The Bid No Bid Journey

alt=""

The Bid No Bid Journey

Step 1
Register the tender

Register the tender in your tenders management system.

I usually print out the request two pages to an A4, back and front, flipping on the long edge. This gives me a reading real-estate of 4 pages per view, and is more efficient when reviewing the entire document. If you need large print, don’t follow this advice!

Read through the entire document, highlighting important points with a highlighter or red pen. Write the closing date and time. This is your immutable deadline.

Step 2
Evaluate your chances of winning

Evaluation sheet with checkbox marked “Good” overlaid by Bidbuddy icon — visual for Step 2 of the Bid No Bid Journey: evaluating your chances of winning.

Determine what your chances of winning are. 

If your chances are sub-optimal, a decision needs to be made as to whether a bid should be submitted or not. Sometimes the strategic benefits may outweigh the costs.

Step 3
Calculate the odds

Hand using calculator next to percentage symbol with Bidbuddy icon overlay — visual for Step 3 of the Bid No Bid Journey: calculating the odds.

Companies who don’t strategically select their tenders tend to ‘shotgun’ their value proposition in the hope that some of their proposals thrown into the marketplace will hit the bullseye. However the downside is:

  • that in order to cope with the increased volume of work staff will start to template their responses – and as a result template their losses
  • such a random effort is a poor use of critical resources
  • poor quality bids reduce the chances of winning

Step 4
Calculate your bidding budget

Australian currency, calculator, and notepad with pen — Bidbuddy logo overlay for Step 4 of the Bid No Bid Journey: calculating your bidding budget.

Once the decision to proceed to submit a tender, a realistic budget should be assigned. 

Disciplined companies determine the cost of winning business at the activity level, not at the salaried level.

Bidding for work worth $500,000 should cost around $11,200 or take around 224 hours of internal staff time. This cost should be built into the price. If you don’t win, it should be built into the next job, until you do win. Otherwise, your business development staff are not recouping their own costs.

  • Cover image of Bidbuddy’s Tender Management Register showing gear icon, win rate chart, and relationship tracker.

    Restricted content

    View

    A simple spreadsheet register to keep track of your tenders performance and contracts.

    Only registered users can download this free product. Join us for FREE to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads.

  • Cover of Bidbuddy's Tender Review Checklist — a free downloadable template to assess bid readiness.

    Restricted content

    $0.00
    View
    $0.00

    Join us for FREE to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads.

    If you have already signed in you can download this item for free.

    Only registered users can download this free product. Join us for FREE to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads.

  • Cover of Bidbuddy’s Customisable Proposal Template — free downloadable resource for tailored tender proposals.

    Customisable Proposal Template

    $0.00
    Add to cart
    $0.00

    Join us for FREE to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads. You are a part of our membership and you can download this item for free.

    Add to cart
  • Cover of Bidbuddy’s Competitor Analysis Workbook — free template to research and benchmark competitors during tender planning

    Competitor Analysis Workbook

    $0.00
    Add to cart
    $0.00

    Join us for FREE to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads. You are a part of our membership and you can download this item for free.

    Add to cart
  • Cover of Bidbuddy’s Tender Feedback Forms — free template for collecting feedback after tender submissions.

    Tender Feedback Forms

    $0.00
    View
    $0.00

    Join us for FREE to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads. You are a part of our membership and you can download this item for free.

    Only registered users can download this free product. Join us for FREE to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads.

  • Cover of Bidbuddy’s Accountant’s Letter template — free downloadable letter format for financial declarations in tenders.

    Restricted content

    $0.00
    View
    $0.00

    [bidbuddy_visitor]Become a member (it’s free) to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads.[/bidbuddy_visitor]

    [bidbuddy_member]You are a part of our membership and you can download this item for free.[/bidbuddy_member]

    Only registered users can download this free product. Join us for FREE to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads.

  • Cover of Bidbuddy’s No Bid Letter Template — free downloadable letter format to formally decline tender invitations.

    Restricted content

    $0.00
    View
    $0.00

    Join us for FREE to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads.

    You are a part of our membership and you can download this item for free.

    Only registered users can download this free product. Join us for FREE to unlock this item, plus many other tender writing assets with unlimited downloads.