By Gail King
Director, Word Sense
Getting the right information into the non-price attributes section of a tender response is critical for companies wanting to win contracts in today’s highly competitive tendering environment. When there’s not a lot of difference in pricing, the winning or losing of a contract can hinge on the non-price responses of tenderers.
If you are a company that tenders frequently, you may be saying, ‘that’s self-evident’. Yet, frequently when bid managers and company owners ask us to review their recent submissions – usually because they are disappointed at coming a close second or third in attributes sections – it is clear that valuable points were lost because of a lack of fine detail.
What is particularly frustrating is that, when we do a little verbal fact-finding with the company, it often turns out that their experience and track record are exemplary and highly relevant to the project they were tendering for, their people experienced and skilled, and the company’s systems and methodologies spot on.
Why then did they lag behind their competitors in recent tenders?
The answer is usually because they failed to provide sufficient detail, including evidence and examples, for the evaluators to be thoroughly convinced that they were the best for the job.
Sadly, most of us have heard stories of companies that were a long-term, high-performing incumbent that lost their contract because, so confident were they in their performance and relationship with their client, they took a laissez-faire attitude to retendering. It’s not only devastating for the company when this happens but, in many cases, it has a significant impact on the morale of the company’s staff.
Will the evaluators be convinced?
Writing that your team performs highly is not compelling evidence that it actually does. Let’s take added value as a working example. If there is a question in the request for tender about added value, chances are that everyone will state that they always add value to their client’s contracts and that they will do so on this contract. But, how can the evaluators score that?
A simple way to achieve a higher mark is to provide a brief example of where and how you provided this added value on another contract and what the outcome was. And, it would be even better if you could include some statistics as evidence.
Back it up with evidence
In basic terms, you should think of a request for tender or request for proposal as a school exam: you need to read the question thoroughly, stick to the point when you are answering it, give the markers as much information as possible and back up your statements wherever possible with supporting evidence – examples, case studies, statistics, step-by-step process and so on.
When you read through the first draft of your response, ask yourself over and over again: ‘Have we answered the question? Have we supplied evidence?’
If there is a page limit for the non-price attributes response, then you will have to be brief.
Digging out the gems
How do you find the gems of supporting evidence that will strengthen your responses? Go digging with your team. Together, identify great examples of performance that will meet or exceed the tender requirements. Encourage your team to challenge one another about your company’s strengths and weaknesses, the perceived strengths and weaknesses of your competitors, the value adds and innovation you think your company will bring to the contract, the best examples to use in your response that truly demonstrate your relevant experience and track record, and the real benefits that you can offer the client.
A word on sustainability
Tender and proposal requests are increasingly asking for information on ‘sustainability.’ What is meant by this varies. In some requests for tender, it is about environmental performance on the job. In other situations, it is about the broader long-term viability of your company and covers your financial, people/social and environmental policies and performance. These two aspects could both be required, in separate sections.
Read the documents carefully to determine what the client means by sustainability, and supply the information accordingly. Ensure that you identify synergies with the client in this area and tailor your answers, in detail, rather than providing stock information.
Methodology
The non-technical parts of methodology sections often appear to ask similar questions to those asked in the management skills sections. Quality assurance, health and safety, sustainability, and communications, for instance, may feature in both sections.
Responses in the management skills section should include detailed information about the systems and processes your company has, and the methodology section should talk specifically how you will carry out those aspects of the contract. For example, you might include detail in methodology of how you implement your programme of works on a daily and/or weekly basis.
Building your case
It’s all about building your case – demonstrating that you have the experience, skills, track record, knowledge, people, technology, processes and systems, resources, innovation and proposed value adds to deliver the contract to a level of excellence.
Make it easy for the evaluators in your next non-price response, provide all the detail you can to build your case.
Contractor Vol.34 No.7 August 2010
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