Many companies rely on this as their main source of work and as a result a lot of responsibility lies with the person writing the bid. Some choose to hire an internal bid team or designate a current staff member (often the sales team), while others outsource the process to a professional bid writer or company.
This article is going to focus on the latter – choosing the right bid writing services for your company.
Choosing the company
Firstly, there are a lot of bid writing organisations and bid writers out there and it is important to find the right one for you. We strongly advise against outsourcing to a freelance bid writer as this is often only a part time job and your bid will not receive the fullest attention. Bid writing companies also take more responsibility and must conform to certain internal processes which individuals need not.
Another tip for choosing the right company is to not pick the cheapest quote. As the famous Red Adair quote says – “if you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur”.
That’s not to say that you should choose the most expensive either, speak to each company about their services and processes, along with looking at testimonials then make an informed decision.
Choosing the right service
Bid writing companies offer a range of services so it is important to understand what you require.
Training – If you have an existing team or writer then you may wish to simply opt for professional training. Your writer will be trained to the highest bid writing standards and receive ongoing support ensuring they are on track.
Review – For companies writing their own tenders but still want to ensure a high quality finished product, a professional review will highlight any errors and provide feedback to allow you to submit a winning bid.
Partial completion – If you’re struggling in certain areas, partial completion allows you to complete the sections you feel comfortable and pass on the difficult ones to an expert bid writer. This service will also include a review of the full submission.
Full bid management – This is the complete package. Management, planning, writing and review, along with follow-up services such as feedback analysis. Companies wanting to outsource fully will see the greatest results, benefiting from having a complete external bid team.
Within your company decide which service is right for you and discuss with a professional how to get the best results.
For more information on bid writing services and how we can help your company secure contracts through tendering, call us free on 0800 612 5563 or email info@executivecompass.co.uk.
To get an overview of bid and contract management, watch the video below:
