Nail the sale – doing your best in tender shortlisting interviews
If your bid or proposal documents have done the job, you may find yourself with the happy problem of having to prepare for a tender shortlisting interview. Also known as “beauty parades”, such interviews are de rigueur in many procurement processes – competitive or otherwise. What’s really going on in tender shortlisting interviews? Areas of […]
Continue ReadingWinning government clients: key tender issues and trends
Australian government at any level is an attractive client for professional services firms. Commonwealth, State and Local Government agencies and departments are increasingly astute buyers, so to be successful in winning government clients, you need to be aware of key issues and trends which reflect the power, accountability, and cultural set of the public sector. […]
Continue ReadingRock, scissors, paper – the power of three tender reviews
Deadline-driven tenders, proposals and pitches are not usually ideal environments for producing high quality writing. Many firms are flat out getting together a first draft for hand-in time and the chance to review and revise tender responses can be rare. In my experience, best practice means at least three tender reviews and drafts are necessary […]
Continue ReadingThree simple tender writing tips for success
When a client asks how I can help them with a tender, my brain instantly flips through the hundreds of things you need to do (and do well) to write a winning bid. Where do you start? Ultimately, each situation is unique, but there are three key things for tender writing success you need to […]
Continue ReadingWhen is a tender not a tender? When it’s a “competitive evaluation process”
With the recent political kerfuffle around Defence Minister Kevin Andrews’ “competitive evaluation process” to procure new submarines, I thought it was a good time to review the different types of professional services tenders. According to Andrews, “Tender has a very specific meaning. We have to evaluate a whole range of issues … I’m not going […]
Continue ReadingWin more clients with a better tender strategy in 2015
With the four big Australian banks due to call for legal services tenders this year, several insurance tenders long overdue and the Victorian Whole of Government Tender for legal services imminent, not to mention Defence Minister Kevin Andrews “competitive evaluation process” (not a tender) afoot, there’s certainly lots on for 2015. Here are some of […]
Continue ReadingPlaying the long game to get on the list for invitation only tenders
We’re often asked how firms can get on the list for “by invitation only” tenders. If the tender request is already out, sometimes a cheeky approach direct to the procurement powers can work. Sometimes. Usually it doesn’t. So how can you and your firm make it on to the radar of these large consumers of […]
Continue ReadingAlternative tenders – show clients what they want
Use alternative tenders as a competitive edge. In formal bid and tender processes, responses are often constrained by word limits, irrelevant questions, meaningless measures and procurement’s lack of imagination. So, how can you get a jump on your competitors and not only win, or retain work with a major client, but also end up with […]
Continue Reading8 proposal hacks to save you time, money (and sanity)
Putting together a compliant, persuasive and well-presented bid can be a daunting task, especially when you’re often in a race against the clock. We’ve put together proposal hacks that can help you and/or your business development team beat the tender blues.
Continue ReadingWhen to walk away from a tender “opportunity”
In the last 20 years, formal procurement has crept into just about everything large organisations purchase, from the simple and commoditised (stationery) right through to the complex and intangible (professional services). It’s a system that providers are stuck with for now, especially when it comes large consumers of professional services (government, banks, insurers, listed companies […]
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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. […]
