5 tips for tenders

5 tips for tenders

Tip #1: Planning

Ensure proper planning. Each tender has its own agenda and it is binding. Writing the offer takes a lot of time, so start early and ask Animo for information early.

A good start is half the battle; the same goes for the procurement process. Planning within a procurement process must be done carefully and in a disciplined manner so that it can be fully realized on time. Late is really too late within the tendering process, deliver the documents on time if you do not want to be excluded from submission.

Each tender has its own agenda and each tender requires a different offer. Start on time and keep a wide margin between sending it in and the deadline, because you’ll find that just when you send something in, technology doesn’t cooperate.

Can’t figure it out? Do you have questions about how to write a tender offer? Need substantive questions or tips? Animo is happy to help you!

Tip #2: Ask

Don’t hesitate! Ask all your questions before the first or second round of questions closes. AND also read the Note of Inquiry carefully to learn from others’ questions and answers.

The information essential for a complete and quality bid must be provided in full at all times. Should incomplete information or incorrect documentation be supplied, it could lead to exclusion, and you don’t want that.

A tender consists of a program of requirements and award criteria, here all the client’s questions and requirements are described. Answer all the questions and requirements and through this discover what the client really wants. Describe the process as comprehensively as possible, but stay within the prescribed number of words or pages, as anything beyond that will not be included in the review. Show that you are the professional the client is looking for.

Tip 3: Step by step

Step by step, answer all the tasks of the tender. As a result, you will not lose the overview and you will achieve the end goal faster, more efficiently and with the right result.

Keep an overview when writing the tender offer and in this way slowly work toward the final goal. This way, you achieve the final goal in a fast and efficient way with the right result. The client is the person you must put yourself in the shoes of. Try to put yourself in the client’s situation and then answer the questions. Should a tour, opportunity for questions, introductions or other means of providing information occur during the writing process, seize it with both hands. The better you get to know the client and the situation, the easier it will be for you to indicate that you are the right partner for the tender.

Write the tender offer in such a way that the client feels personally addressed and trusted. By describing the tender in a personal way, you include the client in your story and can show why your organization is the best party for the tender. A customized offer!

Tip 4: smart

Don’t write woolly stories, but answer the question SMART. This stands for: Specific, Measurable, Acceptable/Acceptable, Realistic, Time-bound, say what you will do and how you will secure it!

Specifically

When tendering, the client identifies needs through questions and requirements. By answering these questions and requirements as specifically as possible to your company’s capabilities, you deliver specific answers. When answering, state what work the company performs, who within your company is designated to do it, and specifically state when it will be performed.

Measurable

To make the offer measurable, you can use numbers, percentages or other figures to be clear to the client. By adding how and when something will be measured, you make the numbers verifiable and auditable.

Acceptable

Your organization’s offer must match the customer’s needs. When this crucial point has convinced the customer, your offer is acceptable. Do this by adopting the client’s objective and expressing it in the same style with the same language. In this way, you ensure recognition by the customer with your strongest points.

Realistic

Honesty lasts the longest, so give a realistic and achievable picture. The customer is definitely not waiting for misinformation about the achievement or inability to achieve goals. Your company’s capacity is the guide in this; it must be operationally feasible. Should a particular action take more time or be more expensive, be honest with the customer and explain why. This gives the customer confidence in thinking with you and shows that you know what you are talking about.

Time-based

The client has an interest in detailed planning. Indicate when the start and expected completion date is and what the duration of the work will be. In this, be as specific as possible to convey your professionalism and expertise, and avoid words like “soon” or “as soon as possible.

Tip 5: Experience

Think with the customer, show that you have the right solution, you are the experience expert. By default, if you offer even more solutions than people ask for, you often score even more points. But stay SMART!

The customer is king, but you are the king of the tender. Show the client that you are the perfect match for the tender AND can offer more than the client is counting on. Can you answer all the client’s questions, but save additional costs as a result, realize this in a socially responsible way or make a big efficiency gain with regard to the tender? Then you will score that extra point that will make the client change his mind.