Chapter 19: Using Graphics in the Bid


Certain kinds of information are communicated more directly and powerfully by graphics than in words. This information principally concerns relationships - for example, the way a series of actions relate to form a process as in a network, and the way two variables relate as in graphs. Network diagrams communicate the logical relationships between project activities; the bar charts of team inputs portray the relationship between the use of resources (people) and the work calendar (time). These relationships could be expressed in words, but only at much greater length and with less likelihood of the message being absorbed and retained.

Even where the message is straightforward, graphics have an impact and an immediacy that words cannot always attain. They are more economical than text, allowing information to be condensed and punched home more directly. They are valuable also as design elements, adding interest and variety to the page and relieving an otherwise drab procession of paragraphs. Every part of a bid has material amenable to graphic presentation. Whether you are describing key credentials, patterns of cause and effect or the relationship of items and actions, think about a figure that can communicate these concepts clearly and directly.

The Bid Cover

The cover is the first the client will see of your bid: it is your first opportunity to project your identity and the quality of your offer. For the client too, the identity of the firm or group submitting the document is the key item of information on the cover. It should stand out more conspicuously than anything else on the cover by means of a logo or the use of effective typography.

Like other elements in the bid, requirements for cover information may be specified by the client. As well as the name of the bidder, they may include the heading used in the contract notice or invitation to tender, a reference number denoting the contract and the submission date.

When you are deciding on the design of the cover, avoid banal devices such as the client's logo or statements of the obvious (eg a picture of street lamps on a tender for street lighting services). Make the cover different and memorable - for the right reasons! Think about the attributes the client will expect to see in the winning bid. If creativity and innovation are important to the client, shouldn't the look of the bid have those qualities?

Any photograph used on the cover should be a powerful, high-quality image. There is much to be said for a straightforward, cleanly designed cover relying for its impact on an economical use of well-chosen typography and colour.

Remember that a bid can just as easily be laid on the client's desk face down as face up. Put your name or logo or both on the back cover too. If the bid is perfect bound, use the spine to indicate your identity and the subject of the bid.




Bids, Tenders and Proposals. Winning Business Through Best Practice
Bids, Tenders and Proposals: Winning Business through Best Practice (Bids, Tenders & Proposals: Winning Business Through Best)
ISBN: 0749454202
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 145
Authors: Harold Lewis

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