Four (more) simple tender writing tips for success
Following on from our popular blog on Three simple tender writing tips for success here are four more to keep in mind: #1 Don’t be indecisive Make early, clear-cut decisions on the scope of your bid – this may include choosing areas or categories you will bid for, as well as nominating team members. Late […]
Continue ReadingSame-same, but different – Best practice for recycling boilerplate tender, bid & proposal content
I once had a client say he wanted to do ‘fresh writing’ for the entirety of content in every single tender, bid and proposal response. That’s right…every time…every bid…100% written from scratch. Unsurprisingly the ‘fresh writing’ diktat put considerable extra pressure on his already frazzled team and didn’t help his firm’s win rate. When it […]
Continue ReadingUsing firm governance and management to gain competitive (and other) advantages
When leading and large clients determine their professional service relationships, one factor influencing their decision is how well prospective service providers fit with their own values, culture, and aspirations. Evidence of strong governance and responsible management goes a long way to demonstrating this fit and becomes especially important in competitive bids, tender and proposal processes with […]
Continue ReadingHow to make your proposal client focussed
Professional services bids, tenders and proposals are tough (and getting tougher), not least of all because you are up against many other firms, each of which has experts as qualified as yours, who have practised for as long as yours have, and who deliver the same expert services for the same type of clients as […]
Continue ReadingBreaking bad bid habits
Time and again, I see professional services clients falling victim to bad bid habits. Abraham Lincoln allegedly said (but actually didn’t): “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Proper planning, organisation, shared accountability, and a sense of urgency is a must if you […]
Continue ReadingWill your tender end up in the “too long; didn’t read” pile?
Will evaluators react to your tender, bid or proposal with TL;DR (too long; didn’t read)? In competitive bid processes, evaluators usually have scores of submissions to wade through. Requests increasingly insist on brevity in responses, often setting word or page limits and other restrictive formats. Your tender responses are not the place for long and […]
Continue ReadingGET SMART: create an effective client service plan with your next tender
Whether you want to win a new account or grow and retain an existing client, tender preparation is an opportunity to map out how your firm can (and will) deliver first-rate service. In the flurry to submit tenders, bids, or proposals many professional services firms miss the chance to create an effective client service plan. […]
Continue ReadingWinning government tenders – 5 factors you must address
If your firm has decided to pursue public sector clients as part of your business development strategy, you’ll need to understand and address some common concerns in order to win government tenders. All levels of government (Commonwealth, state, and local) have overriding interests and concerns about appointment of their external professional advisors and service providers, […]
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 ReadingSelect 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. […]
