The ever growing demand for goods and services to public organizations coupled with the advent of electronic procurement options has fiercely increased trade in the public sector. Due to the sheer volume of bids published by authorities worldwide, responding to offers via premium bid writing has become an important activity that businesses need to focus on. Bid writing is the art of describing a short and concise presentation of the products/services of the company in response to the requirements (bids) posted by the authorities. It is a response to the requirement that must be made impactful in order for the authorities to consider granting the contract. In this article, we shall delve on the most important tips for creating an impactful tender response.
1. Research:
The most critical aspect of the tendering business is to research the right bids for your business. Not all bids published in the public domain can be of interest to a specific business. Businesses must scrutinize carefully about the requirements and ensure that they are able to meet all of the requirements posted by the authorities. One of the ways to do this is to track all opportunities coming from the public domain through a procurement aggregator service like Tender Impulse. Doing this ensures that companies are made aware of the different types of bids and their technical specifications prepared by the authorities so that they can alter their product portfolio according to the requirements. Scrutinizing the bid is thus one of the most important steps in successful tendering.
2. Conforming to Technical Specifications:
The second critical aspect to the success of the bid lies in conforming to the technical specifications of the bid. Tenderers must be fully committed to meet all technical criterion of the bid in order to ensure success. Sometimes, this may mean diverting their product lines and including service aspect or a maintenance of the product under consideration. Companies need to ensure they are capable of meeting all technical specifications. A detailed list of all job requirements is essential before deciding to participate in the bid. In this analysis, it is also essential to consider aspects such as delivery terms, payment terms and the need for a consortium partner to fulfil all obligations. Once all necessary details are furnished, companies must put their effort in presenting the bid; otherwise it can cause a waste of time and resources.
3. Maintaining Buyer relations:
Tendering whether electronic or paper based follows a relationship approach just like any other business deal. Therefore, maintaining cordial and even friendly relations with the buyers/authorities is an excellent way of expecting success. Not only does this help in understanding the entity requirements but also helps in generating trust and reliability as a partner who wants to work with the authorities. Since public procurement is accountable and for the public in general, it is always a good idea to show preparedness and maintain a healthy relationship with buying officers.
4. Planning the Proposal:
Even before an RFP is released, it is a good idea to plan the proposal for optimum results. Companies need to plan a proposal and take it up with the preferred authorities to show them their solutions even before a tender is released. This allows buyers to understand the product in detail and accordingly allocate requirements in terms of budget and technicalities. Planning a RFP does not necessarily have to be in advance. It can also happen without a formal tender being floated by merely fixing meeting with the relevant authorities. Industry experts and veterans must be roped in the company to complete this task as it can accelerate the process and their guidance can also prove to be valuable for the entire project. It also adds impetus to the recommendations and gives ideas to authorities to develop as per the recommendations. It must be understood that planning a proposal is a way of collaborative effort to develop a particular product/service or a consultancy and must be considered as a team work between the authorities and the company in the development of the overall society.
5. Marketing Pitch:
Marketing is one of the pivotal tools that can lead to successful tendering. A marketing pitch isn’t simply the one that has price and feature listings but one that stands out from the competition. Therefore, it can also include non-commercial aspects such as CSR, past works conducted and other relevant information that can improve/increase the branding image of the company. Time must be taken to strategically develop the marketing pitch so that the proposal goes beyond just the RFP under consideration. An effort must be made to work together with the authorities at all costs and this should go beyond a single RFP/RFQ. Care must be taken to include aspects such as profitability to the buyer, the society and how the product has the potential to transform lives. Since the public buyers are generally concerned about overall improvement of the societies, care must be taken to create a pitch that can include the wider benefits of using the product/service. Any add-ons to the product/service shall always be greatly appreciated and sometimes can be the defining factor in decision making.
6. On-time submission & Accountability:
Being disciplined in the tendering process can yield better responses from the authorities. One of the pain points of public authorities is the after sales service or maintenance requirements. Therefore, while submitting a response to a tender, companies’ must maintain timelines and submit it before the stipulated deadline. Moreover, it is always a good practice to include after sales support and service promises so as to assure the authorities of the presence during and after the contract as well.
The above directives are a guiding force to craft an impactful tender response and must be taken into consideration while responding to bids. Additionally, follow-ups and physical meetings are also a good way to maintain rapport even if a bid is unsuccessful so that the authorities are reminded for future business.
