So it’s your first time tendering, but the question you want to be asking yourself is not: How to tender? The question you want to ask is: How to tender SUCCESSFULLY?
The Tendering Process
Identifying the right contracts
It is essential to be able to find contracts relevant to you, and by using Tracker you can source the right contracts related to your sector. Preparing tenders can be a time-consuming, expensive and resource-heavy process, so you need to be sure you’re bidding for the right contracts.
You need to be realistic about your expectations and chances of securing contracts, so ask yourself the following questions. Does my business meet or exceed the technical skills and experience required? Does the contract fit into my business strategy or positioning? Can my business afford to spend the time and resource required, especially in the event that I don’t win? Finally: Will this contract help my business grow?
If the answer to all of these questions is YES, then let’s move on!
Expressing interest
This lets the buyer know that you are interested in submitting a bid and doing business. You will be issued with a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), or in the case of a one-stage process an Invitation to Tender (ITT).
Time is of the essence; the sooner you express your interest the sooner you can get started on creating a high-quality bid and give yourself the time to produce your best work. If you decide not to proceed, however, you are under no obligation to submit a tender and you can opt out at any time. Though obviously this will have been time you could have spent on some other task, so be sure before you commit!
Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)
The PQQ document is designed to exclude suppliers that are under-qualified and reduce the overall number of companies bidding for a contract.
Your company should concentrate on evidence and firm reassurance of its ability at this stage. This is the point where the awarding authority is looking to eliminate any applicants that don’t have the ability or experience to be considered at the tendering stage. Furthermore, while the PQQ and ITT stages are entirely separate, any positives a company can get across at the PQQ stage will benefit them come the ITT stage.
Invitation to Tender (ITT)
If your company succeeds in being shortlisted you will be sent an Invitation to Tender. While the PQQ looks at your past and what you’ve achieved, the ITT stage looks to your future and what you can offer should you win the contract.
You should be able to offer a service based on the specification but keep in mind you will have competitors – to secure a contract you will have to offer something different from the rest of the field. Identifying key differentiators will help you stand out from your competitors and hopefully secure you that public sector contract.
Still stuck?
The Ultimate Guide to Winning Government Contracts is designed to help suppliers like you understand the market and how you can improve your chances of success.
This online guide provides a clear, comprehensive overview of the public sector procurement marketplace, the market opportunity available and everything you need to know to help you win more public sector contracts.
How Tracker can help
Tracker makes it easy for you to identify public and private sector opportunities and access meaningful market and industry news, while providing you with the vital competitor insight you need to keep your business one step ahead.
Using Tracker you can easily access opportunity documents, upload and work on winning responses, track progress and collaborate with anyone, anywhere, at any time – all at the click of a button.
Tracker is the only end-to-end business development solution with the unique intelligence you need to find, bid for and win more business – try the Tracker Premier package and see the results for yourself with a free trial.
