Organising a tender bid can be a very time consuming task and the importance of effective bid management can not be under estimated when your company is faced with a pressing deadline and is under pressure to compile a winning tender proposal.

Be careful not to leave the task of bid writing to one member of staff as this really does have to be a team effort, with each team member contributing their area of expertise to the tender bid. Assigning a specific role early on to each member of the team ensures that the workload is shared and as staff will be working simultaneously, this will significantly reduce the length of time it takes to produce the final document and ensure that the tender bid is brought together well in advance of the bid deadline.

As each writer will probably work in a different department or area of the business, coherent writing may well become a problem with the tender bid, so to avoid contradictions or ambiguity it is essential that every writer is briefed on what the main objective of the tender is and how the proposal will be structured.

To ensure quality and consistency in your company’s tender proposal, it is important to assign a team leader or bid manager who will be responsible for motivating and managing the other team members and ensure that everyone delivers on their commitments.

Remember that the key to completing successful tender bids is good communication so make sure that contact information between writers is shared and encourage team members to liaise with the each other during the process of completing tender bids.

As well as there being a range of advisable actions which constitute good tendering practice, there are also a number of things which aspiring tender applicants should look to avoid at all costs. Here they are:

1) Bad spelling. Spelling words poorly immediately makes you look like a sub-standard applicant. If you’re misspelling words, tender sellers might wonder what other basic errors you are making. Bad spelling, poor grammar and misuse of punctuation makes you look immediately unprofessional and chaotic.

2) Applying for tenders you cannot definitely fulfill. Don’t base anything on chance. If you only have an 80% chance of being able to fulfill a certain tender, it is best to not apply at all. Only apply if you are 100% sure you can fulfill it. Otherwise, you’re not only wasting everyone’s time but you also earn a bad reputation. As well as in terms of the practical and economic likelihood, don’t apply unless you are sure you have the commitment, enthusiasm and availability to fulfill the whole process.

3) Exaggerating. The chances are, if you exaggerate or lie outright, you’re going to get found out. It doesn’t help either party and it hurts your reputation. Remain factual and truthful at all times.

4) Applying without research. It’s crucial that you know what you’re getting into. The tender seller expects it too. If you don’t research thoroughly before applying, you are probably going to be in for some surprises – some of which will not be to your liking.

Tenders contracts are binding, so you can end up in big trouble if you don’t conduct yourself properly. Avoid the above 4 things before anything else. Repeatedly unsuccessful tender applicants usually, inadvertently or otherwise, commit one of them. The best thing to do is check everything through beforehand and always ask yourself if anything on your application could look bad in the eyes of the other parties.

1)   Fill in every form properly. Make sure that every bit of information is accurate, and that the whole document is presentable and clearly understandable. Check your forms through at least twice over before you send them off. First impressions are important everywhere, especially in the business world, and an ambiguous or error-strewn form creates an immediately negative impression.

2)   Get your forms in on time, and as early as possible. Don’t rush them, but don’t delay them behind other projects. Time is money, and successful tenders are always ahead of the clock. Deals can be concluded quickly, and throughout the business world sellers often show an inclination towards buyers who have the courtesy to abide by the schedule.

• Give yourself plenty of time to complete a PQQ as gathering the required paperwork alone can be a very time consuming task

• Always read and re-read the instructions carefully as even minor errors will probably result in your application reaching the rejection pile

• A point scoring system is often used by awarding authorities when assessing PQQ’s so make sure you are aware of what criteria is weighted highly and pay careful consideration to answers that fall under that category  

• If possible, request an electronic version of the PQQ as this will look more professional than a hand written copy

• Presentation is important and is often judged as the mark of a professional company so present your information clearly, providing page numbers and an index to requested documentation will make your information easy to navigate and help to support your answers effectively 

• Answer all of the questions comprehensively. This seems obvious but many people make the mistake of stapling in documents and asking the Procurement Officer to ‘refer to attached’ which is counter-productive as they will not have time to read through lists or catalogues

• Think carefully about your case studies and references and make sure that they relate to, and support, the tender specifications or key requirements

• Remember to inform referees that you are using them in your PQQ so that they are prepared to be contacted and ready to send out a positive message about your company

• Awarding organisations will normally ask for documentation to establish your company’s legitimacy so make sure that Insurance Certificates and any financial information you are asked to provide is accurate and up to date

• If in any doubt about how to answer the questions in the PQQ, get in contact with a representative of the awarding authority and ask for clarification