparing what your business can give now, to what is expected for certain jobs you can identify areas of your business that are perhaps in need of development or better upkeep, in turn allowing you to improve your business overall.

So remember, honesty really is the best policy.