Exhibits A through Z: essential evidence for your tenders and proposals
Our experience with clients, from lawyers through to not-for-profits, is that when it comes to tenders, bids and proposals winners are separated from losers by strong, evidence-based submissions.
Resonant stories packed with specifics are what sell. Those compelling and credible stories are based on evidence.
If your business depends on winning new work or retaining clients through competitive selection processes, don’t leave it until tenders are upon you to get your story straight.
Get your evidence neatly categorised and ready to go with our checklists. Then you can concentrate on crafting the best story for your organisation.
Essential evidence for your tenders
Your tenders and proposals evidence repository should include:
- all of your past proposals/tenders (distinguish the winning ones)
- your marketing, promotional, and educational materials, including things like your firm’s seminar papers and firm profiles
- a current, full CV for each professional, as well as a summary profile
- a list of current and recent/significant clients in each field of practice or area of work
- summaries/case studies of significant work completed on contracts, projects, matters
- client references and testimonials
- awards
- letters of commendation or thanks.
Depending on your industry or sector, you should also have:
- documented processes for assuring work quality, meeting best-practice standards, managing conflicts of interest, monitoring client satisfaction
- documented policies and procedures addressing model litigant protocols, work health and safety, fair employer practices
- copies of current, relevant insurance policies, such as professional indemnity, public liability, and product liability.
Consider creating a database of readily tailored “model responses” for commonly asked tender questions such as:
- history of your organisation
- outline of your conflict of interest policies, and work health and safety policies
- corporate social responsibility stance
- fees and billing arrangements.
Some other resources you may find invaluable are:
- copies of favourable press coverage about you and your firm, published articles (including full publication references), and coverage (for lawyers) in The Legal 500 and Chambers directories
- statistical analysis and quantitative data showing outcomes for clients, or other meaningful results
- an up-to-date organisation chart for your organisation, department, and/or team
- key competitors’ firm profiles and other promotional materials
- key clients’ annual reports, brochures, promotional materials, strategic plans.
Start gathering your evidence now, and you’ll not only be able to write a strong, evidence-based submission when the time comes, but you’ll be able to do it fast.
One way we can help your tender, bid and proposal readiness is through creating Bid Building Blocks.
Contributing author: Dr Lilla Smee.
Select articles
Feature article
Tender readability – tips to improve your tender presentation and some tender presentation no-nos
Tender readability remains a problem for some in the 21st century. I still see submission documents that cling to a handful of really old hat tender presentation and formatting techniques. I suspect this is because some of these ‘rules’ are viewed as being more appropriate to a ‘formal’ style of document such as a tender. […]
