Gaining an Advantage When Bidding

It may sound simple but it is the reason so many companies choose to use our services, because we can give you that edge needed to beat the competition.

There are a number of steps you can take to give your company the best possible chance of securing the contract. From choosing the right contract, to leveraging your company’s strengths in the right way, here are our tips for getting ahead:

Select the right contract

In order to have the best chance of winning a contract you must carefully select the right one. Which bid offers the greatest chance of success?

Many companies bid for too many contracts or select ones far from their abilities and past experience. This immediately places you at a distinct disadvantage as you cannot properly leverage your strengths to beat the competition.

Find the level that is right for you. There is simply no point competing for national contracts against large, multinational corporations if you are a local service provider.

Obviously that example is slightly exaggerated, but the point stands. Stick within your means and experience.

Writing a response

The purpose of the bid process is to exclude non-compliant businesses and determine the right company for the job. When writing a response you must ensure that you are fully compliant at all times and do not give any reason for the contracting authority to exclude you.

In order to gain the best marks you should back up every point with an example specific to either past experience or the company itself. Reiterate your strongest points and emphasise just why your company is better than others.

Innovation

One area to gain a distinct advantage is innovation. Evaluators are constantly looking for companies who can innovate and adapt to difficult, unforeseen scenarios.

Provide examples of times you have adapted or unique ways your business operates. These innovations can place you well ahead of the competition and ultimately secure the contract. The key with innovation is knowing where to use it – find potential problems which could be encountered during the bid and offer solutions. This works especially well when used alongside a previous contract example.

Understanding your competition

The final tip is to understand the competition. What are their strengths and weaknesses? If there is a particularly blatant weakness you know of, then stress your company’s strengths in that area.

If they are very strong in one area, explain how your company is better, or different. Again, using innovations that set you apart is a sure way to gain advantage.

For more tender writing tips, watch our video: