Thinking of engaging a tender writer? Here's what to expect

Tender writing is a specialised technical skill — it can be hard work and laborious, and many businesses choose to take the DIY route.  But if you’re thinking of engaging a professional tender writer, here’s what you should expect from them.

They remain calm under pressure

The process of writing a tender submission comes with a certain amount of pressure, particularly if the deadline is tight (tight to me generally means less than a week). Tension can get high, especially if you are dragging the chain with getting much-needed information through to your tender writer. Remember, you’re the expert in your business, and there’s only so much they can do without getting information from you. 

But no matter the situation, a good writer remains calm and cool-headed to avoid any confusion or loss of direction. Rather than asking you to write comprehensive answers to their questions, they’ll ask you just to do a brain dump or send them any relevant documentation you may already have that they can read through to get the necessary details.

They have excellent time management skills

Most of the time, tender writers have more than one tender submission to accomplish, and all of these have a deadline. But regardless, they must have excellent time management skills to complete your tender responses before the deadline. As a professional writer, I never accept a tender job if I have any doubt about my ability to complete it at least two days before the deadline. That gives my clients time to review it and let me know if they want any changes before they submit it. Usually, my clients have only minor changes to make, if any, and the draft I send them is always pretty much the final version.

They know how to ask the right questions

You can expect that your bid tender writer will ask you lots of questions so they can write an accurate and compelling submission for your business. A good one will also tell you that if you don’t have the answers, let them know as soon as possible — creativity is an essential skill, and they are there to make your life easier, not harder.

They are creative

Some of the questions asked in tender response submissions are way beyond reality for many small businesses. Questions such as how you ensure modern slavery isn’t evident in your supply chains, industrial relations plan, or indigenous reconciliation action plan. Good and professional tender writers won’t expect you to have all of the answers. They will use their creativity to develop something for you that’s believable and relevant to your business.

They are assertive

An effective writer is polite but assertive, so if they think changes need to be made to your strategic thinking, they won’t be afraid to speak up.  They should be confident to challenge internal stakeholders and propose alternatives to ensure you’ll have an outstanding tender response submission to put forward.

They have very effective writing skills

Writing tenders isn’t just about filling in the response schedules. It’s about being effective and persuasive and developing a highly compelling story that demonstrates exactly why your business meets all of the tender requirements.

They communicate regularly

Two-way communication is essential, especially if you engage a tender writer who will be working remotely. A professional will communicate the updates and status of your submission regularly. I usually communicate by email, regardless of their location, because it helps ensure nothing gets lost, and it’s also less disrupting for my clients (and me) than constant phone calls. I also tell my clients before we get started that I’m about to become their best friend for the next week or two as the submission develops, and I keep asking for clarifications where needed.

They are dependable

Dependability is a crucial factor for any tender bid writer. You don’t want to part with your cash and then find them failing to deliver, or not deliver to a high standard. How do you determine their dependability and reliability?  Check their past work and client testimonials as a starting point. I ask all of my clients to provide me with a testimonial about the service I’ve delivered and these are placed verbatim on my website.  I’m always happy to put a new client in touch with any of my previous clients so they can chat to them about what the experience of working with me was like.

They are personable

It’s important that you connect with your bid tender writer — you should feel comfortable with their tone and approach, and the best way to judge this is through your first phone call (prior to you making any commitment). Are they generous with their time? Do they talk about the strategic approach to developing the response? Do they raise items that you should be considering? My personal opinion is that the first phone call is vital for both of us so we can feel comfortable with each other and develop some rapport. Following that, I always ask my prospective new client if they would like me to send them a proposal to build their tender response submission.

Wrapping up

So there you have it — what you should expect from your tender writer. If you need a hand with your tender submission, TenderWise is here to help. Just give me a call (Pauline) or chat on 0400 514579 or contact us here.

The beginner's guide to creating a compelling tender submission

Tender submission requirements can be pretty arduous, and sometimes it's hard to resist the temptation to just dump your answers without creating a strategy first. But that can quickly turn into a disaster if you miss some of the requirements or don't answer all questions appropriately.

To create a successful submission, you must follow a specific strategy to ensure it is compelling enough to win that contract. I've prepared a quick beginner's guide to writing the most compelling tender submissions here.

Read the specifications of the contract carefully

Don’t dive headfirst into writing your submission without reading the specifications very, very carefully, highlighting the important parts as you go. While this can be a boring and protracted process, it’s also essential because you must understand precisely the response requirements. Mark all areas that need more attention, such as the primary themes you must address. It will be your starting point to draw out your storyline and winning themes.

Deconstruct the questions

Next, look at some examples of tender submissions. But more importantly,  carefully scrutinise the requirements and the questions you need to answer. Avoid the mistake of not answering the questions accordingly. Ask yourself why the tender issuer is asking those questions and what exactly they are looking for in your tender submission. To focus on your response, you must deconstruct each question to break down your answers into manageable sections. That should make your tender writing process a lot easier. Don’t hesitate to clarify anything you’re not sure about before the clarification deadline.

