Writing Tender Responses: A Guide In Breaking Down the Basics
Writing tender responses can be complex, and deciphering tender questions is often the first hurdle. One of the biggest mistakes people make when answering tender questions is missing what the question is asking for. Understanding the question and how to answer is crucial for crafting a winning response. In this blog post, we break down the process of analysing a tender question, ensuring you are on the right track from the outset.
Writing Tender Responses – Read the question carefully
This might sound obvious but skimming over a question can be the difference between a successful or an unsuccessful tender. To ensure you are answering a question correctly, it is essential to the question slowly and carefully, multiple times if needed. Importantly, pay attention to keywords, phrases, and any specific instructions.
Identifying the keywords
After reading the question and understanding what is expected in your response, it is useful to highlight or underline the key terms in the question. This includes instructions (e.g., describe, summarise, evidence) and the key topics of the question (e.g., previous experience). These are the words that reveal the core focus of the question.
For example:
Please provide details of the approaches that your organisation uses to measure and report on individual outcomes.
In the question above, the words in bold are the key components of the question which will inform the structure of our response. We have the instructions to “provide details” and the key topics of “measuring and reporting outcomes”.
At its core, the question is asking us to explain how we will measure and report on individual outcomes.
Writing Tender Responses – Plan your response
Once you fully understand the question, it is time to create an outline for your response. This will help you organise your thoughts and ensure you cover all the key points.
The words you have highlighted will inform your structure and sub-headings will be based on the information from the question.
Remember: Tender questions are designed to gather specific information from bidders. By carefully analysing each question, you can craft targeted responses that demonstrate your understanding of the buyer’s needs and showcase your capabilities.
Understand the question type
Tender questions often fall into certain categories:
- Experience-based: These questions focus on your past performance and track record. This includes previous contracts you have carried out.
- Methodology-based: This question type is all about your approach, processes, and plans.
- Capability-based: These questions evaluate your overall skills, expertise, and resources to make sure you can carry out what is required as part of the contract.
Recognising the question type can help you tailor your response appropriately and know what is essential to include.
Ask for clarification
If you are unsure about any aspect of the question, do not hesitate to seek clarification from the buyer. It is better to submit a clarification question than to submit a response that misses the mark.
Writing Tender Responses – Consider the Evaluation Criteria
It is important at this stage to read over the tender documentation again to understand how your response will be evaluated. The Evaluation Criteria and Specification documents will provide insights into what the buyer is looking for and the weighting of different aspects of your answer.
Once you have written your response, it is essential to read back over these documents to ensure your answer meets all the requirements. If you have not hit all the criteria, it will be important to revise your answer and include what is missing.
Remember: If it is included in the Specification, it should be included in your response!
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