The Xplor View - July 2008 - (Page 16)

Then you and your colleagues need to have a good look at the ITT and decide: What defines a winning tender? The winning tender is the one that most closely matches the stated requirements cost-effectively, whilst at the same time complying with all the ‘tick box’ requirements. A great proposal will be disqualified if you fail to include your accounts, quality procedure, diversity policy, and all other items required for a compliant bid. You must demonstrate how your bid matches and preferably betters the stated requirements. As with any sales opportunity, the crucial thing is to develop a clear understanding of the client’s needs and respond appropriately. Tendering is an aspect of the sales effort; the tender document is a 'silent salesman,' present in front of the evaluating panel when you cannot be there. If your tender offer is the best they are reviewing, you may well win, even if they do not know you. One thing is certain — if you do not put all your effort into it and get it right, it will not be a winning tender. It is always clear to the evaluators when someone really wants the business and has presented a finely crafted document. It is vital that the tender document is well written, with no grammatical or punctuation errors. If you have addressed the requirements properly, the compliance issues are all dealt with correctly, and the pricing is competitive (not necessarily the lowest), you may well have submitted the winning bid. • Can you do what it asks for? • Can you give a credible statement of your capability in that area? • Can you be price-competitive? • Do you want to try and win it? • Who might the competition be? • Do you seriously think you are in with a good chance of success? If the answers to all the above are positive; then, and only then, should you decide to ‘go for it.’ There is no point in being half-hearted; tender evaluation panels are very good at sniffing out those who are only going through the motions. If you do decide to go for it, give it your best shot so that the will to win comes through in the bid document that will act as your silent sales representative in front of the panel. What goes into a tender? The invitation to tender document — and in some cases the prequalification document that you need to complete first — ask questions about your company’s eligibility to carry out the tendered services as well as for your response to the specification and of course pricing. The supporting documentation often acts as a barrier for some — quality accreditations, policy statements on health and safety, equal opportunities and diversity, environmental standards, and so on. You need to make sure that you have all the supporting information ready, including three years’ accounts, before you get on to the main business in hand — the actual proposal part of the tender. Here you will be in your element as you will be able to describe how your service can meet the stated requirements. Do NOT be tempted to include corporate brochures and marketing materials unless they are specifically requested. The essential contents you will be asked for include: to your company’s eligibility and general • Generic Information relatingpolicies on: capabilities including your Health and safety Equal opportunities and diversity Environmental standards Data Protection Act compliance Quality assurance Insurance cover and certificates Company financial information — the last three years’ accounts and financial statements Learn by example I have been submitting tenders since 1991 and the first two bids submitted, as director of a start-up division of an SME, were successful. The SME won over £1million worth of business a year and had to recruit over 20 people to provide mail and repro services on the client’s site. It was beginner's luck but it was essential to know the contacts and convince them we could do what they wanted. The contracts were for office support services for BP at a time when their Chairman was banging the outsourcing drum. Our offer and range of services was unique at the time; no one else in the UK was providing combined mail and repro document services so the playing field was level and, anxious to please, our flexible service offering was the unique service proposition (USP). In another winning example, the actual tender exercise was about 15 months after an initial proposal had set the scene. This was an outsourcing proposal to a major consultancy, which would mean transfer of several staff under TUPE (Transfer of Undertaking, Protection of Employment) legislation; re-equipping with all new colour, black and white, and large format equipment; and the transfer of an offset litho in-plant to our offsite facility. For the client, this was a strategic decision at board level, and the board were very concerned about ‘outsourcing their intellectual property’ — the print room. Luckily, our senior contact within the firm, the Finance Director (FD), persuaded his colleagues that the print room was merely the means by which their intellectual property was transmitted to their clients and it was badly in need of reinvestment that, in the proposed deal, would be handled by the outsourcing provider. The FD won the day and we were awarded the contract against stiff opposition from two leading competitors who had invested less time before the tender process. In both of these examples, the bid documents were put together in a way that showed that we really wanted the business and the proposition was totally tailored to the client’s specification. Equally important, we spent time with the client beforehand and developed a real understanding of their requirements. These two factors combined will give you the inside track to a successful, winning tender. • Specific details comprising your response to the tender specification and pricing: Concise and accurate responses to the ITT questions Relevant and specific information on the proposed products/services Technical specifications Commercial information including pricing CVs of staff who will be involved in the contract Certificates for memberships, accreditations, insurance, etc. Details of contract partners/subcontractors Any other information requested in the ITT For more information on proposal management and bid writing, visit www.iscl.uk.com Ian Smith Document Partners * Winning Tenders ian@iscl.uk.com “As with any sales opportunity, the crucial thing is to develop a clear understanding of the client’s needs and respond appropriately ” 16 The VIEW Journal Xplor European Edition Issue 5 July 2008 http://www.iscl.uk.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Xplor View - July 2008

The Xplor View - July 2008 Contents Cover Story: Drupa 2008: The Highlights Review New Technology: Inkjet Technologies Moving Forward New Technology: QR Codes: Leading Edge but not Bleeding Edge A Fresh Look at Electronic Document Delivery Management: Growing Your Business Through Tendering The Experts Versus the Amateurs News: Xplor UK & Ireland Supports Total Print! Expo� Part Two: The Latest Developments in Knowledge Management Xplor Europe News: Short News Items for the Xplor UK Programme and Europe News

The Xplor View - July 2008

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