Getting Ahead of the Competition

With local authorities placing more focus on the quality element, the bidding process is becoming increasingly more competitive as social value, new legislation and innovation hold more weighting in the selection process and bids must reflect this accordingly. It is not enough to be able to deliver the contract; you must be aware of what exactly the contracting authority is looking for in your tender submission and know how to score high marks.

Allocate time to your tender submission

The first step in surpassing the competition to win a contract is making sure that you allocate proper time and resource to the project. Leaving the submission until the last minute is never going to be as successful and it is likely that the bid will be rushed and of poor quality.

If it is a “must win” contract for your organisation then it should be an important project for your bid team or members of staff. It is best to imagine that your main competitor is doing exactly the same and putting everything they have into the bid, so you must go the extra mile to stay ahead.

Plan and organise your bid well. Create a realistic timescale for delivery and approach the document systematically, sticking to deadlines and reviewing progress at regular intervals. Even if it is a smaller PQQ or tender, break down the sections and delegate work out to the appropriate member of staff – whether this is your head of operations or site manager, gain the relevant information from the knowledgeable person in order for your response to be specific and factual. This may be more time consuming but will reap better results than leaving the document to the last minute.

Evidence, examples and innovation

Our bid writing method is very evidence driven and something which we can’t recommend highly enough. Providing plenty of contract specific examples, statistics, case studies and evidence is a great way to stand out against the competition and give the evaluator a solid reason why you are better placed to deliver the contract – you can’t argue with facts and figures.

The contracting authority are looking for a low risk option – they want to be certain your company is reliable, high quality and most economically advantageous. Give them reason to award you the highest marks by detailing any specific company procedures and innovations; again this is an aspect which we are seeing more and more in evaluation criteria and is a good means of differentiation.

Competitive intelligence

In both the early stages of a bid, and throughout, it is a good idea to carry out competitive intelligence against the market and your direct competitors, so that you are aware of any external forces which may affect you bidding and your position in the competition. When deciding whether to bid for a contract, find out who the incumbent is and analyse whether this may also have an implication on your company bidding for the contract.

Typically, an important contract should have been on your radar for a while. Make sure you monitor prior information notices (PINs) and contract notices on a regular basis to keep up to date with the market and relevant contract opportunities – the earlier you are aware of a contract the longer you have to prepare.

Using a professional bid writing company

For any bid, large or small, if you require extra assistance to keep ahead of the competition and increase your chances of success you should look to a professional bid writing company for support.

An external perspective is going to give you a fresh opinion and introduce new ideas and concepts to your bid. For a “must win” contract this is essential and allocating extra resources to the bid will pay off when you have won the contract.

Contact our team for free on 0800 612 5563 to discuss our services and how we can assist you.