Over the years we have probably all heard rumours of companies that have won larger contracts to supply products and services way out of their normal remit. For example, during the pandemic new businesses were being created that then went on to win government contracts import and supply PPE.
We can say with all confidence and industry experience this is not a normal or regular occurrence. If, like us, you receive a multitude of tender notifications into your inboxes each day, you may sometimes daydream about a £10m contract to supply wings to the Tooth Fairy! But we can assure you that behind each tender the procurement team are looking for specific experience, examples, guarantees and recommendations for performance improvements. They will want confidence you can offer these. Without relevant experience there is a slim chance of you successfully winning tenders outside of your businesses core product/service offering.
If a tender does land, that perhaps you are in two minds about because you think your experience could deliver it but you’re not 100% sure about the hurdles of the tender process, we recommend you follow these important steps:
- Read through the full tender pack – highlight areas where they ask for examples and proof
- Begin to sketch out how you would answer those examples… how much detail can you go into? Will your answer be comprehensive enough to score well against the competition (for whom the subject matter of the tender is likely to be there core business)?
- Can you go the ‘extra mile’ to back up and prove what you can offer – offering up evidence such as recent case study examples, previous client references, feedback or testimonials etc.
- Do they ask for confirmation of how much of your business’s income is made up of the types of works you are tendering for?
- If it’s a new business area for you, how best can you prove you can deliver what they ask for?
If you have a tender on your desk, but are unsure whether to bid for it, get in touch with our experts today and talk it over with them. We are happy to have a no obligation chat and help you decide the best course of action. We won’t make your bid/no-bid decision for you, but we will ask you pertinent questions informed by our experience and what the tender itself requires and will be evaluated upon.
If you do choose to proceed, we will happily chat with you about how we can help with the submission itself!
Please also check out our full bid library for many more useful blogs about how best to evidence your experience and expertise in a tender submission.