What’s the most effective strategy for responding to a call for tenders ?
What’s the most effective strategy for responding to a call for tenders ?
There isn’t just one winning strategy, but several. The first thing is to create and implement a reproducible process that can be activated for each new call for tenders, in particular with a toolbox containing the elements required for each response and made available to all.
The establishment of a formal process, integrated by the various stakeholders, will enable you to gain clarity on everyone’s role, and therefore efficiency: a considerable asset in the race against time that is the call for tenders.
Our second piece of advice is not to try to respond to every tender at all costs. Too many professionals make this mistake and waste their energy trying to respond to several calls simultaneously. Concentrate on a few calls that correspond to you, for which you have a real strategy to deploy, and focus your energy on them.
What’s the role of the tender responder and his team ?
To win your tender, you need to know how to manage your team. As soon as the call for tenders is issued, identify the key people who have the necessary experience to respond to the request and assemble a “commando” team, admittedly small, but adequate to prepare your response effectively. Don’t spread yourself too thin (and your time) by trying to include the whole team.
The “leader” must concentrate on delegating tasks correctly, formalizing the request with the teams, and above all controlling time, both to respond and to deliver. But remember, in the end, it’s your “technical” or “expert” team that will determine the real substance of your proposal.
That’s why the relationship between the leader and his or her team is so important: they need to have a clear, established relationship from the outset in order to match, I’d say, “form and substance” and win the bid.
Usually, we find that customer dissatisfaction is often due to the fact that the parties don’t clearly define the scope and timetable of their commitment to the customer.
How to compete ?
Tender or not, you need to know who your competitors are in the market. When an invitation to tender is issued and interests you, assume that your competitor is also aware of it and interested.
In order to prepare your tender properly, you need to learn all you can about your competitor: who is he? What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses (what they don’t offer)? With this precise mapping of the forces at play, you’ll find it easier to find the ideal “angle” to distinguish yourself and increase your chances of success.
Do you have any tips for winning bids ?
Two things seem important to me: speaking the customer’s jargon and taking care with your presentation. You have to make an effort to mimic your customer’s language, no matter how different it may be from your own. Of course, this may seem frustrating for a “technician” who thinks he’s answering the question correctly, but you’re unlikely to attract attention in a language the recipient doesn’t use. Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes, and translate your answer – even if it means losing precision – into terms appropriate to his or her sector.
And above all, take care with your presentation: your response PowerPoint should be consistent with your logo and your graphic charter! Too often, this “graphic” element is forgotten. Think of the luxury sector, where the quality of service is as important as the service itself: if your proposal is a real nugget, give it the showcase it deserves!
Guillaume Lemaire Van Kann is Consulting Director at Eliott & Markus.