Be persuasive

Now, it’s time to write your most compelling tender submission. The first thing to keep in mind when constructing your response is that you have to be persuasive, not just descriptive. Frame it in a way that it’s most advantageous to the buyer. You must always keep in mind that you have to provide them with the best reasons to award you the contract. Ultimately, you don’t just have to meet the criteria — more importantly, you need to persuade them that you’re the best bidder.

Provide comprehensive answers

One of the reasons some tender submissions fail is by giving one-sentence responses to questions. Check the word limit and provide answers that are as comprehensive as you can. I don’t mean just throwing in words for the sake of filling up the page — your response should be concise but complete — and it should answer every question they ask.

Use simple language

Remember that you’re writing a submission, not a speech. So, avoid flowery words, as it will only make it harder to read and assess. Keep your language as simple as possible to convey your intention as clearly as possible. Make it professional to avoid it from looking like a tender submission template only. If they allow it, you can also use visuals to stress your point and serve as pieces of evidence for your submission. Using tables, graphs, images, etc., is an excellent idea to make it stand out.

Provide evidence for your claims

A persuasive submission takes more than just excellent writing skills. You must be able to provide evidence for your claim that you’re the company most deserving of the contract. Testimonials, statistics, and reports are significant elements that can help convince the buyer of your organisation’s strengths. If the response submission guidelines allow it, don’t be afraid to include supporting evidence.

Avoid fluff

Writing tender submissions always requires you to be straight to the point. Never waste your word limits on fluff and filler content. Be concise, and never write anything that doesn’t answer the question straight away.

Ask an additional pair of eyes to proofread your work

Reaching the end of writing your tender is a great relief. But that doesn’t mean you’re ready to submit it already. Ask someone who is not involved in your contract preparation to proofread your work. I can’t stress enough how important it is to proofread your tender submissions because an additional pair of eyes will always prove useful in finding:

• Mistakes, such as unnecessary words or sentences

• Contradictions that may sound negative

• Missing points that you can include

Present your bid professionally

It may sound like it’s an obvious thing to do when submitting your tenders, but you’ll be surprised at how often this is overlooked. Keep in mind that first impressions are always the most crucial part of the submission process. So, while writing it, ensure your design is consistent throughout the document. Having a cover letter for tender submission is crucial. Then, check the specification requirements relating to how you will submit your tender. If they allow design elements, make sure that you use professional designs. You want the buyer to perceive you as professional, organised, and, more importantly, serious about the tender process.

Get Started

Now that you already have this quick beginners’ guide, you’re now ready to write the most compelling tender submission. But if you think it’s still a little too much for you and you need professional help, TenderWise is here. Just give Pauline a call for a chat on 0400 514579 or contact us here.

Here's how to respond to a tender for work successfully

Whether it's your first time tendering for work or you're already a veteran in the industry, the goal remains the same — to be successful. But the tender response process can be complex and daunting to many. If you don't do it correctly, success may be hard to reach. 

However, with the right strategy, you can successfully win that contract. What's more — you'll also gain recognition that can open more doors and opportunities for your business — and all it takes is to win one major contract, whether commercial or government.

Here’s how to tender for work successfully.

Evaluate your business

Before you even look for a tender that’s right for you, the first thing you need to do is evaluate what your business can do to make you stand out from all of your competitors. Analyse your company’s turnover history, experience, goal, and what you need to do to achieve that goal. Consider whether you will be able to take on more work with your existing staff and plant or if you need to bring on more resources to accommodate more work.

Prepare your Capability Statement

Now that you know what your company is capable of, it’s time to put it all into writing. Not all tenders for work will ask to see a copy of your Capability Statement. Still, it’s a good idea to have one — and it’s helpful to send along with any general proposals, quotes, or pitches for business that you may send out.

Seek the right opportunities

When looking for opportunities, looking for the right ones for your business is vital. A question to ask yourself is if you can meet the technical skills and experience requirements of the work you have your eyes on.

Make sure also that you’re getting all those opportunities. Register with the tendering websites to get alerts when a tender relevant to your business is released. The easiest way to find the tender websites pertinent to your location is to simply do a Google search for the type of tender work you’re looking for and then sign up.

Be warned, though — some sites are subscription-based and can be pretty expensive, but most Government tenders will be free.

If you’re looking for work from your local Council, check their website; it will have a link to wherever they advertise their tenders. A question to ask yourself is if you can meet the technical skills and experience requirements of the work you have your eyes on.

Read and fully understand the tender requirements

While you may think it’s the best-suited bid submission for you based on the headline and summary of work, reading it and fully understanding it will allow you to know the requirements. Can you comply with those requirements? Are there pre-qualification requirements? What do you think are your chances? These and more are the things you need to consider to ensure success.

