Bids and tenders – what buyers really want to know

The Bidding Process – Make it Work for You

Understanding the bidding process and the crucial factors that influence decision making will unlock your ability to make those decisions go in your favour.

Our expert team helps organisations of all sizes to manage the bidding and tender process. We’ll help you understand what the client is really looking for at each stage. And we’ll help you recognise and exploit every opportunity to put your case across clearly, persuasively and memorably.

Does Your Bid Document Hit the Spot?

When you’ve spent hours working on a document, often under intense pressure, it’s not always easy to be objective. There’s a tendency to get immersed in the technical elements and not ‘stand back’ to see whether you are making the most persuasive case possible. The Bid Coach will give you a completely objective review of how well your proposition addresses your client’s needs and whether it’s likely to be convincing. We focus you on the following critical areas:

Do the executive summaries actually do what they should?
Is the document easy to read?
Is it easy to navigate?
Are the visuals relevant and appropriate?
Does it answer the fundamental questions raised by the client?

Bid Writing and Review

There’s a world of difference between filling in a response on a bid and providing a detailed answer that will satisfy your client’s real needs and concerns. Each response is an opportunity to reinforce your case and emphasize your competence and professionalism.

An external pair of eyes will help you spot and grasp the opportunities and help you appreciate exactly what your client needs to see.

We work with leading bid review and bid writing specialists with many years of experience in helping businesses to secure major contracts. Together we will review your bid to make sure you have accurately addressed all of the questions and provided the level of detail that your client expects.

We’ll also help you craft responses to that they are concise, comprehensive and persuasive – putting you in the best possible position to win.

Clearly the technical aspects of the bid are down to you – that’s your business after all. Our focus is on communication and persuasion. If your proposal is lacking in these areas the client may never see the merits of your solution. It’s better to hear this from us while there is still time to make improvements – after all, we’re on your side.

Coaching for Success

Small groups are coached to ensure that your people perform effectively as individuals and as a team; satisfying your client’s queries while reinforcing your key win themes.

Workshops are built around your needs and the particular bid or tender process you are engaged in. Typical areas of focus are as follows:

The client interview

Ensuring your team addresses all of the client’s needs (overt and implicit). For example, ensuring answers are framed to address different interest groups within the client’s team, such as finance or operations.

Preparing for the presentation

Leave nothing to chance! What must be done in advance to ensure that everything runs as efficiently as a Swiss train timetable on the day.

Understanding client's motivations

Why do clients behave the way they do? Get behind the words and understand the meaning of what the client is trying to tell you through their behaviour.

Effective networking

Networking can happen at any time, anywhere. It is often unplanned. Understand how you know when you are networking and how to ensure that you always get the maximum return.