The Competitive Tendering Process – what it means to be competitive
The competitive tendering process is, by definition, competitive. A competitive tender is, by definition, one with a competitive price.
The conclusion from the above logic is that, in order to win a competitive tender, you need to submit a sharp price. Now, while this is over-simplifying the aim of the competitive tendering process, there is some basis of truth in this. There will invariably be a scoring matrix against which tenders are measured. Typically this will allocate 40% of the marks to price, and 60% to quality of response. Acknowledging that, price will always be critical. However, statistics indicate that the majority of tenders are not awarded to the lowest bidder. The inference of this is that the lowest bidders usually score low on quality of response.
This all means that much of the competitiveness is in the area of quality. The number of questions that are scored in a tender is variable, but let’s say that there are 6. These may be in the form of method statements. They are quite likely to be weighted. A couple of the responses may each carry 25% of the score, a couple of them may each carry 15% of the score, and a couple 10% of the score. This helps you prioritise you response.
Somewhere in the tender documentation it is likely to tell you exactly what they will be looking for in your response. A good way to score high is to create your own check list of points to address. Better still, use these as sub headings for your response. If you can see that you have created excellent responses for each of the points the person marking the tender will be able to see likewise. How can you fail to score highly?
Couple this with a sensibly competitive price and you will be in good shape to get through to the next stage of the competitive tendering process.