Guidelines to Set You on Course

Focus on the client's needs

The prime function of a bid can be seen from the standpoint of the contractor as securing work through a competitive response to the client's requirements. But it is important to view the bid also from the client's perspective. For the client, its purpose is to help identify accurately and reliably the contractor likely to deliver the best value and achieve the best results. Following the client's instructions and supplying the information the client needs to reach this decision are matters of common sense; yet it is surprising how many bids fail in this respect.

The procurement activity in which the bid plays a central role is 'owned' by the client: it is the client who sets up the competition, the client who invites contractors to bid and the client who judges the qualities of each competitor. So the client's priorities, not those of the contractor, have to take centre stage. A bid that shares with the client an identity of understanding and commitment is more likely to succeed than one that sees only the contractor's point of view. This is one reason why it is important to try to gain in-depth knowledge about a client's business environment, strategies and objectives before the stage of writing the bid. And it is the reason why an effort has been made throughout the guidance offered in this book to reflect the views and preferences expressed by clients.

Match the bid to the opportunity

Knowing how to develop bids efficiently and communicate them powerfully is a key business skill, essential for survival and growth. Bids are first and foremost business documents. To succeed they need to exhibit businesslike qualities both in the way they address the work to be done and in the way they speak to the client.

The bid has to show that the person or people who wrote it thought hard about the client's requirements, developed it specifically for that opportunity and exercised care in its preparation, and that it was not patched together using copy-and-paste commands. Some contractors seem to have a production-line attitude to bids. They think they have found an easy solution: all that is necessary is to splice and recycle the same material. This is because they see bid preparation as a chore to be despatched with as little effort on their part as possible. It is a frame of mind that wins few marks from clients. They can instantly detect a standard, off-the-shelf formula dusted down for one more appearance.

Give each bid your best effort

Few contractors manage to win work by half-heartedly going through the motions of tendering. There is little point in submitting a bid unless it is designed to be as competitive as it can be in terms of both technical quality and value for money. The aim should be to establish an invincible case for the superiority of the bid, working hard to get its content right and communicating its strengths as convincingly as possible.

Be honest and realistic about what you can achieve

Don't oversell or inflate the bid with unrealizable promises. The only result of that will be flocks of chickens coming home to roost. Back up your claims with solid facts and credentials that you can prove.

Readability makes a difference

No amount of slick phrasing can disguise a lack of technical substance. But a bid needs to be written in a way that conveys energy and enthusiasm, and it should be interesting and easy to read. There is a consensus among evaluators that the bids most likely to win are those that make their case straightforwardly, concisely and vividly. Once in a while an evaluator will be fortunate enough to come across one that is really outstanding: it may have an imaginative and compelling structure; it may have examples that bring the text to life; it may communicate an intense commitment to the challenges of the assignment; its use of graphics may be unusually creative; it may have a hands-on feel and a clear sense of having done the job before. All these qualities give the bid a directness and personality that heighten its competitive impact.

Keep calm and in control

If they were willing to admit it, there are many contractors who greet the arrival of an invitation to tender not with eagerness but with feelings close to panic. This reaction is understandable when you are faced with a complex and stressful intellectual challenge and an unforgiving deadline, particularly if you have relatively little experience of bid writing. But don't let fear last for more than about five minutes: you need to get down to work! The best antidote is to know that you have available a structured procedure that will enable you to develop the bid methodically and that will quickly yield positive results. That is what the guidance in this book is intended to provide.