Writing Tenders Top Tip: Start Early!

There are a lot of hints and tips about writing tenders in Bid Management. This post deals with a fundamental issue (and common problem) regarding writing tenders and bid management – actually getting started with the tender response.

Writing tenders is not most people’s favourite pastime. Therefore they often put off looking at a tender until near the deadline. Also many agonise about what to write, leading to more procrastination. So tenders get left until the last minute and then rushed… normally resulting in a second rate tender submission and less chance of being successful.

Writing Tenders Top Tip – Get started as soon as possible!

You normally have 3-4 weeks to submit a tender or PQQ; this initially seems like a long time but it soon goes so do make a start in the first few days. This allows you to:

• Start planning and thinking about the content
• Consider who else you need to involve to help you win the bid (eg colleagues, bank references, accountants, suppliers etc.)
• Get that monkey off your back! Making a start removes some of the pressure from you

Just get on with writing the tender responses! Don’t worry if it’s not perfect or if it’s over the word limit, you can make changes later (indeed you should always review each version and edit accordingly). But you will have at least made a start and have got the brain working on the task ahead.

Do you want help with tendering? Feel free to contact us for an informal chat.

OK, in the real world it’s not always possible to start writing tenders immediately but starting early really does help. Conversely, not allowing sufficient time to prepare a good bid is one of the main causes for losing tenders.

It’s such an obvious thing but it’s so often ignored. Please do make an early start to writing on your next tender – it should help improve your chances of success.

Do you wait until the 11th hour? Or get cracking on a tender straight away? Comments below please.