How do you Avoid Last Minute Submissions?

First of all, may we wish all our readers a Happy New Year from the whole Executive Compass® Team!

We had a very busy year throughout 2013, and even though it seemed as if the rest of the world was preoccupied with mince pies and mulled wine, our team showed no signs of slowing down over the Christmas period. As well as our existing workload, the holiday period also saw us complete eight new, last-minute submissions. Through pulling together and working well, the team managed to get all the documents completed and submitted in time, and to a high standard.

There seems to be something very special about the bid and tender writer; they’re a rare breed and there’s no denying that their work requires a nuanced set of skills. It’s certainly not a job that everyone could turn their hand to at will and that’s the reason that so many businesses at some point hire the services of a bid writer. Winning that contract really matters to your business and, naturally, you want to make sure that you have the best chance possible. Ensuring that your submission is presented professionally and is of the highest possible quality, therefore, is a top priority.

How do we make sure that our proposals are top quality? Good time management is key. All too often we find ourselves being approached by clients with deadlines in a matter of days. It’s certainly possible that our team could complete such a request, but in some cases it’s impossible to undertake projects on such short notice.

You don’t want to jeopardise your chances of making a successful bid by completing your proposal in a rush. Here are some tips and hints – seemingly obvious but helpful nonetheless – to make sure that you don’t find yourself having to make a last minute submission:

• Planning – make yourself aware of the deadline and prepare a schedule
• Organisation – get hold of the information that you’ll need early on so you have it to hand when you require it
• Time management – demarcate sections and self-impose small deadlines for each section
• Team management – similarly, if you’re working on a large bid, assign tasks effectively.

To sum up, you can never be too prepared when you’re writing a bid or tender.

Executive Compass® is the UK’s leading bid management consultancy and can help you throughout every stage of the tendering process. Don’t put off your proposal until the last minute – contact us now on 0800 612 5563 or at info@executivecompass.co.uk. We wish you a prosperous year ahead and look forward to working with you soon.