Top 7 tips for writing a successful tender

Creating a successful tender is not rocket science. However, it does require getting the structure right and ensuring that you include the relevant details. These top tips are designed to help you create an effective tender that will achieve positive results.

• If there is a template, use it

  . There’s a reason that the template has been provided and, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience with this type of document, it can be a great guide to the process of creating one. Bear in mind that templates may place certain word limits on sections and require content in specific formats.

• If there is no guide to form then opt for clear, logical and well organised.

  You may not have a template or a structure guide to work from for your tender. If that’s the case then it’s even more important to write a document that is concise, clear and which makes sense. Start with an engaging introduction that seeks to identify the reason for the tender, as well as the rationale and central proposition of your bid.

• Use the selection criteria as a guide.

  When you’re writing a tender pay close attention to the selection criteria – does your bid meet these needs? It’s not enough just to state that it does you’ll also need to provide examples of verifiable experience and outline the credentials that you have that make you the ideal match.

• Make sure that all the details are there.

  Writing a successful tender can be an involved process and there may be a lot to remember where the details are concerned. Depending on the bid you may need to include information such as the cost, whether that includes taxes, details of any subcontracting that you’re proposing to do, a timeline with milestones identified, any conditions that might affect the costing you’ve done as well as information about intellectual property rights if relevant.

• Check your tender – and then check it again

  . The document will need to stand up on its own so it’s essential that it contains all the relevant information and comes across as an engaging and impressive piece of writing. Spelling and grammar errors may seem like small issues but they can seriously undermine your case if you don’t remove them from the tender before it’s submitted.

• Find referees to support you.

  It’s essential to choose appropriate referees and to ensure that they are happy to back up your bid in this way. It might be useful to provide a brief to referees so they know what you’re trying to do.

• Be timely.

  If you’re late submitting the tender then that can mean a waste of a lot of work. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to complete the submission – if this is being done online remember that network issues or tech breakdown could be devastating if you’re trying to get the tender in at the 11^th hour.

Writing a successful tender is a simple process that requires an eye for detail, engaging content and ensuring that all the right information is in the correct place. Find out more by booking onto our How To Write Winning Tenders Training Course…