Struggling to get started on a new bid? Is the idea of writing feeling overwhelming and overly demanding? Many people often find the initial process of beginning to write difficult, but if you find yourself seemingly unable to begin writing your tender responses, you could be suffering from writers’ block.
Writers’ block is a common issue that many people face, but it can be easily resolved, so don’t give up hope! At Tender Victory we are familiar with this frustrating issue, and are committed to providing solutions, so you can continue with writing the best bid possible!
In this post, we have detailed some tips that we recommend to get yourself into a productive bid-writing mindset and put pen to paper.
Researching the buyer
Before you even think about writing, begin to identify what the buyer is looking for and link this to what you have to offer. In addition to reviewing the tender pack, start researching the buyer’s background information and website so that you can have an idea of their wider organisation and business strategy.
Things to look out for include:
- Added value
- Sustainability, environmental or social considerations
- Quality management and best practise
- Value for money
- Customer service
- Innovation
- Business continuity and risk management
Now, you will have a clear understanding of the buyer’s key themes and interests, consider how your own business relates to these. Don’t pressure yourself about writing just yet – simply note down your ideas in list form or in a mind map, giving your brain space to think creatively. By doing this, you will have a good starting point for how you will approach your tender.
Breaking the question down
Next, we recommend finding a question from the buyer and breaking it down so it feels more manageable and concise. By doing this, you will be able to really understand what the buyer wants to hear from you, providing you with a clear idea of what you should be writing about.
We recommend noting down:
- Your solution in detail – what it is, what it does and how you will operationally manage it, and how it will meet the buyer’s requirements.
- The added value your solution will bring to the buyer.
- An outline of your reasons for recommending this solution, trying to back up your claims with previous applications with other clients or customers.
The importance of clarification
Confusion and gaps in your understanding of the tender could be factors within your writers’ block. The clarifications process, therefore, is a great and useful procedure as it is often key to enhancing your understanding the buyers stipulated requirements.
Clarification windows typically close days or even a week or two before the tender deadline. We suggest that you try to read through all tender documents, highlighting anything you’re unclear about, so you are able to make the most out of this part of the process before the deadline.
Your questions should be polite and clear, allowing you to get the best responses possible. If your questions relate to your interpretation of what is stated in the documents, or a perceived conflict in what they have stated in different parts of the tender pack, make sure you include documents references, page numbers and paragraph numbers. By doing this, you are much more likely to get the fullest answers possible!
By utilising the clarifications process as best you can, you are guaranteed to gain a clearer understanding of what the buyer expects of you and what you should be including within your bid. If you feel like a more detailed understanding of this process would be helpful, we have written a blog post: ‘Making the best use of clarifications in a tender process’.
USPs – how will they help me?
Do you know what your USPs (unique selling points) are?
Before you begin writing your bid, have a clear idea of what your USPs are, for example: your years of experience, any additional qualifications or accreditations, personnel etc. This will help you begin a train of thought, that relates to the buyers requirements you have already identified, regarding what your business has to offer, and how this will interest the buyer.
To continue this train of thought, begin to connect your USPs with the contract you’re bidding for. Really think about what will impress them and help you really stand out against competition, for example, case studies are a great way to showcase your business’ abilities – weave in the positive past experiences and results your business has received to impress the buyer in a credible manner.
By having a clear idea of your business’ USPs and what makes it stand out, you’ll know what needs to be included within your bid.
This, along with the rest of the information you have gained from the processes we have recommended, will provide an outline of what you will need to write, giving you a clear direction of where to take your tender. Essentially, the hardest part is over!
In conclusion…
Overall, it is key to have a clear idea of what you would like to write – what do you want to communicate to the buyer? What key information needs to be included within your bid? Once this is clear for you, writing will become much less daunting as you will know exactly what you want to say!
Top tip: when you are struggling to write full sentences and paragraphs, write a list of notes and ideas. These will provide you with the basis of a writing plan that you can use as a strong starting point to writing full content.
We hope this helps clear your writers’ block! If you need any further assistance regarding this topic or any other areas, please contact us. We are happy to help!