If you want to win government and private sector work, you need to compete with other businesses. This usually goes through a framework, DPS, RFP, RFT or other formal procurement process. Companies across the UK go through the process of tender bidding. This is writing tenders and bids to respond to RFTs and other contract opportunities to demonstrate their experience and expertise and ultimately win more work.
Tender bidding is more than just completing a form. It’s about strategizing and writing a bid that is compelling and scores well against the tender evaluation criteria. You need to adopt a methodical and detailed approach to succeed in securing government contracts. At Tsaks Consulting UK, we help businesses across the United Kingdom write, design and submit winning bids and tenders across all sectors such as medical, defence, manufacturing, construction, community services and more.
In this guide, we will run you through the tender bidding process and what strategies you can adopt to win.
What does tender bidding entail?
Contract notices are published by buyers in the public and private sector. They are used as part of a formal procurement process to buy goods or services. If you imagine, for example, a large organisation is spending over 500,000 or more on a good or service, they need to adopt a formal process in order to ensure they are getting value for money and are procuring from the most suitable supplier. To do this the put together a set of documents (sometimes public sector organisation use a template) and issue a notice that details what goods or services they are looking for and other information.
Most public and private sector organisations use procurement portals, for example, Proactis, Atamis and others) whilst some still rely on email. As an organisation looking to win the contract, you can log onto the portal and download the documents, read through the request for services and then upload your bid. The RFP, Framework or other documentation will usually detail:
- Their terms and conditions for engagement
- A draft contract
- An evaluation criteria (and the percentage weighting on each question/section)
- A description of the project or scope
- A form or returnable schedule to complete
When going through the tender bidding process writing a bid or tender response you will need to (among other things):
- Provide information on your entity such as address, directors and other corporate information.
- Supporting documentation on systems and processes such as Health and Safety Documents.
- Details on your experience and expertise.
- A methodology on how you will deliver the service or project (if applicable).
- Details of any products you will provide.
- Customer service, modern slavery and other plans.
- Details on your operations and approach to servicing the client.
- Details and a schedule on your proposed pricing.
The Tsaks Consulting UK team will assist with you with the tender bidding process so that you submit a response which is compliant and scores well against all the evaluation criteria.
How we help businesses across the UK with Tender Bidding
At Tsaks Consulting UK, we become your bid team, working with you like an employee or team member to write your bid or tender and ensure it is submitted. Our broad range of services includes:
- Identifying tender, framework, bids and contract opportunities.
- Writing the bid for you from start to finish. This includes brainstorming your responses, developing win themes and writing the responses to the individual questions.
- Reviewing your bid, tender or DPS response and providing constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement. This includes tracking changes and providing additional content.
- Bid library development, training and strategizing for future bids to put your business in the best position to win.
Strategies and tips for successful tender bidding
- Tailor your content and response. Don’t cut and paste generic content. The reality is that in order to win a bid or tender you need to write and submit a bespoke response. It needs to be tailored and show insight into the project and the overall requirements. You need to show that you have thought through the project and identified potential challenges. You should also show that you have a strategy to overcome them.
- Put forward you’re A-team. When it comes to delivering any good or service it’s important to demonstrate that you not only have the resources, but also the team to deliver it. Profile each of your team members and clearly outline the role they will have on the project or contract as well as their experience and expertise. When you are developing their CVs as part of the tender bidding process, tailor their CVS to give it a flavour which reflects your potential client.
- Make sure you include evidence to back-up everything you write. Procurement teams read through lots of different bids, tenders and framework applications and they have heard it all. They often grow skeptical of what people write and you need to have credibility in their eyes. Therefore, you need to show evidence in order to be credible in the eyes of procurement teams. Our professional bid writers are often asking our clients for examples of more and more evidence when working with them in order to enhance our bids and increase their prospects of success. It’s equally important to quantify what you say in your bid. Stating that you have a 95% client satisfaction rate is better than stating that you have an ‘excellent’ client satisfaction rate.
- Work off the evaluation criteria and use is as a guide for putting your response together. The evaluation criteria are useful for a cross-check once you have written the response. I.e. when you write your response to a question, read the relevant evaluation criteria and ensure that your response aligns with it.
- Ensure you comply with the mandatory criteria as well as the compliance questions requirements. From safety documentation, to insurances, you need to comply in order to win the contract. This one is not so much of a strategy as it is a fundamental requirement.
- Talk their language. It’s important to incorporate the terminology from the RFT or framework application into your tender or bid. In addition, as part of the tender bidding process in the UK, we recommend you review the website of the Council or other government department, review any future plans and overall mission statement, and incorporate these, including the terminology, into your bid.
Common questions our clients ask about the tender bidding process in the UK
Where can I find tenders or frameworks in the UK to bid on?
There a specific portals where you can find contract opportunities across the UK. These include Contracts Finder, Public Contracts Scotland and Sell2Wales. Here at Tsaks Consulting UK, we provide a tender search service which includes us not only identifying suitable tender opportunities but working with you through the bid/no bid process to ensure you only bid for tenders you have a real chance of winning.
What can I do to be more successful at tender bidding and win more government contracts across the UK?
In our view, in order to take your bids, DPS or framework application to a 9 or 10 out of 10, you need to:
- Provide a submission that responds directly to the buyers’ questions, objectives and requirements. Your response needs to be focused on the client, and what you will do for them.
- Fill your bid with evidence. From testimonials to case studies and difference quantified information, you need to submit a credible response.
- Make sure you nail the social value questions and provide a localised response that shows real downstream economic benefits to the local community.
How long does the tender and bid writing process take?
This depends on the size of the tender or framework, who has issued it, and how much work is involved. Here at Tsaks Consulting UK, we have worked on proposals where the tender bidding process has taken over three months, and others which we have completed in a week. It also depends on the value of the contract. If you speak with our team, we can provide you with a free quote and estimate of how long it will take to complete the tender bidding process.
Is it important to incorporate value added services in tender bidding?
Yes – definitely. This is an important strategy to help you win. It’s critical to show the potential client that you are going to give them more than what they have asked for or requested. Talking about value added services which you will deliver, which go above and beyond the requirements and provide real dollar value benefits to the client is helpful in any UK public sector bid or private sector bid.
Is Social Value important when putting a framework application together?
Yes. It usually represents 10% of the evaluation criteria and we think unofficially, often a lot more. Our team has written a number of guides on writing quality responses to Social Value questions one of which you can find here and here.
Does Tsaks Consulting UK help all types of businesses from all industries?
Yes. Our expert bid writers help businesses from all industries with the tender bidding process. It doesn’t matter if you are from the defence, construction or not-for-profit sector. Our team will help you win a framework, DPS or other government or private sector contract.