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Tender Writers, Bid Writers & PQQ Writers

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Tender, Bid & PQQ Writers

Tenders For The IT Sector

Posted on January 11, 2012 by E Anderson Consulting

For last minute tender writing call us now on
0800 999 6799

 

Putting A Tender Process In Place

IT businesses which plan to grow and succeed are aware that they must respond to opportunities that are available to them, because if they do not they will be disadvantaged in such a highly dynamic industry.  Contractors within the IT sector, being from a technical background, sometimes lack the appropriate skills to apply for the projects that are available to them.  Lots of IT contractors would prefer to just get on with their job and be recommended by happy clients.  Whilst I agree that referrals are an excellent and low cost way of winning new business, I cannot stress enough the importance of having a tried and trusted tendering process in place if you are in the IT industry.

 

Providing IT Support

The IT sector can consist of opportunities that are very supportive of other industry sectors.  Since the world has shifted from the industrial age to the information age, requirements for IT support have been introduced and the demand has grown rapidly.  If you are in the IT business then tendering for opportunities will be something that you will need to do at some point.  As your company grows more and more lucrative opportunities will become available to you and your company.  For example, you might be invited to Tender for an opportunity to build a new software application that supports a banking system.  The purpose of the new piece of software might be to interface with the bank’s existing system, or it might be a replacement for part of the existing system.

 

The Value Of Experience

The best Tender Writers have experience in different industry sectors that have some sort of ‘relationship’.  For instance, one particular Tender Writer might have a good knowledge of both the IT sector and banks.  Some Tender Writers might specialise in the IT sector and, therefore, only have an in-depth knowledge of writing Tenders for this particular sector.  As a prospective client looking for a Tender Writer who could write a Tender for a bank’s IT system, I would be looking for one who has a broader knowledge of a few related sectors, preferably one who has written successful Tenders for similar opportunities.  When seeking a professional Tender Writer you should always ask for referrals from other happy clients who have won lucrative contracts as a result of their Tender Writer’s efforts.  Beware of Tender Writers who are on the lower end of the scale in terms of their charges.  Also steer clear of Tender Writers who are not busy.  The only reason why a Tender Writer will be cheap and always available is that they probably do not have any or much work, which, may be because they are just starting out – or not very good!  However having said that, a Tender Writer who has just started out in business should have a good list of contacts and agreed work to begin with (if they have planned their business properly and commenced trading on the right foot).

 

There is lots of FREE information about PQQ and Bid Writing in our “PQQ & Bid Writers Handbook” EBook. To receive your copy, signup to our newsletter and DOWNLOAD IT NOW!

For last minute tender writing call us now on
0844 877 0976

Are you 100% Bid Ready?

Progress:

Do you often put off bid writing until the last minute?

Do you have 3 years set of Accounts and where required are they audited?

Do you have ISO19001 and ISO14001?

Do you have policies for all of the following sectors? Equality and Diversity Environmental Corporate and Social Responsibility Quality Assurance Staff Training and Development Managing Risk Business Continuity Health and Safety

Do you have CV’s of your staff?

Do you have a Quality Assurance process?

Do you have three appropriate references relating to your project including telephone numbers and email addresses?

Would you say that your IT Systems and processes are up-to-date and effective for evaluating the required data needed by the procuring body?

Do you have a robust and pre-qualified supply chain network?

Would you be able to state your strategic objectives in a few short paragraphs to place within a bid document?

Are you currently in a position to complete PQQ’s and Tenders without the need for the production of Accounts, Documents and evidence? Save over £1000, face to face consultancy costs by submitting this FREE online Bid Readiness assessment.

Posted in IT Tenders | Tagged | Leave a comment

Tendering – Be Selective

Posted on January 11, 2012 by E Anderson Consulting

For last minute tender writing call us now on

0800 999 6799

Choose What’s Right For You

In almost every walk of life I have observed that the very best individuals can pick and choose the opportunities that they want to go for.  Someone who is successful creates opportunities and has lots of choices available to them.  Business is not really much different to this.  If your business is very good, the best in its class, or at least one of the best, then opportunities will be drawn towards it.  There will be times when it is appropriate to be pro-active – to submit tenders for contracts that become available and knowing just what to write in these documents will be what sets your application apart from other applications.  There is more than one way to write a Tender Document and being creative is a great way to approach the art of tender writing.  Improving productivity is just as important as creativity though.  We must have all of these things in equal measure.  Producing Tender Documents in a productive fashion is what helps businesses apply for as many opportunities as are required by the business plan. Using productive means of creating Tenders will flow into the creation of a tendering process.  If a company does not already have one in place when they start to tender, then one will be organically formed as a company produces tenders.

 

Selecting The Best Contracts

Selecting the most appropriate opportunities for your business can only really take place if you are fully aware of the capabilities of your business.  Capacity is also an issue.  You cannot really take on a contract which requires a hefty upfront purchase of materials if your cashflow is tight and credit is limited or unavailable, so you must be wise and select other opportunities to get you started.  Tendering for opportunities that are out of your reach is a waste of time and effort, so going for an introspective process in terms of analysing your business will be a worthwhile exercise.  Also knowing where your business is going in terms of planning will help you to know which types of opportunities you can tender for in the future.

 

There is lots of FREE information about PQQ and Bid Writing in our “PQQ & Bid Writers Handbook” EBook. To receive your copy, signup to our newsletter and DOWNLOAD IT NOW!

For last minute tender writing call us now on
0844 877 0976

Are you 100% Bid Ready?

Progress:

Do you often put off bid writing until the last minute?

Do you have 3 years set of Accounts and where required are they audited?

Do you have ISO19001 and ISO14001?

Do you have policies for all of the following sectors? Equality and Diversity Environmental Corporate and Social Responsibility Quality Assurance Staff Training and Development Managing Risk Business Continuity Health and Safety

Do you have CV’s of your staff?

Do you have a Quality Assurance process?

Do you have three appropriate references relating to your project including telephone numbers and email addresses?

Would you say that your IT Systems and processes are up-to-date and effective for evaluating the required data needed by the procuring body?

Do you have a robust and pre-qualified supply chain network?

Would you be able to state your strategic objectives in a few short paragraphs to place within a bid document?

Are you currently in a position to complete PQQ’s and Tenders without the need for the production of Accounts, Documents and evidence? Save over £1000, face to face consultancy costs by submitting this FREE online Bid Readiness assessment.

Posted in Tendering | Tagged | Leave a comment

Tender Writing – Everything’s Changing

Posted on January 10, 2012 by E Anderson Consulting

For last minute tender writing call us now on
0800 999 6799

 

Changes To Legislation

Since the UK Government changed the way in which companies must tender for opportunities, some businesses have found difficulty in keeping up with the way that new opportunities are being matched with contractors.  Whereas before these changes occurred, some long-term contracts could just be renewed without the need for its contractors to re-tender, these days many opportunities must be re-tendered.  This is to make tendering fairer and available to new applicants and improve transparency and accountability within procurement processes.

 

A Greater Need For Tendering

The consequences of these new changes have been that contractors, who would not have needed to tender for opportunities using the old system, are now tasked with having to either learn how to tender or hire external Consultants to tender on their behalf.  Some companies have decided to either grow their current Bid Departments in order to gear up to be able to produce more tenders, others having received in-house tender writing training to allow multitasking members of their staff to undertake the odd tender writing duty, even if it just means proofreading Tender Documents.

 

More Complex Tender Documents

Tender Documents themselves have also seen changes.  Generally, more information is now required to be included in Tender Documents and competition is obviously now much greater than it has been before, due to these changes in the UK Government’s legislation.  With more competition comes a greater standard of Tender Document – the bar has been raised.  Bearing this in mind, if your company does not have a Bid Department because you cannot justify it at this time, in terms of current capacity and the numbers of Tender Document that you need to produce – then you might be better off hiring an external Tender Writer.

 

Outsource Or In-House Tendering

The decision about whether to outsource Tender Writing or have it done in-house can be a tough one but I have come up with a quick formula to help you decide which route is best to take:

 

  • Fewer than 7 Tenders per year = outsource to external Tender Writer.

 

  • 6 or more Tenders per year = train in-house and develop a Bid Department.

 

You can, of course, be flexible with the above which is just a quick guide.  It is less expensive long term to implement a Bid Department but there is more commitment and risk involved.  Outsourcing to Tender Writers might be more expensive but this solution is better if you are not really sure that you will be producing lots of tenders, or are just testing the waters.  Many businesses start with Tender Writers then go on to implement a fully-fledged Bid Department, but there are grey areas in between and there is likely to be a period where there is overlap between both of these solutions.

 

 

There is lots of FREE information about PQQ and Bid Writing in our “PQQ & Bid Writers Handbook” EBook. To receive your copy, signup to our newsletter and DOWNLOAD IT NOW!

For last minute tender writing call us now on
0844 877 0976

Are you 100% Bid Ready?

Progress:

Do you often put off bid writing until the last minute?

Do you have 3 years set of Accounts and where required are they audited?

Do you have ISO19001 and ISO14001?

Do you have policies for all of the following sectors? Equality and Diversity Environmental Corporate and Social Responsibility Quality Assurance Staff Training and Development Managing Risk Business Continuity Health and Safety

Do you have CV’s of your staff?

Do you have a Quality Assurance process?

Do you have three appropriate references relating to your project including telephone numbers and email addresses?

Would you say that your IT Systems and processes are up-to-date and effective for evaluating the required data needed by the procuring body?

Do you have a robust and pre-qualified supply chain network?

Would you be able to state your strategic objectives in a few short paragraphs to place within a bid document?

Are you currently in a position to complete PQQ’s and Tenders without the need for the production of Accounts, Documents and evidence? Save over £1000, face to face consultancy costs by submitting this FREE online Bid Readiness assessment.

Posted in Tender Writing, Tender Writing Services | Tagged | Leave a comment

Tender Proposal Writers

Posted on January 10, 2012 by E Anderson Consulting

For last minute tender writing call us now on

0800 999 6799

 

ITTs

Tender Proposals also known as Tender Documents are written in response to Invitations to Tender (ITT) or Requests for Proposal (RFP).  Buyers put opportunities out for Tender to encourage competition which, in turn, helps to drive down prices.  When a particularly lucrative opportunities becomes available for Tender it is in a company or organisation’s best interest to produce a Tender Proposal that is truly representative of their business and what they can provide.  The ITT or RFP will contain all of the project requirements and the Tender Writer will need to have a very good understanding of the subject area that the opportunity is related to.  Bearing in mind that a supplier only gets one shot at a given opportunity, it is worth hiring a professional, reputable Tender Proposal Writer to research and produce the Tender Proposal.

 

Professional Tender Writers

A good Tender Writer will make sure that your company or organisation is ready to submit an application for this type of opportunity.  The Tender Reviewer will expect an application to meet a minimum standard which might well be highlighted at the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) stage of the Tendering process (if there has been a PQQ stage).  Applicants who have passed the PQQ stage will have received ITTs and been required to submit a Tender Document to apply for the opportunity.  The decision to hire an external Tender Writing Consultant will be based upon your company or organisation’s current capabilities.  If your business does not currently have a dedicated Tender Department, then your only other real option is to outsource to a Tender Proposal Writing company.  You could always attempt to write Tender Proposals by yourself, but it is worth noting that professional Tender Writers will be able to produce much better Tenders than individuals who only write them occasionally.

 

100% Bid Ready

Having success with tendering is dependent on a number of factors.  The first is making sure that your business is 100% Bid Ready which means that your business has everything in order including; insurances, policies, up-to-date and previous years company accounts, and all of the other factors that provide the reassurance to buyers that your business is a well run one. The second factor is that you apply for opportunities that are a good fit for your company.  The third factor is that your Tender Documents are well researched, well written, submitted on time and appeal to Tender Document Reviewers.  They must meet the grade by addressing each and every one of the requirements.   A good Tender Proposal Writer can help your company to become 100% Bid Ready and improve your tendering success rates.  Writing winning Tenders involves much more than simply addressing all of the requirements as stated in the ITT or RFP though.  Your Tenders must stand out amongst the competition and really show that your company is capable of helping the buyer to achieve their wider objectives.  Your Tender must add value to the buyer’s organisation by going that extra mile.

 

There is lots of FREE information about PQQ and Bid Writing in our “PQQ & Bid Writers Handbook” EBook. To receive your copy, signup to our newsletter and DOWNLOAD IT NOW!

For last minute tender writing call us now on
0844 877 0976

Are you 100% Bid Ready?

Progress:

Do you often put off bid writing until the last minute?

Do you have 3 years set of Accounts and where required are they audited?

Do you have ISO19001 and ISO14001?

Do you have policies for all of the following sectors? Equality and Diversity Environmental Corporate and Social Responsibility Quality Assurance Staff Training and Development Managing Risk Business Continuity Health and Safety

Do you have CV’s of your staff?

