The strongest tenders have their foundations laid within the PQQ writing stage, whether it is a consistent win theme, past experience or innovations. Companies who plan the bid from the start experience more success than those who do not.
Planning
Depending on whether you have previously bid for contracts you will have some resources such as a bid library that can be drawn on.
Planning begins by analysing the contract and working out what makes you the best company for the job. How do you stand out from the competition?
It is important to think ahead when beginning the bid writing process and establishing a win theme is one of the proven ways to succeed. This will be emphasised throughout the entire bid and form the backbone of your submissions.
Research competitors and find out their strengths and weaknesses and tailor your submission to address these points. Boost your strengths and address any potential obvious weaknesses you may have.
Once you have finished planning work can begin on the PQQ (Pre-Qualification Questionnaire).
Pre-Qualification Questionnaire
This is the first stage of the tender process, once you have expressed interest in a contract.
The PQQ is there to exclude companies that do not comply with the specification, therefore the most important part of completing the PQQ is to ensure compliance. However, it is also necessary to think forwards to later stages of the bid. Everything mentioned at this stage should be explored in greater detail in the tender.
With this in mind try to utilise examples of innovation and past experience that can be elaborated on within the ITT. It is worth noting that the PQQ should consist of simpler answers and it is important to hold back somewhat.
The hardest part about the PQQ is creating a successful submission that does not utilise all your strongest responses before the tender.
Invitation to Tender
When completing a tender one of the first things that becomes noticeable is a small amount of repetition from the PQQ. Do not simply repeat what you said in the first stage or use copy and paste as this will be immediately noticeable.
Instead, expand on your points and continue the discourse with the evaluator, highlighting your company’s strengths and experiences.
The tender is much more complicated and must be approached with that in mind. Responses here should go into much more detail and work to drive home the initial points.
Look to conclude with a strong summary of the theme running through both the PQQ and tender.
For more information on completing PQQs and tenders, contact us free on 0800 612 5563 or email info@executivecompass.co.uk.
Watch the video below for more tips on tender writing:
