It’s all a matter of style
By Frosanna Kelso
Tender Specialist (Sydney)
Clear communication and consistency are key to winning a bid. The difference between success and failure is often as simple as just paying attention to detail. A style guide will help with this.
The English language is full of grey areas where there is no one ‘right’ way, which means that the only ‘hard’ rule is consistency. Whatever spelling, grammar, punctation and formatting convention you adopt it needs to be consistently applied throughout your bid. Inconsistent spelling, grammar, punctuation and formatting comes across as untidy, suggesting a bidding organisation that is overloaded and rushing. However, bids are put together through collaboration, involving several authors. As such, the document can become a mix of writing styles and conventions driven by personal practice and preference, rather than clear direction.
A style guide will combat this and minimise the amount of editing required by outlining the writing, spelling, grammar, punctuation and formatting rules for your organisation. It will ensure that a consistent tone, format and style are maintained irrespective of how many people work on the document and make it easy to resolve any disagreements about the grey areas of language.
If your organisation does not already have a style guide, then you should consider creating one. Start with the basics such as:
Grammar: Are you using a singular verb with the names of organisations?
Punctuation: Do you use the Oxford comma? Do you use parentheses or brackets? Do you use single or double quotation marks?
Formatting: Do you put one or two spaces after a full stop? Do you use bullet or numbered lists? How do you format bullet points?
Numbers and measurements: Do you spell numbers or use figures? Do you use symbols for common units of measurement? Do you put a space between the unit of measure and the number? Do you use ‘%’ or ‘percent’? How do you express dollar values? How do you write telephone numbers, dates and times?
Abbreviations and acronyms: Do you need to spell out familiar acronyms? Do you use full stops in acronyms? Do you use an apostrophe to make an acronym plural
Spelling: How do you spell ‘problem’ words such as program or programme, backup or back-up and cooperate or co-operate?
You can then add to the style guide over time as more questions emerge or things change.
By implementing a style guide you will increase efficiency by providing a standard set of writing, spelling, punctuation and grammatical rules. You will minimise the editing required, as well as ensuring a consistent voice. This, in turn, will ensure a polished and professional document and increase your chances of bidding success.