Courtney Hynes, Head of Work Winning at EiB, specialises in supporting SMEs to secure contracts by addressing their unique needs
Recognising that creating a winning bid can be challenging for SMEs, we offer support in careful planning, effective time management and high-quality bid writing. The process involves gathering accurate information, simplifying complex ideas and presenting them in a clear and persuasive style. These elements are key to producing bids that stand out and succeed.
Courtney shares five top tips for preparing winning tender responses. These principles have driven our 86% success rate and provide the foundation of every successful bid at EiB.
Five top tips for preparing winning tender responses
1. Involve the right people
It’s essential to assign roles and responsibilities as early as possible to ensure you have the right people involved to provide the right information. Once you have done this, you can then establish an effective method of communication to engage all members of your team.
2. Manage time effectively
Identifying key milestones, creating a robust bid programme and clearly communicating timescales, will enable you to monitor progress and deliver your bid on time. Holding regular progress meetings to engage the team and assign actions towards bid completion is another critical step in engagement. Host these meetings at key bid stages to review your developing submission and identify areas for improvement.
3. Write concisely and to the point
Get to the point! Make sure your language is sharp and active. Keep it short and simple, breaking down complex content into short, direct sentences. Often the simplest words tell the most compelling story – aim to be understood and leave no room for misinterpretation.
Using active language will enable you to present a stronger voice. Stating that “we will” gives the reader clarity on your offer and what you can deliver.
To further strengthen your point, name the individuals in your submission who will deliver your product or service. This provides the reader with confidence in your proposed approach.
4. Describe how you will deliver your offer and support it with evidence
You can’t assume your clients will have the same technical insight you do, therefore you need to spell out exactly how you propose to deliver your client’s requirements.
Support your approach with clear examples of where you have successfully done it before. The most effective way to instil confidence is to provide an explanation with supporting evidence, such as graphics and tables.
Graphics are a useful form of evidence, but you must ensure every graphic adds value to the narrative. Use action captions to highlight the benefits identified in the graphic. Captions are immensely powerful communication tools. They secure virtually 100% readership, no matter what else is on the page.
5. Write headlines, not headings
Use headlines such as “Our robust approach to health and safety” instead of a heading such as “Health and safety” to convey the key message of each section of your bid. Structure your submission with these headlines to answer all elements of the question exactly as the client has asked. This makes it easy for readers to navigate your bid.
Overall, crafting a winning bid is a specialised process that requires strategic planning, clear communication and a tailored approach to meet client needs. By applying these top tips, SMEs can enhance their chances of success in securing valuable contracts.