AI can write a polished, convincing tender response. But what happens when it makes assumptions that are completely wrong? A rather hilarious encounter with my AI assistant revealed how inherited bias can slip into seemingly intelligent answers - and why accuracy, evidence and a healthy dose of scepticism matter when using AI for tender writing.

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Winning the tender is worth celebrating - but it’s also when everything you promised suddenly becomes a commitment. From contracts and mobilisation to people, systems, reporting and KPIs, here’s what happens after the “Congratulations, you’ve won” email arrives.

A strong tender response starts long before the RFT arrives. From project examples and current CVs to performance data, methodologies and client feedback, the evidence you’ll need is often already inside your business. The trick is capturing it before the tender deadline starts ticking.

Better tender responses often start with better questions. Learn how asking the right follow-up questions can uncover stronger evidence, clearer differentiators and the detail evaluators need to understand your business.

I'll say something that might seem strange coming from someone who makes a living writing tenders.

AI can write a pretty decent tender response.

So why would anyone still engage a professional tender writer Because producing words is only one part of developing a strong tender submission.

There’s a question I ask almost every new tender writing client.

“So… tell me the story of your business.”

Usually, we’ve already talked about the tender: what the contract involves, when the response is due, what the evaluation criteria look like and whether the opportunity is genuinely a good fit.

Many business owners assume a tender writer simply "writes the words" before submitting a bid. In reality, that's only a small part of the job.

A good tender writer is part strategist, part project manager, part editor and part compliance expert. Their role is to help you present your business in the strongest possible light while ensuring your submission meets every requirement of the request documentation. So, what does a tender writer actually do? And more importantly, is hiring one worth it? Here’s the low down.

When people ask what I do for a living, the conversation rarely gets more exciting. Most of my days involve coffee, Word documents, spreadsheets, and a lot of questions that begin with, "What exactly do they mean by this?" But every now and then, a tender document lands in my inbox that makes me stop, blink twice, and wonder whether anyone actually read it before releasing it.

After years of working with businesses across Australia to prepare tender submissions, I've had the opportunity to review hundreds of their earlier bids. Some have been successful. Some haven't.

If there’s one section that consistently separates strong tenders from the ones that miss the mark, it’s the methodology. And it’s also the section most businesses get wrong. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen methodologies that are either too generic, too high-level or just a copy and paste of how you usually do things.

If you’ve ever put your heart and soul into a tender submission, only to lose out to a competitor you know isn’t the cheapest, you’ve probably found yourself asking the same question - something along the lines of “how on earth did they win that?” The answer, more often than not, comes down to one of the most misunderstood phrases in tendering - VALUE FOR MONEY.

Winning a government tender isn’t just about sitting down at the last minute and writing something that sounds impressive. It’s about being genuinely set up to deliver the work before you even type the first word of your submission. And this is where I see so many good businesses come unstuck.