# BidBuddy

> BidBuddy Tender Writers. Tenders won, not just written. At BidBuddy, we don’t just write tenders — we craft winning strategies that secure big opportunities. Trusted for over 20 years by businesses across Australia.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Have you ever written a tender for [XYZ] industry?**
A: Short answer is “probably”. We have written successful tenders in a wide range of industries, including health, construction, resources, government, industrial services, hospitality, you name it. Our international experience extends across a number of countries.

The longer answer is “it doesn’t matter”. While some think it does, the evaluation criteria are common across all industries, and there is a structure and format to all responses. We get the technical details from you, and transcribe them into responses that sell you best. Whatever industry you are in.

**Q: How can you help us?**
A: It depends on your budget and the value of the tender you are responding to. In some cases, the opportunity isn’t high-enough value to justify paying a professional. In those situations, we recommend investing two hours to complete our [free course](/courses/how-to-write-your-first-tender-response/).

Our service offerings can be found [here](/services/). We can coach you, do the work for you, or clean up your document at the end. We provide end-to-end support, from initial strategy development through to final submission and post-submission follow-up. We analyse the tender, assess whether you qualify, define your value proposition, and coach you through pricing if that part feels daunting.

Because we care about our clients winning, we consistently go beyond the minimum to give you the strongest possible chance of success.

If you would prefer a discussion, call us or [book a free, no-strings-attached consultation](/book-free-consultation/) at a time that suits you.

**Q: How do I engage a good tender consultant?**
A: Ask around and see who uses who. Check out their referees. Talk to them. Select the one you feel the most confident in.

While you can’t ask for samples of their work, you can check out their website. If it is boring, lifeless and dull, chances are their tenders will be equally boring, lifeless  and dull.

Don’t be fooled by “qualifications”. Good tender writing relies on a wealth of experience and talent, not just education and skills.

This is a business where you definitely get what you pay for. Don’t fall for the cheapest, as you can be assured they will not be able to spend the time necessary to do anything more than an adequate job. All they will do is take your content and format it nicely, and maybe fix up your grammar. Actually, no, on second thoughts, they’ll ask ChatGPT to do that for them.

You can check out our our [actual feedback here](/about-us/feedback).

**Q: Can't I just use ChatGPT or Claude?**
A: We have tested ChatGPT and other large language models.

Don’t get me wrong: ChatGPT is good to get yourself started when you have absolutely no idea what to write. It gives you a great structure, that it took from somewhere /someone else, and maybe not with their permission.

But to suggest that it can write laser focused on-point persuasive content specifically about you is a dangerous assumption. It reads really well to people who don’t understand how tenders are evaluated, and what content is required to actually produce a winning bid, so it’s easy to think that ChatGPT will give you everything you need.

It doesn’t.

What ChatGPT lacks, and will always lack, is discernment. It cannot create new, it can only repurpose already referenced material, which is at least a couple of years old. It tells you what to write, in a generic way, but doesn’t tell you how to write it. It cannot write persuasive copy. And it often misses the mark alltogether.

We don’t use ChatGPT other than the occasional tool for three reasons:

(1) everybody else will, so their tender responses will all take on the same grey hue in a competitive setting;

(2) we find it slows us down. It’s faster to write the content from scratch than it is to tell ChatGPT about your business; and

(2) we don’t need to. We know what we are doing and ChatGPT doesn’t cut it. We know, because we have road tested it.

**Q: What do you charge?**
A: We don’t give a price out over the telephone, nor do we quote a job unseen.

If you are really interested, talk to us first, and send us a copy of the tender you are interested in bidding for.

If you would like a ball-park budget estimate, [check out our calculator](/resources/calculators) to work out how much to set aside and what is “too much” to spend on getting your tender written (i.e. the point at which your costs exceed your desired profit).

You will, if you get shop around, get a wide range of prices. You will get what you pay for. A simple tender will take us between 30 and 40 hours, and we work very fast. If you get a very cheap quote then it’s from someone who isn’t well-qualified, or they aren’t putting the time into making your tender the best in the pile.

Or, (and this is the most likely) both, because they don’t understand what good should look like.

**Q: Help, I was writing it myself and I've run out of time. Can you help me?**
A: Writing a good tender response takes many, many hours of work. For first-timers with a simple tender, at least 30-40 hours, and more if we are looking at a large, complex job.

So the short answer is “yes, probably”, because we work together as a team, and specialise in short turnaround times.

Contact us to see what we can do for you.

**Q: It's a lot of money for something I may not win**
A: Ever seen what lawyers charge to represent people in court where anything can (and does) happen? Do most people represent themselves? No. Because they know they would have a fool for a client.

You aren’t paying us to concoct a story that will persuade the buyer. You are paying us to represent your story in its best possible light.

Check our our bid/no bid calculator to assess your chances. Don’t use “hope marketing”. If you don’t have the story, don’t bid.

And do talk to us about flexible arrangements.

**Q: Do you find tenders for us?**
A: We can for a fee. If that doesn’t work for you let us refer you to our good friends Australian Tenders. [Sign up for a $100 discount](https://form.jotform.com/231011545057849) code to help you on your journey. And don’t forget to come back to discuss your opportunity when you find it.

**Q: Can you help us with a Government tender?**
A: Absolutely! Local, State and Federal government tenders are a specialty for us. We have substantial government procurement experience, which means we understand the meaning behind the questions so we can align your answers to achieving the goals of the government entity.

**Q: I want to start tendering as a new business. Can you help?**
A: Yes! We can help. For starters, why not try this [article?](/how-to-start-submitting-tenders-as-a-small-business-just-starting-out/)

## Pages

- [About Us](/about)
- [Calculators](/calculators)
- [Contact Us](/contact)
- [Courses](/courses)
- [Home](/)
- [How to Write a Tender](/howtowriteatender)
- [Planning](/planning)
- [Privacy Policy](/privacy)
- [Resources](/resources)
- [Templates](/templates)
- [Tender Writing Services](/tender-writing-services)
- [Testimonials](/testimonials)
- [Writing](/writing)

## Topics

- Business: Business and entrepreneurship tips
- Marketing: Marketing strategies and insights
- Tender Writing: Tips for writing winning tenders