Navigating the minefield: how we tender
Whether we like it or not, most goods and services are procured via competitive tender processes. The tender process can be a minefield of information and requirements that can be difficult to navigate and often have lots of moving parts covering a broad range of criteria from selling an organisation’s capability, methodology, and appetite for commercial and legal risk (and more).
But fear not, this is our bread and butter! We have a team of 14 tender specialists on hand that can support you through the unwieldy procurement process whenever you need it. Whether it be strategy development, tender management, or writing support, we've got you!
So, what is a tender specialist, and how does our support look in practice?
Picture the scene: you are informed that an EOI or RFT is due to land in the coming weeks, you have limited capacity and have limited strategic and tender experience within your organisation, or your internal tender team is maxed out.
Part 1: You need help! And fast…that’s where we come in.
Following our well-established tender strategy framework, we will provide planning and facilitation support for strategic workshops utilising well-versed tools based on industry best practice. Our framework will give you the building blocks to fully understand your value proposition, help with the facilitation of brainstorming workshops to identify strategies that leverage your opportunities, exploit your strengths, and understand capability gaps, as well as support with strategising on how to bridge those gaps.
What do you get out of this, I hear you ask? Well, we will help you analyse and consolidate all the output from these activities into a clear win strategy and proactive action plan to ensure you are fully prepared for that tender release, giving you a competitive edge early.
Part 2: The tender lands, now what?
We will assign a dedicated Submission Manager and specialist Tender Writers.
The Submission Manager will lead and drive the tender process. We will analyse the tender documentation, review them in alignment with the win strategy (see part 1). From here, we will ensure that the win strategy aligns with the tender requirements and doesn’t include any nasty surprises!
Next steps will be to collate the key compliance instructions and socialise these with the full tender team. We will work alongside the Project Director to coordinate and facilitate the necessary meetings including kick-off meetings, weekly submission management check-ins, coordinate and facilitate content development and review process workshops.
Additionally, the Submission Manager will manage a team of specialist Tender Writers who will help develop fully formatted templates and provide a structured blueprint for each response that aligns with the tender compliance and technical requirements. This is where the stage is set in preparation for writing to begin.
Part 3: Now it’s time to ‘put pen to paper’
Collaborating directly with your Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), our writers will conduct interviews asking a series of targeted questions, based on the tender requirements and your win strategy. This will help us deep dive into your solution to develop a clear, concise response that is structurally easy to follow and shines a spotlight on your capabilities and answers all tender requirements.
Each response will go through a rigorous review process with dedicated SME reviewers. The goal at each review stage is to help mature the response to an expert level. Remember, the review process isn’t to criticise your work but to constructively improve your response. It’s always useful to have a fresh set of eyes to add additional perspective.
How do we know the process and solution work?
In the last 12 months, we have worked on a range of complex tenders of varying size and value, all with their own specific challenges to solve. Recently we supported a large Public, Private, Partnership tender where we offered strategic leadership, submission management, and writing support. This included facilitation of strategic workshops with up to thirty people, rallying and leading SMEs across multiple partnering organisations to develop their written content, ensuring compliance with the tender requirements, and meeting key milestones. The outcome, we were able to stick to key deadlines, ultimately leading us to submit one day early (often unheard of in the tendering world).
So what?
The moral of the story is that bids can be messy and complex, and without the right team, you are more likely to produce a substandard tender response that may potentially get you kicked out of the running early. We advocate for quality over quantity every time!
Competitive procurement processes are not going away, and without the right support, you will be left in the bargain bucket! Tender Plus is here to help. Feel free to get in touch; no matter your tender pains, we have a solution that will help.