To win a new public sector contract, you need to know how to write a tender that gets attention for the right reasons.
While writing a winning tender is easier said than done, there are some sure-fire ways to help secure success. From initial planning through to reviewing the final product, here are our expert tips to help with your tender preparation and writing.
Tender preparation
Before we look at tips for how to write a tender, remember that planning is the key first step.
Tender responses can be long and complex, and without a plan your writing will inevitably stray away from the winning path. Make sure to create an answer plan for each required response. Define sections with clear headings, and bullet-point the content you’ll include under each one.
In choosing your headings, look to the question you’re answering. Typically, you can easily break down a tender question into chunks, then mirror the question wording in your headings to directly address what is being asked for. This will make sure that the content you include properly answers the question.
Also, consider any word/page count limitations when planning. Think about how much space you should assign to each section, and plan your response accordingly.
If you choose to use a professional bid management consultancy to help support your tender, they’ll use their expertise to plan out all of your tender responses for you, defining suitable headings, the right content to include, and the space in which to include it.
How to write a tender for success
When writing a winning tender, you need to keep your language simple. It’s easy to get complex in an attempt to sound impressive, but this only ever bogs down your response and makes it harder for the evaluator to award marks.
Instead:
- Be clear and concise
- Keep your sentences and paragraphs short and easy to read
- Include definitive statements, backed up by substantive evidence (statistics, client testimonials, case studies etc).
The writing stage is where engaging with a bid writing consultancy will really benefit you – experienced bid writers know how best to get information across. Crucially, they’ll map their writing against the tender specification and evaluation criteria to ensure your tender is up to a winning standard.
Tender presentation and review tips
Presentation is another key element of writing a winning tender, and it’s often overlooked.
Good presentation makes a tender easier to read, and, therefore, easier to award marks to. So, be sure to use headings, bullet points, images/diagrams, and white space to guide evaluators through the tender and highlight your key points. A bid writing consultancy will usually create a response template to ensure your presentation is suitable, effective, and consistent across responses.
The final part of the writing process is reviewing your tender. It’s best to put a tender through a few rounds of reviews to be sure to pick up on any inaccuracies, discrepancies, or writing that could use some further work.
You should try to have a few different people go over your tender – or consider using a professional bid review service, to ensure it’s up to a winning standard. Having an external party review your bid brings additional benefits: in particular, they’ll be able to identify where you might have relied too heavily on your own foundational understanding of your service, meaning an evaluator would struggle to follow along.
While you now have a much better idea of how to write a winning tender, if you need expert advice or support on any aspect of your tender preparation, please contact our team who will be delighted to help