Write your winning tender response

Now, the fun but challenging part! Sure, you can always write a tender response yourself or hire a tender writer. But doing it to win it is a different story. Whatever industry you belong to, some elements remain the same when writing your tender.

Here are some tips for you:

• Be confident

  Your tender response should be able to demonstrate that you're confident you can do the perfect job for them. So, refrain from using vague phrases, such as "We think", "We can", or "We believe", and write more assertive terms, such as "We will", indicating that you're 100% sure of your capabilities to benefit their company should your tender submission wins.

• Keep it straight to the point

  Keep in mind that your tender issuer will be reading plenty of responses, so don’t let them get lost in information overload. Include only the most relevant information, and keep it concise and straight to the point.

• Specify what’s in it for them

  Remember that it’s not about you. It’s all about the tender issuer, so you have to make sure that you clearly state what the benefits are if they choose to offer that contract to your business.

• Avoid these tendering mistakes

• Lastly, proofread, proofread, proofread,

Submit it and win it!

Once all of these steps are done, you’re now ready to submit your awesome tender response submission. But tendering for work is everything but easy if you’re new to it. Tendering can be complex, time-consuming, and pretty daunting. I hope that these tips can help guide you through how to tender for work successfully. But if you need some assistance, TenderWise is here to help. Just give Pauline a call for a chat on 0400 514579 , email me at pauline@tenderwise.com.auau, or contact us here.

The top 10 tendering mistakes - and how to avoid them

I've written hundreds of tenders and supporting documents in my entire writing career, and I've seen people making the same mistakes over and over again. I don't really blame them, to be honest. Tender writing takes a lot of work. It requires a lot of time, effort, and, more importantly, keen attention to detail. But you can avoid those mistakes if you know what they are.

So, here's a compilation of the top tendering mistakes and how to avoid them.

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Not answering the questions

Trust me when I say that too many people fail to answer the questions on the response forms — then they wonder why they didn’t win the contract. Those questions are designed so the tender evaluation panel can easily compare the answers. 

Imagine how frustrating it must be to sift through the documents trying to find the answers only to find nothing. To avoid this tendering mistake, make sure that you answer all the questions clearly, and in the order that they were asked. Unanswered questions are a certain way to land a low score.

Not understanding the tender issuer’s business

When submitting a tender, you want to stand out from the rest. To achieve that, you must understand the tender issuer’s requirements. Too many people use generic submissions or just copy-paste from previous submissions. Ensure you thoroughly read all of the tender documentation, including any specifications or scope of works, so you can customise your tender submission and reinforce how you meet all of the requirements.

Not specifying the benefits for the tender issuer

Here’s another common mistake I always see — not stating why the tender issuer should choose you. You may be the best at what you do. But failing to specify what’s in it for the tender issuer on your submission is a path to failure because all they are interested in is why they should choose you. So, tell them what you can do for them and how they can benefit from it.

Wrong organisation name

Surprised? But yes, this is one of the mistakes in tendering that deserves a spot on this list because it happens all the time. Let’s be honest here — everyone copies and pastes some parts of the tender from the previous submissions. But be cautious when doing so. The last thing you want to do is submit it with the wrong tender issuer’s name on it. So, make sure that you change it whenever you copy from a previous submission and then do a document-wide search to double-check before you submit..

Heaps of waffle

As I mentioned earlier, your bid submission is just one of many your prospect will read. Unfortunately, I see too many people adding heaps of waffles and unnecessary information on their documents, ultimately missing the whole point. Your tender will stand out if you immediately get to the point and use the right words. NEVER ever throw irrelevant or un-asked information into your submission because you think it will help. It won’t. And ALWAYS reference any supporting information in the main submission.

Unclear writing

Remember, a tender is a formal document, meaning your writing must be clear. It may not be your best skill, but a few simple steps can help you avoid committing this tendering mistake. Make sure you read through the submission when you have the time to review it thoroughly -(if you rush it, trust me, you will miss something). And if you can, get someone else to proofread it for you so they can let you know if anything is unclear or just doesn’t make sense.

You wouldn’t believe how many tenders go to the rubbish bins daily, all because they haven’t been reviewed so they could correct those silly mistakes. Those are wrong spelling and grammatical errors that you can avoid if you double-check your tender submission before submitting it. Here are some simple proofreading techniques you can do to prevent this mistake.

Poor document layout

For tenders, looks matter. However, many people fail to present their submissions so that they are appealing to the reader. Poor layout and formatting can kill your chances of winning at first glance. Use headings and subheadings, break your paragraphs, and include photos. The bottom line is to design your tender so your prospect will be engaged right from the get-go.

