Why “more information” doesn’t win tenders (and what to do instead)
If you’re new to tendering, it’s easy to assume that including more information will improve your chances of success. However, only the right information adds value. Extra, irrelevant details will dilute your message, making it harder for evaluators to find what matters.
I used to think more words would equal more value. I’d worry about leaving something out, so I include everything in. These range from past projects, background information and “nice to know” extras. This all-encompassing approach was my safety net.
In reality, overloading a submission with information is one of the quickest ways to lose the evaluators’ attention. Rest assured, they are not looking for everything you know. Having worked across tenders, my observation is that they are looking for relevant answers to their specific questions. This means that if the information you provide does not directly respond to the question being asked, you will most likely:
Bury your strongest points
Make your response harder to navigate
Create ambiguity about whether you’ve actually addressed the requirements of the tender, and
Increase the risk of inconsistency throughout your submission.
The most experienced and successful teams that I’ve worked with will ensure their responses are targeted and tailored to the question. They dedicate time to analyse and interpret each question before beginning their response. They ask questions such as:
What is the client actually asking for here?
What do they want to see?
What information helps them score this response?
Asking the right questions will help structure a really concise, compelling and persuasive response. You’ll end up with a really strong submission, where every schedule further demonstrates why your organisation would be the best fit for the project.
So how can you tell if you've given too much or too little information? One of the simplest ways is to cross reference against the submission requirements and evaluation criteria. Check if you have answered every part of what is being asked, or just the part you felt most comfortable writing. Also, if you removed a paragraph altogether, would it have mattered? If the answer to that last question is no, the content is likely surplus.
Remember, relevance plays a role in a winning submission. So, before you submit your next tender, take a step back and assess your responses first. You are, after all, now equipped with fresh insights!
Still building confidence? Why not enlist the help of external professionals who bring an understanding of how tender responses should be structured? Give us a call today, and we can discuss next steps.
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