The Hertfordshire-based cleaning and grounds maintenance provider is a long-term client of ours who has utilised our bid writing and tender support services for over 10 years. They approached us to support with retaining a communal cleaning contract which was due for retender.
Main challenges
A range of challenges were identified during the pre-bid and tender review stages, including:
- Managing two distinct stages, requiring different approaches to satisfy the unique requirements of each:
- Selection questionnaire – focusing on the client’s experience in the industry, existing employee capability and supply evidence to satisfy the prerequisites of tendering, e.g. health and safety policies, ISO certificates and audited accounts
- Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage – focusing on how the client would deliver the new iteration of the contract, with persuasive narrative and competitive pricing.
- Detailing the client’s experience as incumbent, whilst ensuring we did not over-rely on this/become complacent when drafting persuasive narrative.
- Working on a strategically important tender, with the current iteration of the contract making up a significant proportion of the client’s business.
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Geographical Region:
London and Hertfordshire
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Output:
15,000 words across the SQ and ITT stages
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Weighting:
60% quality
40% pricing -
Submission:
Electronic and portal based
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Outcome:
Successful
Project overview
The overall scope of works included 15,000 words across the two tender stages. Focusing on the ITT stage:
Senior Bid Writer Lewis Day was assigned to work with the client due to his previous working relationship with the company and experience in this sector. After reviewing the tender specification, clarification logs and other documents provided by the authority as part of the tender pack, Lewis produced an initial answer plan and tender-specific structure to prepare for initial client interviews.
In doing so, Lewis broke down each question into sub-questions and isolated the key points and themes within the tender – in this case, customer satisfaction, electronic communication and compliance with KPIs.
Topics within the question set included:
- Mobilisation, including identification of key milestones within the plan, liaison arrangements between the client and the authority and how the client would ensure service continuity from commencement
- Scheduling of cleaning visits, with the authority requesting a detailed method statement on how visits would be planned, how risks would be identified and mitigated and how cleaning products and equipment were maintained
- Ad hoc works, including the client’s approach to managing responsive cleaning requests, deep cleans and how task completion would be monitored and communicated
- Staffing, requiring a detailed breakdown of resources to be deployed to provide the cleaning services, as well as how adequate coverage would be provided in the event of absences/holidays
- Contract management, with details of a named site management and supervisory structure, evidence of their previous experience and process for dealing with day-to-day issues and complaints
- IT systems, including the systems to be used to support contract delivery, the approach to data management that would be utilised, and training provided to authority staff on the systems to ensure their competence to use it
- Resident satisfaction, requesting details on how quality would be assured, how feedback would be sought and analysed thereafter and how the service would be continuously improved as a result
- Corporate social responsibility, with the authority requesting a range of social, economic and environmental offerings proportionate to the contract value.
An initial telephone meeting was scheduled to enable Lewis to gather information on how the client wanted to respond to each of the tender questions, drawing on their unique experience as incumbent provider, whilst also avoiding over-reliance on this to ensure the contract was approached as a new opportunity.
As and when each response was drafted, Quality Reviewer Victoria Hughes undertook a line-by-line review to verify compliance with the requirements and tender documents and to ensure the narrative was persuasive and compelling. Suggestions and amendments were incorporated into each response by Lewis, with drafts then sent to our external proofreader.
Drafts were then shared with our client, who, in turn, provided their own feedback and suggestions, with the completed responses finalised one week prior to the submission date. On behalf of the client, Lewis supported with the bid administration and uploaded all documentation to the tender portal, including the final versions of each tender response, pricing spreadsheets and all other compliance documentation to form a compliant, on-time submission.
Outcome
After an extended evaluation period, the client notified us six months later that they had been successful with their first choice Lot, retaining their place as incumbent provider and securing a further 10 years with the authority.
The client wrote:
“I just wanted to write and thank you for all your efforts with this tender. I know from feedback, [the authority] had 60 applications to tender, so to end up winning is brilliant.”
Since this result, we have supported the client with two other submissions, including both SQ and ITT stages for housing associations in London and Hertfordshire, continuing to produce high-quality tender submissions.