Inaccurate or incomplete costing

One of the most vital pieces of information your prospect will look for in your bid submission is how much it will cost them if they accept your bid. Sadly, I've seen many tenders that don't have accurate costing or have left parts of the pricing schedule blank, which gives the reader the impression that you're not serious about your bid. So, accuracy is key here.

Not signing it

Believe it or not, too many people forget to sign their tenders and just submit them without a signature. That’s one of the most common and the biggest mistakes bidders often commit. There’s no excuse for not scanning your signature and then copying it into the tender submission wherever a signature is required. And if the submission requires a Statutory Declaration, make sure you execute it in front of a JP (or similar), then scan the entire document and include it with your submission.

Need help?

As you can see, it’s not really that hard to avoid these tendering mistakes as long as you know what they are. But I understand that writing tenders is not for everyone. So, if you need help, TenderWise has helped heaps of our clients win lucrative contracts. Just give Pauline a call for a chat at 0400 514579, email at pauline@tenderwise.com.au or contact us here.

10 Great techniques for proofreading your tenders

It’s uber important to go through a quality check first before you submit your tender. So, here are some great techniques for proofreading tenders that will help you win those contracts.

Imagine spending hours and hours working on your tender submission that you even had a few sleepless nights, developing an awesome and compelling story about your business until you’re happy with how you shaped it. 

But it’s definitely worth having a different set of eyes to check your work because someone else may see what you’ve missed — so ask the wife/husband or a friend to read through and let you know what they think. 

But if you don’t have anyone to read it for you, here are a few effective proofreading techniques you can do:

1. Read through the Conditions of Tendering

Start by carefully reading through the Conditions of Tendering and any information the tender issuer has included in the response schedules. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a critical requirement hidden away in the middle of a block of text that is easy to overlook. 

An example of this is a recent tender I worked on that stated a site-specific Safety Plan must be submitted with the tender and that any tender that didn’t include this would automatically be excluded from evaluation. 

That’s why it’s crucial to apply diligent editing and proofreading techniques because that point was hidden in a 2-page preamble at the beginning of the Health & Safety response schedule but wasn’t actually mentioned in the extensive Health & Safety questionnaire that followed. 

Something like that is easy to miss if you don’t pay close attention to the requirements.

2. Read everything you’ve written

Next, carefully read everything you’ve written. It can be exhausting to complete your tender submission, especially if you’re on a tight timeframe. Still, small mistakes are really easy to make, especially if you’ve been cutting and pasting from previous documents. 

One of the proofreading tips and techniques I insist you do to win that tender is to thoroughly check that you haven’t included any references to another tender issuer in your submission (I see this all the time when people send me their past submissions so I can give them some feedback about how it could have been improved).

3. Check your formatting

Formatting is a crucial element of any tender. These are the critical questions you must ask yourself while doing your proofreading techniques:

• Are your fonts consistent throughout the document? 

• Is your page numbering in the correct order? Will your punctuation placements pass the grammar test? 

• Do you have the proper headings for the specific paragraphs? Do you have a table of contents? 

• Did you do a spell check? 

For more formatting tips, check my separate blog about it here.

4. Ensure you’re compliant

Check that you comply with the legislation and regulations based on the tender requirements. Make sure that they are the suitable ISO standards or meet relevant Acts, and you can see that they are if you are doing your proofreading and editing techniques diligently. 

There’s a fine line between letting the tender evaluation panel know that you have an excellent quality management system in place and referring to the wrong standard or legislation in your tender. Bottom line — your document must be compliant.

5. Ensure your grammar is correct

Grammar is a critical factor when writing tenders, so scrutinise it closely as it should be a part of effective proofreading techniques. Those grammatical errors will reflect poorly on you if you don't prevent them. Fortunately, there are heaps of grammar tools you can use to help you check these grammatical elements, so when you do your spell check, make sure you check for grammar too.

6. Don’t rush it

And don’t try to proofread the minute you’ve finished the submission. Take a break — overnight if you can, but if not, then at least an hour or two to clear your head. This proofreading technique always works for me because when I return from a break, I have a fresh set of eyes that will usually pick up anything I missed before taking the break.

7. Read it out aloud

That's because our ears and mouth are fantastic collaborators. If something doesn’t sound right and not smooth when you say it, it’s most likely that there’s something wrong with it. It may sound odd, especially for people around you, but trust me, it works.

8. Check that you’ve used a conversational tone 

When you read your submission, it should flow well — almost as if you are having a conversation with the evaluation panel. With great proofreading techniques, you will have an equally great tender submission copy that is direct and straightforward.

9. Check the elements of your tender individually 

Yes, you can proofread the whole document all at once. Just make sure you focus on one element at a time. For example, run a spelling and grammar check through the entire document first, then go through and read your submission from start to finish.

10. Include a cover letter

Okay, this isn’t really a proofreading technique. But a cover letter is a good idea if the tender response schedules don’t require an executive summary. Your cover letter should include key points from your submission so the evaluation panel can get a quick overview of why you are the best company for the job.

Final Thoughts

There you have it! My top ten techniques for proofreading your own tender submissions. I know that it does take time, so I'm here to help if you need a hand. I've worked with hundreds of small businesses to develop tender responses, and you can read what my clients say about me here. A chat costs you nothing. So, if you'd like to discuss your tender response strategy, call me (Pauline) at 0400 514 579, email me at pauline@tenderwise.com.au, or fill out the form here.

COVID-19 : A look back at how the pandemic has affected the tendering world

2020 - the year that for many of us felt like the longest ever because of COVID-19 that hit the whole world by storm. The global economy has been massively shaken and remains unstable. 

The impact of the pandemic has dominated news headlines and agendas across every industry all over the world. All levels of Government and the private sector continue to exert their best efforts to formulate business continuity plans aimed at combating the disruptions it caused — and the tendering world is no exception.

Here, we take a look back at the impacts of COVID-19 on the tendering world. Was it good or bad? Or a combination of both? Let’s find out.

Social distancing and lockdowns

Amid all the chaos, procurement is a frequent topic that keeps coming up. Although pandemic response strategies varied markedly across different countries, here in Australia, the focus right from the early days was to flatten the curve through social distancing and lockdowns. 

Naturally, this made sustaining the health of many businesses incredibly difficult. But the Government continued to run, and in the tender world, tenders continued to be published, albeit with some adjustments that bidders needed to take into account. 

Some of those adjustments included:

• The absence of site visits - instead, bidders were invited to online virtual meetings

• A requirement for COVID-safe plans to be submitted as part of the bid

• A requirement for business continuity plans to be submitted with the bid

Impact on projects

Like many other industries, large construction, development, and infrastructure projects in Australia have been impacted. This sector greatly contributes to the economy and employment, but COVID-19 in Australia introduced severe implications for the entire supply chain. 

Tender issuers had to reconsider the risk of proceeding with their proposed projects as some may not be suitable due to the ongoing uncertainties.

Tender evaluation criteria were often adjusted, with an increased focus on things such as:

• Reassessing the financial capability of the party submitting the tender.

• Labour availability, including key personnel and replacements.

• The supply chain proposal

• The project program proposal

Tenders were put on hold

In the service sector, we’ve seen a number of tenders put on hold because of the Coronavirus or COVID-19. Even some that were already published and were close to the closing deadline. Here at TenderWise, we’ve also worked on tenders that were put on hold after the submission deadline had passed and it was already lodged. 

It’s incredibly tough on small businesses who are tendering for work — they already put in the hours to develop their response (or paid a consultancy like TenderWise to do it for them) with no prospect of imminent reward for their efforts.

A need for a more customised approach

The battle to win new contracts can be tough now more than ever amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Tender submissions require a relevant but customised approach, coupled with demonstrated flexibility to cope with the uncertainties in the market.

Responses need to showcase the experience and skills of the business while at the same time establishing that the tendering business meets all of the tender requirements. If this global event caused any repercussions, there would be significant delays in the process, but people have found a workaround. 

Businesses are adapting

Businesses have learned to adapt and change the way they do things. Everyone has accepted that the COVID-19 pandemic will be with us for some time to come, and we’ve all been forced to be innovative and think outside the box.

Here’s some good news. The number of tenders published daily doesn’t seem to have slowed down. If anything, the number appears to have increased, so there are plenty of opportunities out there just waiting for businesses to respond, especially this new year.

If you need a hand with a tender, I’m here to help. I’ve worked with hundreds of small businesses to develop tender responses, and you can read what my clients have to say about me here. 

A chat costs you nothing, so if you’d like to talk about your tender response strategy, just give me (Pauline) a call at 0400 514 579, fill up the form here, or better yet, email the tender documents to me at pauline@tenderwise.com.au so I can read through before we chat.

Let’s all look forward to a better 2021!

10 Tips to help you win that cleaning tender

As a tender response writer, I’ve helped loads of cleaning businesses win lucrative Government and private-sector cleaning tenders. If you prefer to DIY it rather than use the services of a tender writing consultant, here are a few tips that will help you to win:

Answer the questions the tender issuer is asking. It may seem pretty obvious, but I’ve seen heaps of tenders where previous submissions were cut and pasted and then shoe-horned into a new submission. I’ve got nothing against cutting and pasting, but you need to make sure that you actually answer the question being asked rather than just shoving some content in that may not be as relevant as it should be.

1. Health, safety, and environmental management systems are vital for commercial cleaning tenders, and it’s not unusual these days to see questions about your quality management system, too. At least half of the cleaning companies I work with have independent ISO certification for their management systems, so it will give you some extra points if yours is certified. If you don’t have an HSEQ Management System in place, I can source this for you.

2. Really highlight your experience working on similar contracts or sites, and ensure you reinforce how close the requirements are to the cleaning tender you are submitting for.

3. Include an organisational overview and reinforce the experience of your key people. I also include a description of the role that each of the key people will have on the contract. Don’t forget the Account Manager, as this role is pivotal to address any issues.

4. Include a proposed roster and describe the daily on-site supervision and frequency of management quality checks.

5. Don’t just list the equipment, material and chemicals you will use on the cleaning contracts for tender — include images and a short paragraph for each. Focus on any environmentally friendly aspects.

6. Describe your induction and training process using the right words, and include evidence of training with the submission.

7. Provide an overview of your workflow management system so the tender issuer understands how the contract will be set up, schedules issued and staff assigned, including coverage for planned and unplanned absences.

8. Describe your staff code of conduct and uniform requirements, and include an image of your uniform.

9. The appearance of your submission is crucial from a readability perspective. Break up your text with lots of headings, add a nice cover page, and include a cover letter, as it's the first thing the tender evaluation panel sees when they turn over the cover page of your cleaning tender.

That’s it! Pretty simple, really, but you can jazz up your tender submission. I know first-hand how long it takes to prepare a quality submission. I usually spend around 40 hours producing an outstanding tender response, and if you don’t have that sort of time to spare, why not give me (Pauline) a call to chat about how I can help? You can reach me on 0400 514 579 or email pauline@tenderwise.com.au

New Year, New Decade - New Business Opportunities!

And just like that, 2019 is done and dusted, and a whole new year (and decade!) is upon us. It’s time to find new business opportunities!

If you want to make the most of all that 2020 has to offer, now’s the time to start investigating suitable Government tenders that can provide lucrative contracts (the contract term will vary from tender to tender, but it’s common to see three years with an option to extend by a further two years).

So, where do you find these tenders? 

I wrote all about it in a blog a year or two ago a year or two ago but Federal Government tenders are usually advertised on the AusTenders website, and you can find State Government opportunities for business here:

NSW - Etendering

VIC - TendersVic

ACT - Procurement & Capital Works

SA - SA Tenders & Contracts

WA - Tenders WA

QLD - QTenders

The federal and State Government sites are great because you can register to receive alerts for the types of tenders you are interested in. Local Government tenders are more difficult as they are commonly advertised through Tenderlink, which is a paid service. 

If you subscribe, you’ll receive alerts for the tenders you may be interested in, but be warned — it’s a pricey service.

All local Councils will advertise tender business opportunities in Australia on their website, but most don’t offer an alert service. You can still get to these tenders (once you know that one is available) by clicking on the relevant tender’s link on the Council website. 

It will take you through to the Council’s partition on the Tenderlink site. In other words, you can get the tender documents (and respond to them) free of charge. But you will only get local Government tender alerts for a business opportunity or opportunities if you subscribe to the Tenderlink (or similar) service.

Some local Governments promote tenders outside of Tenderlink, though; if you’re in QLD, you can register and create alerts at LGTenderbox. In WA, most councils have joined tender forces through the WA Local Government Association (WALGA), but this is also a paid subscription service.

When responding to a tender opportunity, most of those I work with use a very prescriptive response format in either Word or Excel. However, I’m seeing more and more tenders that require responses to be entered directly into an electronic portal, and these can be a little tricky if you’re not used to them.

My main advice when responding to business opportunities for tenders is to ensure you answer each question thoroughly. While stock answers are fine, it’s important to customise these for each tender. 

I’ve reviewed many losing tenders, and the common thread across all of them has been the stuffing of information that is not relevant in response sections when the actual question isn’t addressed at all.

Final Thoughts

If you need a hand with a tender, I’m here to help. I’ve worked with hundreds of small businesses to develop tender responses, and you can read what my clients say about me here. A chat costs you nothing, so if you’d like to talk about your tender response strategy so you can have more business opportunities for tenders, just give me (Pauline) a call at 0400 514579, sign this form, or better yet, email the tender documents to me at pauline@tenderwise.com.au so I can have a read through before we chat. Happy 2020, and may your business shine this year!

6 Reasons Why Incumbents Lose Tenders

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.

My First-Ever Negative Feedback — and What I'm Doing About it

Have you ever had a client complain about your service? I hadn’t — at least not until last week. In fact, my clients are usually highly complimentary about my service, as can be seen from these testimonials. Receiving negative feedback can be a bit emotional, but I’ve tried to keep this (rather lengthy — sorry!) blog as balanced as possible.

This particular client (I’ll call them Client X for now) had a cleaning tender they wanted to respond to for a local council in the Sydney area, and they engaged me to develop their response. The agreed deliverables were:

• An integrated Health, Safety, Quality and Environmental Management system and a set of Safe Work Method Statements relevant to the cleaning sector. I purchase these from Safety Culture at a discount, which enables me to customise everything with the essential information, such as the client’s logo and company details. I sent Client X a link to the draft documentation so he could see exactly what he would be buying.

