Offers, Bids and Proposals

Submitting bids and bids is a great way to grow and expand your business and is a great way for a small business to grow into a much larger company. It can be frustrating and expensive to make an offer, as this job takes you away from other business activities. However, winning a bid gives you access to a new client and other project opportunities. You should also consider whether you have the financial capacity and moral strength to undertake big projects, so choose your opportunities very carefully. Smaller projects can help your business grow efficiently and profitably with less drama and heartache. Here are some tips to remember when producing bids.

1. Work in partnership on larger tenders, sharing the risk, costs and work required with a similar company, but also the profit.

2. Make sure what you offer can be provided at the price you offer.

3. Arrive on time with your submission: If you miss the deadline date and time, you will not be judged.

4. Ask and review the questions if you are not sure. The questions being asked are a great way to understand what other bidders are struggling with.

5. In the same way, attend the information sessions.

6. Read the RFP and PQQ several times, particularly the guidance notes, must-haves, and evaluation criteria. This gives you a wealth of insight into what is required and what will earn you good points.

7. Keep word count and guidance on what to produce. If it says there are no attachments, for example, they won’t be evaluated, so keep this information in the main body of the offer. This includes CVs/resumes.

8. Research: Look at sample offers on the internet and try to find out who your target company is currently dealing with.

9. Understand your target company and what kind of goals and visions it has. Show in your offer that you understand the company.

10. Understand who you may be competing against and try to find your USP that will put you above them.

11. Don’t use jargon without explaining it first.

12. Do not lie about your bid to win; will come back to haunt you if they find out or if you win a bid you can’t produce.

13. Many companies are risk averse, so make sure they understand how you are mitigating risk.

14. Mention your company name at least once in every question, just to remind the weary tester who you are. Be positive about what you CAN provide. Modesty in proposals is not allowed.

15. Get your target company excited about working with your company while giving them the confidence that you can provide a winning solution.

16. Do not name or refer to competitors, but make sure you appear better than them in your proposal.

17. Use consistent branding and great presentation throughout your proposal, particularly if it’s written by more than one person.

18. Make sure all attachments have your company name, copyright and bid reference, and obviously if you reference an attachment, make sure it was actually sent.

19. Make sure your cost model is accurate and makes you profitable. Winning because you have a low price offer is not good if you are tied to a non-profit proposition for years to come.

20. Finally, do a quality check to ensure that you have answered all questions correctly, checked for spelling and grammar, and have not skipped any requirements.

21. Always ask for feedback on your proposal, even if you lose.

22. If you are invited to a presentation, do not assume you have won, they usually ask for several. Prepare to give the best possible presentation of your solution.

23. Keep bidding, it’s a numbers game, the more you bid, the better chance you have of winning, especially as you get better and faster and bid.