My top 10 tips for improving your approach to Public Sector Tenders in the UK

1. 10 Hot Tips
for increased public sector tendering success
1. Read all of the documentation you are sent, in detail: there is no such thing as a generic tender;
there will always be one or two different requirements from different purchasing organisations, or over
time from the same organisation. Get several people around your company to read what is issued and
discuss together what it means – if there are things that are not clear to you – ask a written question
(there is always a process for a limited amount of time to do this) so that you find out what they mean –
don’t guess – it is not your interpretation of the question that counts, it is the purchasers!
2. Check - can you deliver all the specification: before you start writing: the more of what the
purchaser wants that you don’t currently do/provide, the less chance you have of scoring well – hence
less chance of winning the tender. If it is a new service that is being commissioned then you need to
be able to demonstrate that you have done it, or something very similar, elsewhere.
3. Make sure you answer each component of a question: often there are several parts to each
question you are asked. Go through the questions and highlight each separate element before you
start writing – then use these as headings in your response. This helps the reader cross-reference your
response to their requirements and makes it easier for them to score your submission.
4. Always make use of the evaluation criteria provided: they are there for a purpose and can help you
understand the critical things you need to cover in your response, as well as to identify any ‘gateway’
questions (those which you must be able to say yes (or in some circumstances, no) to in order have
any chance of being invited to take part in the next stage of the tendering process.
5. Evidence all claims and statements you make: evidence is hard facts, tangible, auditable,
publically available, published or authenticated – it can be real life examples of where you have
done things before, documents which show you are good at what you are offering; information and
performance data that shows you are able to do the work well, quotations and testimonials (and
references) from people who have experienced your work or results of customer satisfaction surveys. It
will be more valuable if the evidence you use is from an external source and not you, for example
published data, independent inspections or audits; quotations from other clients for whom you do
similar work. It will not be sufficient just to say you are good at something, you need to prove it to score
highly and improve your chances of success.
6. Ensure your answers are concise and to the point: often word or page limits are given. Under no
circumstances exceed these as the excess will not be scored. Check if you can use appendices – if so
this is a good way to provide supporting information in relation to the points you are making – but not a
way to extend the word / page limits. It is essential to have a good command of the English language,
and particularly how to make effective use of punctuation and/or diagrams, charts and pictures, so that
you can tell the reader what you want them to know without using lots and lots of words.
7. Leave plenty of time for review and changes: don’t underestimate how long this takes – you need to
submit the best document possible – you only get once chance at making the right impression. You
should aim to have the final draft of your submission ready for a full quality-check/review at least 3 days
before the deadline. This will ensure you have enough time to read it all, check for spelling errors,
incorrect information, compliance with all of the instructions you were given, word limit checks etc.
Most of all this final quality review should make you feel ‘excited’ with what you read. Remember - if it
does not excite you, it probably won’t excite the Procurement Panel readers either.
8. Follow all of the instructions you are given, to the letter: As the numbers of tender submissions
rise, especially at PQQ stage, it is increasingly the case that bids are rejected on the basis of them
not complying with the instructions that have been included in the tender pack.
© May 2012
This material must not be reproduced, printed or distributed for any purpose other than personal use, without prior written permission
from Dawn Rowley / DHR interim

2. Common pitfalls which can result in disqualification before your tender is even read
(i) Including promotional materials when specifically requested not to do so
(ii) Failing to number or reference Appendices (or not linking the Appendices to the relevant
question)
(iii) Not including copies of specific documents requested, especially Accounts or Policies
(iv) Not providing the required number of referees (and/or not including relevant contact details
such as email and phone number)
(v) Missing the deadline for submission
(vi) Identifying markings/logos appearing on the envelope (if submitting by paper)
9. Submitting tenders electronically: Increasingly the public sector is turning to the internet as its
primary means of managing its tendering processes. It is highly likely that your tender response
will need to be submitted electronically in some way, each of which have their issues for you, the
bidder:
(i) by email – file size - public sector mailbox limits generally do not accept files larger than
2MB – as a general rule always ‘zip’ your file for transmission after checking with the named
contact that they can unzip it at the other end; file formats – public sector generally has not
moved to Office 2007 so cannot open documents submitted in this format (.docx
extensions)– as a general rule always pdf your submission, save and submit in Office 2003
compatibility, or open document format
(ii) uploaded onto a specific e-tendering portal – the time this takes – do not under-estimate
the time needed to complete this successfully. You should always aim to have all of your
submission uploaded the day before the deadline – there may be technical problems on the
day which could mean that you are unable to submit (this would not be an accepted reason
for extension of deadline). The speed of your own internet connection will impact on the
time it will take to upload your submission – for example a 2MB file could take up to 15 minutes
to upload on some portals
(iii) by completion of an on-line web form – word and/or character limits – extremely limiting
way of tender submission – experience has shown us you may only be able to type 200
individual words to answer a question; in other cases this may be 2000 individual characters
instead – and spaces and punctuation marks count as characters! You cannot include
pictures, charts, diagrams or attachments with this form of submission. The use of this
format is on the rise for the PQQ stage.
(iv) by CD-rom – compatibility – there are differences between different public sector bodies
(NHS, Councils, Police, National Park Authorities) in what their organisation’s capabilities
are with regard to CD and DVD drives. Not all public sector computers have DVD drives
and so if you submit your tender on DVD when they have asked for CD-rom, your tender will
not be readable – and is highly likely to be disqualified on the grounds you have not
complied with an instruction given.
10. Remember: the tendering process consists of at least 4 stages
• The Expression of Interest stage (EOI) – where you tell the commissioner that you want to be
involved. Usually no more than an email – or increasingly an on-line request via one of the many e-
procurement websites
• The pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) which asks for basic information and financial data about
your company. However, increasingly there are a few key questions at this stage about what your
overall approach will be – so you need to know what you want to do even at this very early stage
• The Invitation to Tender (ITT) – you must ‘pass’ the PQQ stage to be invited to tender – you will
receive written confirmation that you have been invited (letter or email) and all of the formal tender
documents. All of the preceding 7 tips are relevant at this stage.
© May 2012
This material must not be reproduced, printed or distributed for any purpose other than personal use, without prior written permission
from Dawn Rowley / DHR interim

3. • The Interview, Presentation and/or visit – this is the stage that most people fall down on – they
forget that they are still in a competition! Don’t forget – the assessment could begin the minute
enter the building – so go prepared, ready and professional.
© May 2012
This material must not be reproduced, printed or distributed for any purpose other than personal use, without prior written permission
from Dawn Rowley / DHR interim