Plain English principles and tender writing
By Jack Raffin, Tender Specialist (Sydney)
There’s a lot to be said about plain English. Preferably, it’s better kept short and sweet.
Plain English is a clear, concise, and direct way of writing. In some cases, say for government, writing in plain English is a requirement. Though this doesn’t mean everyone is on board with the idea.
A common complaint is that using plain English will ‘dumb-down’ the content. I would counter that, as an approach to writing, plain English principles help create more functional, accessible content. It's about clarity, not oversimplification. And it’s been said before: no one has ever complained that a piece of writing was too easy to understand.
When you get into the weeds of plain English, you’ll come across some interesting trends. In a research paper by law professor Christopher Trudeau, it was found that:
Most people (about 80% in the study) prefer sentences written in plain English, avoiding technical jargon where simple English could easily be used instead.
The more educated the person, and the more specialist their knowledge, the greater their preference is for plain English.
Then there’s Mark Morris, former Head of Clear English at the UK Department of Health. He pointed out that readers with the highest literacy levels and the greatest expertise usually have the most to read. And so, the reader simply doesn’t have the time (or need) to drown in an ocean of stale and complex prose when there’s a suitably simpler option available.
In his article on plain English, Morris also said that “in five years of running speech writing and clear English training courses, I have found that fault lies less with people’s ability, more with the pressure—perceived or real—to conform to a supposed ‘civil service style’.”
Are tender writers guilty of the same thing? Are you writing to ‘sound like’ a tender writer? Or are you keeping the delivery simple, focusing on a concise, compliant, and compelling response?
Well, let’s look at some plain English principles, relate them to tender writing, and come up with some helpful tips along the way.
Know your audience
Quick tips:
Write for the reader, not yourself
Understand their needs and expectations
Understand the criteria.
As much as you may want to show yourself off as a writer, remember you’re writing for a specific audience, not for yourself. Before putting pen to paper (or more likely, hands to keyboard), think about who will be reading your work. In our case, ultimately, it’s the evaluators on behalf of the entity procuring the request for tender/proposal/expression of interest.
Now, ask yourself:
What are they looking for?
What are the benefits for them to work with you?
What’s the context in which they’re procuring this tender/proposal/EOI?
Can you answer those questions? Good. Now craft your response with these points in mind. Write in a way that connects with the reader. Understand the criteria back-to-front and speak to what they need to know—not what sounds fancy. ‘Fancy’ being things like overusing formal language, writing overlong sentences. We detail this later on in this post.
Know your audience in this context also: who’s reading what? Say, technical evaluator panels will most likely review the technical documents, such as with construction or engineering. Keep this in mind when writing in clear English. It’s not about losing the technical nuance, but rather supporting it—in a concise and direct way. As Digital NSW puts it: the more specific you are in identifying your audience and your communication goals, the more focused and engaging your writing will become.
Keep it simple
Quick tips:
Use simple, common words
Define your acronyms
Don’t overuse formal language.
Remember that your audience will be reading many submissions, not just yours. So, don’t let your words act like speed bumps. It helps to keep the language familiar, easy to digest. If you’ve got them reaching for a dictionary, or googling to see what a certain acronym means, then you should be doing better.
When it comes to acronyms, spell them out the first time. If there are many acronyms in your document, which can happen, include a glossary list. And avoid making up your own acronyms unless it’s an ongoing defined term.
Another way to keep it simple is to avoid overusing formal language. Some common examples include:
In order to (instead of ‘to’)
Utilise (instead of ‘use’)
Thereafter (instead of ‘then’)
As a consequence of (instead of ‘because’)
Due to the fact that (instead of ‘because’).
Aim for readability
Quick tips:
Use shorter sentences
Use bullet lists and tables to present information
Adjust the reading level.
There are lots of catch phrases when it comes to plain English. Here’s another: Clear writing isn't about removing complexity, but making sure your reader can understand the complexity.
Even with specialist audiences or expert readers, plain English helps the reader process dense amounts of information quicker and easier. For an evaluator going through several dozen submissions, your document in clear English might be a breath of fresh air—and a more engaging read.
Readability refers to how easy a text is to read and understand. The Style Manual recommends writing for a year 7 level (age range of 12 to 14 years). Tools such as Hemingway, Grammarly, or Microsoft Word’s Editor function are some ways to check your document’s reading level.
There’s no hard-and-fast rule or one-size-fits-all tool to solve all your content issues. But checking for readability can give you an idea of how dense your content is, and possibly, how much editing, pruning, and trimming you might have to do.
Another way to improve readability is through clear formatting and structuring. This lets the reader easily scan through the content, giving them a clear idea of what information is up ahead. Formatting for readability can include:
Breaking up sentences into lists
Organising content into clear headings and sections
Using tables to present more complex info
Using suitable font sizes and styles.
Want to know about tender writing? Browse through our Tender Insights and learn more useful tips on tender writing, what to do and what not to do.
Ready to find out more? Contact Tender Plus—specialist tender consultants and tender writers working across Australia.