2012 13 Training Catalogue

Practical
Public Sector Tender Training
[2012 Seminar Brochure]
[Extended Outlines, full seminar details and prices for a series of
11 Skill-builder™ sessions on all aspects of UK public sector
Tendering, delivered by practicing, experienced tender support
Professional with wide ranging UK public sector experience]

Dawn Helen Rowley
Independent Specialist Trainer & Coach
www.dhrinterim.com
[MARCH 2012]

Welcome … to this Training Seminar Brochure: 2012 Edition.
I sincerely hope that you will find inspiration in this Brochure to extend your skills,
knowledge and understanding of UK Public Sector Tendering techniques.

The seminars outlined in the following pages have been developed to meet the
needs of a wide range of businesses and organisations who are looking to enter
into, or to extend, their public sector tendering activities; but especially those from

Voluntary & Community Groups
Charities
SME (Small-Medium sized enterprises)
New Start-Ups, including Community Social Enterprises
Private Sector firms with niche products and/or services
Any organisation currently contracted to provide goods or services to public sector
bodies

I look forward to meeting you at an in-company event during the coming year – or
why not contact me with a view to organising a joint training event with other
organisations locally … with free training places for your organisation if you do!

Yours sincerely

Commercial © Dawn Helen Rowley – March 2012 Page 2

Practical Public Sector Tendering Seminar Programme

3 hour Skill-Builder™ Technique Seminars

a. Changes to the Public Sector Procurement Landscape: a strategic view for the ‘age of austerity’

b. The OJEU Tender Process: what is it and how does it work?

c. 25 Practical Tips for improving your success in UK public sector tendering

d. Practical Marketing: Influencing and awareness raising in competitive environments

e. The PQQ: What’s its purpose? What does it take to score well?

f. Effective bid writing techniques: a particular writing style to achieve readability and impact

g. Pricing your bid to win: it’s more than just cost: a methodology for competing on price!

h. Presenting your Bid: it’s all about relationship building

i. Contract Management: keeping the contract once won!

1-Day Knowledge & skills Seminar

j. Renegotiate it! – New for 2012 – Advanced basis only

2-Day Master Class

k. Practical Public Sector Tendering – best 201
011
seller in 2011 – advanced basis only

‘The Basics’ Sessions assume no previous knowledge and so ideal for those who are
• Thinking about tendering for the first time
• Newly employed in roles requiring input to bids and Tenders
• Involved in writing Tenders, but had no previous training
• Finding that they are always unsuccessful with submissions

‘Advanced sessions’ require a good working knowledge of tendering, public sector processes
and the jargon. They are therefore designed as opportunities
• to refresh knowledge and skills, learn new techniques and review current thinking
• gain insight and updates on Public Sector Tendering generally
• get up-to-speed with what a ‘winning bid’ needs to look like in the ‘age of austerity’

Individual Seminar details can be found in the subsequent pages of this
Complimentary Training Catalogue!


Seminar A

Changes to the public sector procurement landscape
(A strategic look at the ‘age of austerity’ impact on public sector tendering)

Do you understand what has happened to public sector procurement since the change of Government?

Are you finding it difficult to speak to Commissioners and buyers locally?

Do you know why you might be finding it more difficult to find suitable tender opportunities?

Since June 2009 significant and far-reaching changes have taken place across the public sector in terms of
their tendering and procurement activities. It is vitally important for organisations if they wish to maintain their
success (or indeed increase it), to know what these changes are; how they are affecting current and future
tendering activity in their sector; understand how these changes are leading to radically different looking
‘winning tenders; and take time out to consider how they are going to demonstrate what their organisations can
offer in the ‘age of austerity’, whilst showing that they can deliver in innovative, personalised, and cost-effective
ways.

This Seminar takes a strategic look at all that has been happening – from a ‘hands-on’ perspective. It draws
on recent experiences, practical examples and up-to-date understanding of the complex political and financial
pressures which are converging to create a new procurement landscape. This seminar is designed to enable
your organisation ‘step-up’ to the inevitable challenge(s) it will face in order to secure more business!

