Preparing to write a tender
How to Plan a Tender
Knowing how to plan a tender well makes all the difference. It is the gap between a rushed response and a confident one. Don't start writing until you have planned what you will say.
Assemble the team
The bid management process has two main players: the Bid Manager and the Marketing Manager. In a small bid, one or two people can fill both roles.
Someone also needs to handle the back-of-house jobs: letters, documents, drawings, meeting notes, and sign-offs. That means sending, compiling, and storing everything the team makes.
Plan your bid
The best use of your time when you plan a tender is reading the requirements closely. Talk them through as a group, page by page. This builds a shared understanding. It also raises questions for the Buyer.
Once the bid team is on the same page, planning can begin.
Set the strategy
Your bid strategy considers:
- Your existing technical capability.
- Customer requirements.
- Competitors' capabilities.
- Potential team members.
- Any procurement factors that affect your chances of winning.
It maps out how you will present yourself. The goal: score above the midpoint on every qualitative criterion.
Plan the solution
The planning phase should take no more than one-third of the time available. Use the rest to prepare the response.
The output of your planning session is a task list. Give each task an owner and a deadline.
Expect some tasks to run late. Build buffer into the timeline so you avoid stress near the due date.
Deliverable
Task list + owners + dates + buffer.
