Easy Tendering Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

The tendering process can be daunting, particularly if you have never tendered for contracts before, or for SMEs who may lack the necessary in-house resources to complete the tendering process. However, outsourcing the process to a professional tender writer can take away that stress and help you produce a successful tender response.

In this blog, we will cover the tendering process, the easy-to-make mistakes that can be avoided, how to correct these mistakes and where to find tender help.

What is tendering?

Simply, the tendering process is a formal process that involves the selection of a contractor to provide goods or services to a company. It involves the company issuing a tender document outlining their requirements and the criteria they will use to evaluate potential suppliers. Companies then tender for the work and are evaluated based on the criteria set out in the tender document. The winning tender is then awarded the contract.

The process can also involve a number of stages, including pre-qualification, submission of the tender, evaluation of the tender and the contract award. The aim of the tendering process is to ensure that contracts are awarded in a fair and transparent manner.

Common Tendering Mistakes

1. Not reading the tender documents carefully: Before submitting a tender response, it is important to thoroughly read and understand the tender documents. If you don’t take the time to properly review the documents, this can result in the submission of an incomplete or inaccurate tender.
2. Not addressing the selection criteria: Most tenders include a list of selection criteria that must be addressed in the tender response. Failing to address all of the criteria can lead to the tender being disqualified.
3. Not providing detailed information: Tenders should provide detailed information about the organisation, the goods or services being offered, and the prices being charged. Vague or incomplete information can lead to misunderstandings and disqualification.
4. Not following the rules: Tenders must be submitted in the correct format, on the correct date, and with the correct paperwork as stipulated in the specification. Failing to comply with the rules can lead to disqualification.
5. Not being realistic about pricing: Tenders should provide a realistic price that is competitive and provides good value for the customer. Tender responses that show goods/services being too high or low priced can lead to disqualification or a lost contract.
6. Not seeking advice: Tenders can be complex documents and it is important to seek professional advice when necessary to ensure the tender is completed correctly.

How to Improve Your Tender Response

Follow these 7 top tips to save your tendering mistakes and submit a successful tender response!

1. Research the Tendering Process: Research the tendering process and familiarise yourself with the requirements of each stage. This will help you to submit a more competitive and compelling offer.
2. Understand the Buyer: Understand the needs and objectives of the buyer. Make sure that you have a clear understanding of the buyer’s requirements, and tailor your response accordingly.
3. Highlight Your Strengths: Highlight your strengths and differentiate your offering from competitors. Focus on the benefits that your offering will bring to the buyer.
4. Demonstrate Your Value: Demonstrate the value that your offering will bring to the buyer. Show how it will help them to achieve their objectives and how it is the right solution for them.
5. Provide Supportive Evidence: Provide evidence to back up your claims. This could be customer testimonials, case studies, or other forms of proof that demonstrate the effectiveness of your solution.
6. Use Clear Language: Use clear language and terminology that is easy to understand. Keep your writing concise and make sure that it is free from spelling and grammar errors.
7. Use Visuals: Use visuals to bring your response to life. Graphics, diagrams, and images can help. Also, investing in bid design can help your tender response stand out from your competitors who may also be submitting professionally designed tender responses.

How we can help!

Avoid tendering mistakes by outsourcing the process to an expert tender writer!

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect bid for your business, send it our way. Our Bid Writers can take care of the whole thing for you they’ll even submit it on your behalf. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready 4-week programme is perfect for businesses that have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully. Tender Ready offers your business:

• A 12-month subscription to one Hudson Discover
• Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
• An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3 case studies, 5 CVs and policies.
• Additional flexible benefits. 

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts, our Tender Improvement package can help. Our Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents. They will work with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to a Hudson Discover portal and additional tendering development services. 

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your tender response and need it double-checked for errors, Tender Mentor can help. A Bid Writer will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar, or spelling mistakes. They will also ensure it’s in line with the specification before you submit it. This is a great way of improving your skills and understanding of how to polish your tender.

Contact us:

Contact us to find out how we can help your business SUCCEED!

Additional support:

Do you only require assistance with PQQs or SQs? We can help!

Submit the relevant information regarding the work you need, and we will provide a quote for the work agreed upon.

We provide support at all levels of the bid writing process, so if you simply need it proofread before you submit it, we can also help with that!

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can optimise your tendering efforts!

Our two new time-saving tools can improve competitor awareness and success rate when bidding for a contract:

The Ultimate Time Save Package (for those on the go!)

• Five tender breakdowns per month.
• Annual subscription to two sector-specific portals.
• Dedicated account manager.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package

• All of the above.
• Seven tender breakdowns per month.
• Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager (minimum five years experience). Our Global Bid Director will manage the bid strategy.

Our other divisions:

Vocal

Wanting to impress a buyer? Our creative content agency Vocal is always on hand to help!

Our Vocal team are never afraid to be heard – we’re a loud bunch!

From micro-businesses to large organisations, we provide ways to make your business stand out from the crowd. We can transform your bid into a professionally designed tender document!

Vocal specialises in:

• Copywriting
• Marketing
• Branding
• Websites
• Design
• Illustration

Alpha

Our online virtual learning environment for Education, Enterprise and Home Learners is currently being used to power our platforms – Tender VLE and Procure VLE (Coming soon).

We believe in learning at your own pace, wherever you are!

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

• How to win a tender
• Tender Compliance: What does it mean to be non-compliant?
• Legal Services Tenders
• What is a Bid Writer?
• Writing winning bids
• 7 tips for tendering for contracts
• Tips for bid management
• Bid writing services
• The types of tendering procedures
• Writing bids
• Bid Writing Consultants
• Submitting a tender response