Key Learning Outcomes

• Understand recent changes in Commissioning and Procurement structures and processes
• Identify new groups of people to market your organisation and/or services to
• Explore the ‘age of austerity’ impacts on tender evaluation and scoring
• Understand where new opportunities might be emerging and explore how to take advantage of these

Seminar Timetable (timings can be varied to suit)

9.00am Arrival
9.30am Welcome & Housekeeping notices
9.40am A new model of procurement - overview
10.15am The new model in detail
11.00am Comfort Break
11.15am Impact of the new model
11.45am Strategies for making this work for you
12.30pm Close

What recent delegates said about this Seminar

• ‘Highly informative – sets the context and highlights the challenges’ North Regional Development Manager,
Leap Confronting Conflict
• ‘‘A practical overview of the whole tendering cycle, with essential tips and tricks from a real expert.’ Senior
Consultant, The Aziz Corporation
• ‘Very informative & worthwhile’ Office Manager, ABC Risk Management


Seminar B

The OJEU Process
(what is it and how does it work?)

Are you thinking of bidding for work in the public sector, but don’t know where to start?

Is your organisation looking for new markets and customers to sell to?

Has your organisation been told that the service it provides will be ‘tendered’ out in the near future?

With over billions of pounds being spent by public bodies in the UK every year, even in this, the ‘age of
austerity’ there are plenty of opportunities for companies and organisations to secure contracts in this well-
defined marketplace, if you know where to look - and how to ‘play the game’.

This Seminar explores the tendering process (OJEU) used in the UK; explains the steps in the process and
how they are used across different public bodies (e.g. Central Government, Local Government, Health);
explains the jargon used and demystifies the whole process for those for who all of this is new.


• Understand the OJEU process
• Learn the jargon
• Explore how to compete for public sector business
• Understand where to look for opportunities and how to get started!


9.00am Arrival
9.40am The OJEU process explained
11.15am Why do public bodies go out to tender?
11.45am Where to look for opportunities
12.30pm Close

What recent delegates have said about this Seminar

• ‘Concise, informative delivery of the discipline of tendering for public sector services’, Director, Action Plan
Solution Ltd.
• ‘A lot of practical & useful information that appears to be common sense’ Senior Services Manager, British
Red Cross
• ‘A practical overview of the whole tendering cycle, with essential tips and tricks from a real expert.’ Senior
Consultant, The Aziz Corporation


Seminar C

25 Practical Tips
(for increased success from your UK public sector tendering)

Do you know what the most common mistakes are when organisations tender?

Have you any idea which one change would significantly increase your success rate?

Would your organisation benefit from tender staff undertaking a ‘quick refresher’?

This NEW Seminar has been specifically designed to share the maximum amount of practical, relevant
information with organisations who are involved in, or would like to be involved in public sector tendering in the
UK. It is fast-paced and intensive with the aim of boosting your knowledge in record time!

Ideal as a refresher for those who have been doing tendering for a while; or as an introduction for those who
have not attempted it before … the seminar covers the 25 most practical activities you should know about and
master … if you want to increase your success and win more business from the UK public sector.


• Understand the common pitfalls at PQQ, written, presentation and contract management stages
• Learn new techniques to improve your success rate at each of these stages
• Explore the PQQ in light of the ‘age of austerity’
• Understand the ‘principles of effective tender presentations’
• Learn the 3 separate elements of good contract management and 5 ‘how to do it better’ tips


9.00am Arrival
9.40am Common Pitfalls – and how to avoid them
10.15am The PQQ in a new light
11.15am Principles of effective tender presentations
11.45am Contract management and how to do it better!
12.30pm Close


Seminar D

Practical Marketing: Influencing and awareness raising
(Marketing Goods and Services in a competitive environment)

Need to raise your profile with Commissioners and/or Procurement Teams in public sector
organisations?

