When I help people with a tender response they usually have a lot of tender response questions to ask me. The big one is, of course, “Do I stand a chance of winning this tender?” Others range from, “Will I get considered if I don’t have three years audited accounts?” to “Will I get through to the next stage if I don’t have the certification they require?”
To answer these questions it is necessary to consider both the requirements of the contract and the credentials of the company bidding for it. The answers to the questions above will depend on how the two match up. A good tender consultant will be able to assess whether, in their view, you stand a chance. If so, they will be able to help you pitch your response so that you stand the best chance of success. For example, I have experienced a situation where a tender document has asked for confirmation of whether the bidding company had particular certification. The response required a “yes” or “no” answer. Neither Company A nor Company B had this certification. Company A answered “no”. Company B also answered “no” – but they added a note to the effect that they were prepared to get it. Aside from that the two tender responses were pretty much the same.
Company B got through. Company A failed to get through.
Now this is a pretty extreme example of presenting the facts in different ways. However there are many situations where there can be a huge difference in outcome based on how the facts (or, in fact, which facts) are presented in response to tender questions.
If you would like a review of your business in relation to this please contact us.