What is the buyer looking for?

Public Sector aims What is the aim of the Public Sector concerning the award of contracts? Why is this the case? What are tenders? How do they work? Where can I find them? When should I start to apply?

The starting Point Create a “Go / No go” matrix to determine beforehand whether any given tender really is suitable Type of contract Value Location Contract duration What are tenders? How do they work? Where can I find them? When should I start to apply?

Do some work up front Be ready to tender – create your boilerplate text Prepare some case studies Ensure you have your policies written and easily accessible – YOU WILL NEED THEM! Quality policy H&S policy Equal Opportunities policy Environmental policy

The scores on the doors... WHY? Before you even consider responding to a tender have a look at the evaluation criteria. WHY? Pass / Fail criteria You MUST be able to evidence it!

Evaluation criteria can cover... Financials (Inc. Minimum Turnover) Previous trading and experience Banking / credit rating Health & Safety Policies and Procedures Sub contracting Environmental considerations Industry specific detail Staff / Personnel

Schedule your time… Do not underestimate the time taken to compile a high quality bid response Think about who in your organisation needs to input into the response and schedule their time too Consider having a regular review of tenders pending, tenders in progress and tenders submitted

Understand the rules and timelines… Understand the process for each tender Word limit or character count Presentation Font size Bullet points Use of colour Online input of data Adhere to the timelines given

Provide all information requested… Ensure that all information explicitly requested is provided Read and interpret the tender carefully and address the implied issues

Do not make assumptions Ask questions rather than make assumptions Ask your questions carefully Note the procedure and timelines for asking questions and stick to them

Avoid… Making hollow statements We offer you the very best service We have competitive prices We want long term relationships with our clients We are the best in the market These statements are either obvious or subjective so leave them out! GIVE EVIDENCE

Feedback… Ask for feedback Accept it graciously Incorporate any learnings from the feedback into your tender response process

Final thoughts… Ensure that you include in your response: Pricing Details of the service Demonstration of your ability to deliver Why the client should select YOUR company Something memorable – the “WOW” factor 3 elements: price, service, and why, also NDA, form of tender, anti collusion form, T&C’s

Member offer June 2018

Mark Lloyd MCIPS Procurement Consultant www. promitheiaconsulting Mark Lloyd MCIPS Procurement Consultant www.promitheiaconsulting.com mark@promitheiaconsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/tender-equip/ @tenderequip