The Star Early Edition

Be profession­al – it will make a differen

- PROFESSION­AL TENDERS – PART ONE

SUBMITTING a profession­ally compiled tender document can make all the difference between winning and losing a bid for business. Let us take a look at some of the basic rules to follow.

If the tender specificat­ion documents do not call for a particular format or structure, keep your tender response document clear, logical and well organised. Include a clear and persuasive introducti­on that states the purpose, rationale and central propositio­n of your bid. It can also help to use diagrams as you develop your tender response. This can be an effective way to break up blocks of text and communicat­e in a simplified manner.

As with quotations, tenders must include certain informatio­n in order to be considered, including:

A company profile and capability statement;

Whether you propose to subcontrac­t;

The price for each product or service you propose, and an indication of whether these are fixed or variable (based on exchange rates or consumer price index variations, for example);

Any conditions affecting the price; Delivery details and charges; A proposed schedule indicating milestones or delivery dates;

Whether goods or services are periodic or recurrent;

All applicable taxes and insurances;

Intellectu­al property rights where relevant; and

A descriptio­n of any variations you propose in meeting the conditions of the contract.

Closely follow the criteria in the tender request. Make sure your proposed offer precisely meets the buyer’s needs and describe the benefits the buyer will receive from your products or services.

Provide specific examples of how you meet the selection criteria rather than simply stating that you do. It is important to highlight your credential­s and p experience, as we your approach t tender will meet t You should also id ments that are m the buyer and cate tender response.

Another key pa successful tender r ing the right refere that know your pro Make sure you g use referees befor in your response a the highlights of t can target their co specificat­ions.

Use spell check ask someone ou developmen­t proc tender response a Ideally, get a profes or proofreade­r to c

If several auth uted to different p response, ensure reads the entire document for cons

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