To maximise your prospects of success, make your tender evaluator friendly. So often, evaluators face a daunting task: confronted with a pile of tenders - almost always more voluminous than expected - it’s not hard to guess that attractive, well-organised tenders evoke a warmer and more enthusiastic reaction than the rest.
Here are some tried and tested tips to make your tender evaluator-friendly.
Format and structure
Make it easy for evaluators to know where they’re up to in your document. Always:
- Repeat the question or criterion text from the Request For Tender (RFT).
- Use the same structure and layout as the RFT.
Cover pages
- Make sure that you brand cover pages with your logo and identifying detail - this way there won’t be any confusion over whose document is being read.
Table of contents
- Provide a table of contents with sufficient detail for the evaluator to easily find their way through the document. Try to keep your table of contents to one page.
Executive summaries
- Use heading to make it easy for the assessor to pick up major points at a glance.
Body text
- Include the criteria text of the RFT - definitely the quickest way to make your tender reader-friendly.
- Make criterion text smaller than your response text. Criterion text only needs to be included for quick reference. Your response text is most important.
- Use bullet points where possible. They are easy to read, and get the point across quickly.
- Make paragraph lengths digestible. A paragraph should not go on for pages. The shorter the better (and more easily read).
Supporting material
- Establish quickly what the RFT calls its constituent parts and supporting material. Don’t use the same term, as this may cause confusion for the evaluator, and even for you in the future.
- Highlight references to supporting material - appendix, annexure, exhibit, supplement, whatever - in your response. This can be done by using a pointer bullet, or different colour text. Either way, it needs to stand out.
These are just a few things to think about when writing your next tender. By using these tips, your document will definitely be more reader-friendly, and hopefully a winner !
|
