Here’s everything you need to know about RFP tenders

Do you have questions about RFP tenders? Perhaps you are wondering where to find them, or how to win them. Maybe you simply want to know what they are. Here at Hudson Succeed, we strive to support and educate anyone who wants to learn more about tendering.

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about RFP tenders…

What is an RFP tender?

Starting at the beginning, what are RFP tenders? Well, RFP stands for request for proposal. This is a type of tender where buyers request any suitable suppliers to bid for their contract via a proposal. This proposal is often complex and in-depth. This is because the supplier must go into detail about how they will carry out the work. They must also show why they are the best choice.

There are a few different types of requests, including RFIs and RFQs. You may also have heard the term invitation to tender (ITT). This usually comes after suppliers have completed a PQQ (pre-qualification questionnaire). We wrote a blog dedicated to addressing the differences between them which you can read here.

How to find RFP tenders

To find an RFP tender, you can simply use search engines such as Google. Opportunities will be available on various websites. This can take hours of scouring a lot of sites, however. To streamline the process, you may prefer to use a tender portal. Our sister company, Hudson Discover, have 11 sector specific portals. They are:

• Creative Tenders
• Healthcare Tenders
• Facilities Tenders
• Construction Tenders
• Technology Tenders
• Logistics Tenders
• Research Tenders
• Consultancy Tenders
• HR Tenders
• Finance Tenders
• Hospitality Tenders.

By using a tender portal, you can save hours of your time which can be used more productively. What is great about our portals is that we don’t use algorithms or CPV codes. This means the opportunities on our portals are all legitimate and categorised correctly. You can use filters to see contracts based on keywords, location, budget, and deadline.

How to win RFP tenders

There are two options for winning an RFP tender. You can choose to write the bid yourself or turn to a professional Bid Writer. If you opt for writing it yourself, there’s certain skills you will need to ensure the highest chance of success.

1.     You’ll need expert writing and communication skills

As you might expect, to write a bid you’ll need excellent writing skills. You’ll also need to be able to communicate ideas and concepts clearly. You don’t want the reader to be confused when reviewing your bid. So, these skills are essential for getting your case across.

2.     Bid management is essential

Bids are often complex and require a lot of work. If you aren’t sure how to approach one, it can even feel overwhelming. It is important to read the buyer’s documents clearly and to note down important information and key dates. Bid management is one of the most important parts of tendering. Without it, you’re likely to miss key details and this will easily lose you the bid.

Here at Hudson Succeed, our bid management consultancy services can help you every step of the way.

3.     Editing abilities

Similarly with writing skills, you need to have a keen eye for detail to spot errors in your bid. This is a really important stage that our own Bid Writers take very seriously. If your bid is littered with mistakes, it gives the impression you are unprofessional and not thorough. You want to submit a bid of the absolute highest standard, so you need to check it for mistakes. Our Bid Writers proofread bids multiple times with peers to ensure any mistakes are rectified.

Why you should choose a Bid Writer for your RFP tenders

Many businesses choose to hire Bid Writers to handle their RFPs. This is for several reasons, including:

·      Bid Writers save you time

By turning to a Bid Writer, they handle the entire bid for you. This means you can spend your time more productively and continue with your usual responsibilities. Some businesses choose to write their bid themselves, but this can put a massive strain on their workforce.

·      Bid Writers have the experience needed

As you can imagine, Bid Writers are experts at what they do. This means they have the years of experience needed to know exactly how to approach bids. They know how to break down tenders into manageable chunks. This means they can get everything done with plenty of time to spare for the submission stage. It also ensures no details are missed.

Summary

Now let’s summarise everything we have covered.

An RFP tender is a type of bid where suppliers can submit bid proposals for a particular contract.

To find an RFP tender, you can use search engines. However, you will save more time by using a tender portal such as one of our 11 sector specific portals:

• Creative Tenders
• Healthcare Tenders
• Facilities Tenders
• Construction Tenders
• Technology Tenders
• Logistics Tenders
• Research Tenders
• Consultancy Tenders
• HR Tenders
• Finance Tenders
• Hospitality Tenders.

To win an RFP tender, you can write the bid yourself or turn to a Bid Writer. To win an RFP tender yourself, you’ll need the following skills:

• You’ll need expert writing and communication skills
• Bid management is essential
• Editing abilities.

If you are considering hiring a Bid Writer, there are many benefits. Two of the main reasons for hiring a Bid Writer are as follows:

1. Bid Writers save you time
2. Bid Writers have the experience needed.

It is important to also note that Bid Writers have all the skills listed above for winning an RFP tender.

Still have questions about RFP tenders? Our Bid Writing Consultants are always at hand to help. Feel free to contact us with any queries you have.

Our services

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. They can also help you better understand the tendering process. 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 own 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. This can help you formulate a winning submission.

Additional support

If you only need assistance with PQQs or SQs we can help. Send the information over to us and we can provide you with a quote for the work involved.

Discover Elite

Upgrading to Discover Elite can help optimise your tendering efforts – even when you’re busy. Our two new time-saving tools can improve your competitor awareness and success rate when bidding for a contract.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

• A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
• An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Healthcare and Technology, for example.
• Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
• Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid strategy.
• Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package also includes:

• All of the above.
• Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
• A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.