???????With the complex jargon and terminology used in the tendering process and the many instructions and directions you’re expected to follow to submit a single proposal, there’s no wonder that even seasoned tenderers find that they sometimes run into obstacles in their tendering journey!
So how do you go about making your bid writing journey a success? Where do you even find the right tendering opportunity for yourself? Is applying for every tender you see, hoping to get a single win the right strategy? Is it even worth it to go through the trouble of finding and preparing a proposal? If you’ve had any of these questions, this blog’s for you!
4 Things To Know When Tendering For Your First Contract
First and foremost, in order to get started on your tendering journey, you need to find the right project to bid for. Although there are dozens of tender opportunities published daily, for many first-time tenderers, it can prove to be difficult to know where to find them. If you’re looking to bid for public sector tenders, there are official government websites that publish all open tenders for each state and at a federal level. Here they are:
If you’d like to start smaller and bid closer to home, you may have to go to your LGA’s official website or get in touch with them personally to see if they have any open projects to tender for. When it comes to private sector projects, finding them may be a little more difficult as there typically isn’t a central notification system for these. A professional tender consultant might come in handy here, as they can use their contacts to find the right opportunity for you.
Many novice tenderers make the mistake of believing that the more tenders they bid for, the higher their chances of success. After all, if you submit ten tender proposals in a week, you’re likely to win at least one of them, right?
In reality, this approach can backfire very quickly. Creating a proposal is tedious, time-consuming work and trying to rush it or prepare multiple proposals at the same time could put you at risk of producing careless, lackluster work that ends up being a massive waste of time and resources. This is one instance where more is not always better. It is best to focus all your energy in finding one tender where you have the highest chance of success and putting your all in preparing a compelling proposal rather than trying to bid for several tenders at once. Ask yourself the following questions when making the bid/no bid decision:
If the answer to any of these questions is no, you have your answer about what your chances of winning the tender are. It’s best to steer clear of tenders where you can’t put your best foot forward.
In the tendering world, it pays off to know who your major competitors are and what their USPs are. Next, evaluate your own company against your competitors and think carefully about what it is that sets you apart from them. The buyers are not just looking for who can get the job done at the least price; they want quality, and in certain situations, they want innovation. Is your solution more efficient than your competitors? Do you have more manpower, or can get the job done faster? Do you have any industry awards or enjoy a better reputation in the market? Knowing your USPs helps you present a better case for yourself and catch the eye of your proposal evaluators.
When first starting out on your tendering journey, it is always a good idea to get in touch with a tender writing service to help you get your foot in the door. Tendering is confusing, time-consuming and—let’s be honest—dull work and hiring a professional to help you navigate the process can make it more bearable. Tender writing is a niche skill and professional bid writers spend years honing this skill to excel in it. By hiring a professional to take care of the tendering process, you save yourself the headache of having to deal with hundreds of documents and hours upon hours of writing and proofreading, all the while knowing that you’ve left the process in the best of hands.