All of the tender response schedules (developed based on information provided by Client X)

Time was a little short as it took Client X a week to pay my deposit invoice and send through the information required, leaving just five days until I needed to complete the first draft of the response. 

I’d committed to a specific date for the draft response in my original proposal so Client X would have three full days (Saturday, Sunday, and Monday) to review the draft and let me know any changes required so I could get the submission finalised before the tender deadline of 10:00 a.m. on that Tuesday.

As part of the tender response document submission, Client X needed to complete some OH&S forms, which I sent them from their new integrated HSEQ Management System. All forms throughout the system were customised with Client X's logo, the business owner's name, the date of creation and the date of review. 

The forms were sent to Client X on Tuesday (the day after I started work on the response), and all that was needed was for the client to add a few details and signatures relating to the training of his staff, then scan and send them back to me.

On that Wednesday, I recommended to Client X that the tender submission could be enhanced by including a cleaning schedule for the public amenities and other buildings that Client X was bidding for. Client X responded that this wouldn’t be a problem and that they would complete it the next day.

All good so far — we were in regular communication each day, and by Friday afternoon (and after burning the candle at both ends for several — very long — days), I was able to send Client X a link to two Dropbox folders containing the tender submission with eight Appendices, and the completed and fully customised HSEQ Management System. I also emailed a summary of the information still needed.

Over the weekend, I received no contact from Client X, so on Monday morning, I sent an email reminding them that I was still waiting on some crucial information and raising concerns that the tender submission was due the next day and I hadn’t yet received any feedback whatsoever, or the requested information. 

I also called Client X at 9:13 a.m. and left a voice message asking them to provide feedback and outstanding information. Around noon on Monday, I received the cleaning schedule  — awesome, thanks. 

At 3:00 p.m. on Monday, I received the scans of the OH&S forms, with a note from Client X that the name of the authorising person I added to the form was incorrect (I’d used his Christian name, “Rick” —  which is how he signed off on his emails —  rather than the more formal “Richard”). 

So, to continue with my story of my real-life example of a negative feedback, client X asked if I could change these but also noted that it could be left as is if necessary. Since, by this stage, we were only three business hours away from the submission deadline, I told client X that there wasn’t really time to make the change and send him the new forms so he could complete them again. 

I also told him that I would ensure that all 150 or so references to ‘Rick” in the whole HSEQ Management System for his tender response were updated in the next day or so. The HSEQ Management System itself didn’t need to be uploaded as part of the response, but the four OHS forms already completed by Client X did.

At 3:00 p.m. on Monday, Client X also sent me all of the information required for the pricing response as a scanned PDF. There was an error as the numbers didn’t add up, so I queried them at 4:30 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., he confirmed an error, and I updated the pricing details.

At 7:30 p.m., Client X advised that he was downloading everything for his bid submission and asked a question about the electronic lodgement of the tender. At 8:30 p.m., I followed up to check if Client X had been able to lodge the submission okay. 

At 9:00 p.m., he replied with a few minor changes, which were updated by 9:10 p.m. At 9:43,p.m. Client X requested a few more minor changes, which were updated at 7:00 a.m. the following day. There were now just three hours to go before the tender submission deadline.

At 8:55 a.m., client X emailed me asking again if I could change the name “Rick” to “Richard” on the four completed OHS forms that had been sent to me as PDFs the day before. 

I responded that this wasn’t possible as there simply wasn’t enough time — and I pointed out that the Council would be more concerned about the completeness of the response than they would about the spelling of a name on a form, which they were unlikely to notice.

Between 9:16 a.m. and 9:31 a.m. on Tuesday, I received three phone calls from him advising that they were having difficulties downloading the response to tender documents and asking me to email them as PDFs and Word/Excel documents, which I did. 

By this stage, there were less than 30 minutes to the deadline. During those phone conversations, Client X did not raise any concerns with me.

Later that day, I emailed him thanking them for their business, wishing them good luck and attaching my invoice for the balance owed. Some weeks later - after two follow-up emails, a text and a voice message - I received an email from Client X stating that they did not intend to pay my invoice as they did not receive their expected service. The issues they raised for this negative feedback were:

• I should not have asked them to provide so much information.

• I should have developed the cleaning schedule for them (even though I am not a cleaner and do not know how long or in which order their cleaning activities would take place).

• I refused to change “Rick” to “Richard”, meaning that the four OHS records provided with the submission were incorrect.

• There were a few minor errors in the tender submission (which I changed as soon as they raised it), indicating I had not completed any proofreading. I always proofread. But client X was correct. I should have picked these up.

• I was told multiple times that the Dropbox link to all the files was not working (incorrect).

