Tender forms, part 1.

Over the next few weeks we are going to post some pointers about the actual tender forms as everything hinges on the impression that you give of yourself and your business through these forms. 

We have already advised that you should be organised and efficient in your approach to the tender forms and it's so important that we're going to say it again!

When you receive the tender alert from EuropeanTenders you should aim to quickly register your interest with the contracting agency and have them send out all of the relevant documentation as soon as possible. Time is of the essence. Registering your interest early also ensures that you will be made aware of any changes or given further information about the tender bidding process if and when it becomes available. 

Another key part of the process is pre-tender briefings. Not all tender bids have these but if they do, make sure you attend and make sure you prepare questions for the people giving the briefing. Having prepared questions show that you're really interested and will get you noticed - it's all about standing out from the crowd. If you really can't make it, be sure to follow up afterwards and find out what was discussed.

Before you then get started on filling the forms out you should do a couple of things: -

1) Go through the form and make a checklist of everything that you need to include / do before the forms are complete. This should ensure that nothing gets accidently left out or overlooked.

2) Seriously consider what the buyer is looking for and make notes. Combine this with a list of pros and cons about the solution you're hoping to offer - this gives you something to come back to if you lose sight of the end goal mid-way through the forms!

Finally, if you've tried and failed before with a tender bid, and you were able to find out why - learn from  your mistakes! Use prior experience to ensure that you don't fall into the same traps with these forms.