Do you have a Quality Assurance process?

Do you have three appropriate references relating to your project including telephone numbers and email addresses?

Would you say that your IT Systems and processes are up-to-date and effective for evaluating the required data needed by the procuring body?

Do you have a robust and pre-qualified supply chain network?

Would you be able to state your strategic objectives in a few short paragraphs to place within a bid document?

Are you currently in a position to complete PQQ’s and Tenders without the need for the production of Accounts, Documents and evidence? Save over £1000, face to face consultancy costs by submitting this FREE online Bid Readiness assessment.

Posted in Tender Proposal Writers, Tender Writer, Tender Writers, Tender Writing, Tender Writing Services, Tendering | Tagged | Leave a comment

Corporate Social Responsibility

Posted on January 9, 2012 by E Anderson Consulting

I’ve just been reading an article in The Guardian and had some thoughts as a result of this http://www.guardian.co.uk/voluntary-sector-network/community-action-blog/2011/dec/09/smes-local-groups-community-action?newsfeed=true

I find it interesting that, in the UK’s current recession, some SMEs are making cuts in some of the areas that I think should always be the cornerstone of every business, at all times, whatever the circumstances are.  For instance, it always makes me chuckle when I hear that businesses are cutting back on marketing because we are in a recession.  But what does marketing mean? Finding out what customers want and giving it to them!  I’ve seen some businesses “put marketing efforts on hold” and “batten down the hatches” until it all blows over – but I think that this is the wrong approach to running a business.  We could just rely on word of mouth but I consider that to be putting all of your eggs in one basket.  We all know that if a business is not growing it is dying – and stopping all marketing efforts is the surest way to kill your business.

Now with regards to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) the article from The Guardian states that if no clear benefits can be seen then CSR will be cut when cuts are being made.  The article also states that “CSR is likely to become an important business issue for SMEs because large customers are creating pressure for responsible behaviour right back down to supply chain.” Based upon this, it is fair to say that a SME that cuts out CSR is at an advantage when tendering because buyers will like to see that your company is active in the wider community, even when times are tough.  Making connections is very important just like in marketing.  The article makes some valid points such as SMEs are alienated by the word “corporate” and are more concerned with survival during a recession.  This is why many SMEs fail to fully embrace the need for a CSR strategy.  But with SMEs doing much of their business locally many would argue that failing to incorporate any kind of CSR strategy into your overall business strategy is a mistake.

My best advice is to be selective when choosing the types of fundraising and charity events that you or your employees are seeking to take part in.  Try to add value to new products and services that you are able to introduce to the market.  If there is a social or environmental benefit then make this clear in your advertising.  One of the biggest barriers to SMEs incorporating any kind of CSR into their plan is their lack of knowledge about how to go about it.  Once you have developed and begun to execute a CSR strategy you should communicate your CSR to the right contacts and get people to buy into the benefits of what you are doing.  As you can see from this, a SME cannot do without CSR any more than it can survive without marketing.  In a recession, just remember to work smarter not harder.

 

There is lots of FREE information about PQQ and Bid Writing in our “PQQ & Bid Writers Handbook” EBook. To receive your copy, signup to our newsletter and DOWNLOAD IT NOW!

For last minute tender writing call us now on
0844 877 0976

Are you 100% Bid Ready?

Progress:

Do you often put off bid writing until the last minute?

Do you have 3 years set of Accounts and where required are they audited?

Do you have ISO19001 and ISO14001?

Do you have policies for all of the following sectors? Equality and Diversity Environmental Corporate and Social Responsibility Quality Assurance Staff Training and Development Managing Risk Business Continuity Health and Safety

Do you have CV’s of your staff?

Do you have a Quality Assurance process?

Do you have three appropriate references relating to your project including telephone numbers and email addresses?

Would you say that your IT Systems and processes are up-to-date and effective for evaluating the required data needed by the procuring body?

Do you have a robust and pre-qualified supply chain network?

Would you be able to state your strategic objectives in a few short paragraphs to place within a bid document?

Are you currently in a position to complete PQQ’s and Tenders without the need for the production of Accounts, Documents and evidence? Save over £1000, face to face consultancy costs by submitting this FREE online Bid Readiness assessment.

Posted in Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR | Tagged , | Leave a comment