• They asked me multiple times to send the documents to them by email (the only request for this was received on the morning that the tender was due) and that I received the final email too late to submit (on this point, I did check the Council’s tender website which acknowledged that a submission had been received from Client X).

• I had used an existing tender response template not customised to their business (incorrect).

• I did not complete any work at all, and I just made a few minor changes to the information they provided (incorrect).

• They felt that the deposit paid was too much for the work completed and expected some or all of it to be refunded.

I responded to this by reminding them of the timeline of events and letting them know that I had developed a lot of material for the response, customised it to meet the tender requirements, and that I had definitely not received multiple requests to fix an (apparently) broken dropbox link and to email the documents to them. 

Further to my response to his negative feedback, I told client X that I believed I had delivered the services as per my initial proposal to them. But as a gesture of goodwill, I would reduce my final invoice by 50%, provided they pay it within seven days. I also told them I would commence recovery action if they did not pay my invoice within this timeframe.

Client X responded by saying that he had sent me 15 emails on that Friday night — that he followed up with multiple phone calls on Saturday and Sunday and again on Monday, during the day and on Monday night. He also stated that if I did not refund at least 50% of the initial deposit, he and others would post negative reviews about my service. 

He also asked for a full refund of the cost of the HSEQ Management System and SWMS I purchased from Safety Culture as they were “not deemed accurate”. I provided Client X with a link to the documentation before purchasing these on his behalf so he knew exactly what he would be getting. These documents are developed by Safety Culture themselves and are in line with ISO requirements.

A negative review is the last thing I would want to receive from my clients, so I had to ensure I’ve done my job well. So, to continue, I responded that I did not receive any emails at all from him over the weekend, and my call records showed no calls from him until Tuesday morning. I asked him to send me copies of the emails sent on Friday and over the weekend.

Two hours later, client X did send me a number of emails that were apparently sent to me over the weekend. Some of these asked for acknowledgement that I had received them, and one, on Sunday afternoon, was marked urgent. It also expressed concerns that I had not replied, which, if true, was truly leading to negative feedback.

But the truth is, until the emails were forwarded to me (now more than two weeks after the submission deadline had closed), I did not receive any of them at all. Why? I have no idea — I checked my junk folder and trash to see if I had somehow accidentally deleted them, but no emails were lurking. 

I simply do not know how a dozen or so emails could have failed to reach me. All but one of these were replies to the same email (so one email with a trail of 10 others), and the email address shown on them is correct. 

These tender response document emails were sent from a Hotmail address, so I guess it is possible that there was a Hotmail issue over that weekend, but I really don’t know.

I successfully received emails from many other people over the days concerned. I honestly have no idea why I didn’t receive the emails from client X. It is, perhaps, unfortunate that when I raised concerns on that Monday morning that I had not yet heard from him, he didn’t refer me to the emails (and apparent phone calls) over the weekend. 

In fact, the emails he sent me on Monday ended with “Thanks!” and “Thanks very much!” rather than expressing any dissatisfaction or at least a tiny example of negative feedback that I hadn’t responded to the weekend emails.

At the end of the day, though, the emails that Client X sent me as evidence of his responses over the weekend certainly look genuine. So, I believe they were sent to - but not received by - me. But as to calls and text messages, I most definitely didn’t receive any of these. 

If I had, I would have a record of them on my phone (and I don’t receive that many calls and texts that I would fail to notice a client was trying to contact me just a few days before the tender submission deadline).

Final Thoughts

So, what have I learned from this whole mess? Well, for starters, I’m changing my proposal document, noting that I will usually respond to all emails the same day they are received. 

But if we are less than three days from the deadline and I have not responded, please call or text me to confirm the emails have been received. I will also start emailing, calling and texting my clients if we are just days away from the tender deadline and they haven’t responded to requests for feedback or information.

I now have a highly critical and negative review on Google Business — one that states I was very unprofessional and non-responsive and used a template downloaded from the internet to complete the response. By way of response, I have included a link to this blog. Someone I don’t know but can only assume that it is one of Client X’s friends has also left one.

Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of all of this is that if the weekend emails had been raised with me on Monday morning and resent at that time, I would have been able to address every issue that was raised, most of which were very minor and took only a few moments to fix.

It seems to me there were two issues and negative feedback unresolved. One was an update to a staff member’s resume. I didn’t update it because I didn’t receive the email relating to the resume. The second issue — which seems to have been a big issue for Client X — was the development of the cleaning schedule. 

I’m still unsure how Client X thought I could develop this when I don’t know the logical order of cleaning activities, how long each task would take or when periodical tasks would take. 

But if I had known this was such an issue on that Monday morning, I would have discussed it with them and then developed something as best as I could, and I wouldn’t have received my first-ever negative feedback.

Will I follow up on the payment of my overdue invoice? Probably not. I’ve spent far too much time on this already.