The 3 aspects of a tender you need to take responsibility for

Ryan May, Tender Specialist (Perth)

Tenders are unwieldy, and you can be certain that not one will ever run perfectly to plan. For this reason, it is important that we do everything in our power to make the journey as smooth as possible, knowing that the road is ridden with unavoidable potholes (yes, some are very deep, and they WILL give you whiplash).

Part of this is taking responsibility for the aspects of the tender we have been allocated, and even for those parts we may only have passing involvement with. It is when things go wrong and undetected, and remain that way for long periods of time, that a tender is truly at risk of running off the road. Here are my top three tips on preventing this.

The company keeps giving me annual leave, and I’m about to make it everybody’s problem

Annual leave is a great thing, and I encourage you to go on as many vacations as your wallet allows. It is crucial that we all get out and take holidays to ensure we don’t assimilate physically with our office chairs, and to keep our minds fresh and healthy. For your sake, and for everyone else’s, when you do book these holidays, do so in advance. This is particularly relevant for long trips overseas or interstate, where you’re likely to be gone for weeks at a time. Provide notice a few months ahead of your trip to give those in charge of workload allocation time to accommodate for your absence. Similarly, your coworkers will not thank you if you disappear with little to no warning in the middle of a monumental tender. Take responsibility and do your best to ensure that everyone has time to plan for your absence. Providing plenty of warning will also give yourself time to plan your vacation with the care it deserves! There is nothing worse than getting back from an overseas trip with a suitcase full of regret.

I can do it all (until I can’t)

Tender planning and work allocation has to be a collaborative process. Those bestowing work on others aren’t always going to have a great idea of what you already have on your plate, and they will get it wrong from time to time. Maybe you’re already working on multiple projects, or maybe you work part time and just don’t have the capacity to work on the tender that has been pushed in front of you. Communicate your position with those who allocate the work and help them to find a solution. Perhaps this will mean spreading your workload across a few other people or allocating it to another person entirely until you’re freed up later in the bid process. Whatever you do, don’t sit on it! Not informing anyone will only result in frustration and burn out later down the line, and the resulting tender submission will suffer alongside your mental health.

Similarly, if you can see someone else is struggling with what they’ve been tasked to do, talk to them and encourage them to ask for help. Allowing things to slide under the radar until it’s too late will benefit no one, and help will be required regardless – only with far less time and a lot more stress.

You get responsibility! And you get responsibility!

While it is important to speak up when allocated work you cannot complete to a high standard, those allocating the work also need to be vigilant when determining who should do what. Take note of what the requirements of a tender schedule are and ensure that the person being made responsible has the knowledge and contacts to complete the work. There is little point in allocating a schedule on risk to someone who only knows pricing. Failure to do this will cause problems such as delayed progress and poor quality.

Additionally, it is important to account for leave. If you know someone has a three-week holiday booked, make sure you have someone on hand to cover for them during this period. And most importantly, tell them they are responsible! It is all well and good to allocate work to people, but if they do not know that they are supposed to be performing something like tender writing, they won’t – a huge issue when you get to silver or gold review and schedules are yet to be touched!

Get help when you need it

Tendering is not an easy process. It requires everyone to take responsibility, especially when it comes to managing workloads and resourcing. Where you don’t have the resources to push a tender across the finish line, Tender Plus can help. We specialise in everything tender related, from tender strategy to tender writing and everything in between. Don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’d love to hear from you!

If you found this article interesting, you may also enjoy some of our other blogs, such as How to tender without giving up your day job and Are you writing to win?.