Didn’t win that tender submission? Ask for feedback!
None of us like to lose, especially when you’ve put lots of time and effort (not to mention bucks if you’ve paid for professional help) into creating a tender response submission. As hard as it is to miss out though, this is a golden opportunity to seek feedback so you can get some clues as to what you could do better next time.
None of us likes to lose, especially when you’ve put lots of time and effort (not to mention bucks if you’ve paid for professional help) into creating a tender submission. Although, as hard as it is to miss out, this is a golden opportunity to seek feedback so you can get some clues as to what you could do better next time.
Not all organisations will provide feedback, but you'll never know if you don't ask! Suppose your tender submission was for a local Council contract. In that case, it's also a good idea to search on the Council website for the minutes of the Councillor's monthly meetings - these are always publicly available and usually include a section relating to the outcome of tenders (aka who won what and why).
The level of feedback offered will vary substantially depending on who issued the tender. Some may offer a face-to-face debrief designed to provide honest feedback and insights on what parts of your tender letter could have been improved. This information is gold for your business, so use it well.
Other tender issuers may provide a ranking score against each evaluation criterion for all tenders received. Sometimes this will list all tenderers and their scores by name, and sometimes this will list all tenderers, with everyone but your business listed with a generic name (e.g., Company 1, Company 2, etc.).
Either way, it’s an excellent opportunity to see where you sat amongst your competitors and what areas let you down. If you don’t get much information, but you do get the chance to ask questions, it’s always good to know:
Who won the tender submissions? It will help you better understand your competition.
How many were received, and where did you rank? It’s always a good thing to know where you sit amongst your competitors so you know your relative position.
How you scored against the evaluation criteria, and whether there were any areas where you didn’t meet the standards required or made mistakes.
What areas the evaluation panel felt you should improve on next time?
Once you have this information, you’ll know what let you down and what you should improve when you start your next tender submission. Any feedback should provide you with valuable insights, and it’s important to share this with your team as soon as you can so they can start working on creating updated content.
If you need a hand, I’m here to help, and I’ve also written my professional tender writing tips, which are free to anyone who wants them - just fill in the form on my home page, give me a call on 0400 514579 or shoot me an email to pauline@tenderwise.com.au. I’m also happy to provide you with a review of your unsuccessful tender - obligation and cost-free.
In the meantime, happy tendering!
Pauline
6 Reasons Why Incumbents Lose Tenders
So you’ve been enjoying a lucrative Government or Commercial contract but the contract term is coming to a close and you have to get on the tender merry-go-round once again. But all too often I see the incumbent fail - and I usually end up talking to them 3 years later when the contract is again up for tender. So what goes wrong? I’ve reviewed loads of tenders prepared by the incumbent service provider and I can tell you a few common issues I see time after time.
So you’ve been enjoying a lucrative Government or Commercial contract but the term is coming to a close and you have to get on the tender merry-go-round once again. But all too often I see the incumbent fail — and I usually end up talking to them three years later when the contract is again up for tender.
What goes wrong?
I’ve reviewed loads of tenders prepared by the incumbent service providers, and I can tell you a few common issues I see time after time:
1. You’ve been doing it for years, and they know you, right?
Wrong. The tender evaluation panel will be made up of a bunch of people who don’t know you from Adam, so don’t let your history with the client lull you into a sense of security that this one is in the bag because it most definitely isn’t.
Now is the time to demonstrate your experience and quality service delivery for the client, and make sure that you point out that since you’re the incumbent service provider, you’ve accumulated a wealth of knowledge about the site and client processes and that no transition is required.
2. You haven’t done your homework.
Check out who is tendering so you know who you’re up against. How? Well, the tender briefing session (if there is one) is a good opportunity to suss out the competition. Some tender sites also display who has registered their interest or downloaded the documents, so check it out.
3. You think you know what the client wants.
It’s because you’ve been providing incumbent services to them for years. That may be the case, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t thoroughly review the documentation just to see if any requirements have changed.
4. Your pricing is out of step with where the market is at.
If you’ve been providing services for years to the same client and increasing your rates annually, it may be that you’re no longer price-competitive. Use your client contacts if possible to (carefully) find out if you need to review your rates.
5. You’re not thinking about innovation and value-add.
ANYTHING you can include in your tender that demonstrates your ability to go the extra mile as an incumbent service provider — innovating or adding value to the client will go a long way to help you create a winning bid. If you’ve gone above and beyond the contract requirements, don’t be afraid to highlight it.
6. You leave your preparation until the last minute.
Preparing a quality, persuasive, and winning tender response is no small task, so ensure you give yourself plenty of time to finish the job well.
Wrapping Up
If you’re the incumbent service provider on a contract that has just gone out to tender and need a hand with your tender submission, I’m here to help - just call Pauline on 0400 154579, contact me here, or even better, send me an email at pauline@tenderwise.com.au. I write fantastic tender submissions morning, noon, and night, and I can help you put together a great pitch (and I do all of the hard yards; all I need from you is a brain dump of key information).
Want to know what my clients say about my services? Check them out here.