Need to raise awareness of your organisation amongst potential service users/buyers to increase take-
up?

In competitive tender/grant situations, it is important to know what is and is not appropriate marketing activity;
be able to reach new and different groups of people to demonstrate what organisations can offer and show that
this can be delivered in innovative, personalised, and cost-effective ways.

This Seminar explores appropriate marketing and influencing activity in such situations; it examines recent
changes in the groups of people organisations need to influence, and considers the most effective techniques
to raise awareness and understanding of your organisation’s products and services amongst those who are in
a position to buy, whilst avoiding accusations of ‘undue influence’.


• Understand recent changes in Commissioning and Procurement structures and processes
• Learn to identify new groups of people to market your organisation and/or services to
• Explore a range of marketing techniques to enable you ‘get your message across’
• Understand the cut off point between marketing & influencing, and anti-competitive activities


9.00am Arrival
9.40am What is Marketing in the context of Competitive Tendering?
10.15am Why should you be doing it?
11.15am Do’s and Dont’s in a competitive tendering environment
11.45am Who do you need to market to, and how?
12.30pm Close


• “thanks a lot Dawn, really enjoyed the course got a lot from it and hopefully it will help us anticipate the future”,
Project Co-Ordinator Age Concern
• ‘Very informative’ Head of Service, Hammersmith and Fulham adult social care


Seminar E

Demystifying The PQQ
(what it really takes to pass this critical stage in the tender process)

Are you finding it harder to get through this first step, ‘tick box’ exercise?

Are your PQQ’s being rejected by Commissioners?

Are you thinking about tendering for the first time?

In the ‘age of austerity’ competitive tenders and/or grant applications have become even harder to win because
there are far more competitors! With this in mind, it is crucially important for organisations large and small
understand the vital role the PQQ (also known as the supplier questionnaire) plays in determining your fate …
whether or not you will be invited to Tender!

This Seminar explores the purpose of the PQQ and discusses how you should approach answering each of
the ‘standard’ questions within it; explores how to ensure your responses to ‘standardised’ questions stand out
from the competition; it identifies the ‘gateway’ questions and the newly added elements - discussing
different ways to approach these; all with the aim of increasing your ability to score well and secure you an
invitation to tender!


• Understand recent competition levels and their impact on PQQ scoring
• Learn about the importance of each ‘standard’ question, and how to improve your success rate
• Understand what each question is really about – and explore different approaches to responding
• Explore techniques to enable you get your message across and make your PQQ stand out


9.00am Arrival
9.40am The PQQ and its role in the Tendering Process
10.15am Looking at the standard PQQ Part 1: Structure, Finance, Track Record and References
11.15am Looking at the standard PQQ Part 2: Quality, Health & Safety, Insurance, Environmental
11.45am How to approach non-standard PQQ questions (mini method statements)
12.30pm Close
.

• ‘Concise, informative delivery of the discipline of tendering for public sector services’ Director, Action Plan
Solution Ltd.
• ‘Very informative & worthwhile’ Office Manager, ABC Risk Management
• ‘Excellent insider tips on tendering’ Funding Advice Officer, Wales Council for Voluntary Action


Seminar F

Effective Bid Writing Techniques
(A particular writing style to achieve readability and impact)

Has your success rate in tenders or grant applications decreased recently?

Do you need to improve the skills of staff whose responsibility it is to write tenders?

In the ‘age of austerity’ competitive tenders and/or grant applications have become even harder to win because
there are far more competitors! With this in mind, it is vitally important for organisations to develop new
approaches to making their submissions really stand out; be able to reach out through the written word in
order to demonstrate what they have to offer; and evidence that they can deliver in innovative, personalised,
and cost-effective ways.

This Seminar explores the tools and techniques you can deploy to structure and write a strong, effective
competitive tender or grant application; it explores the importance of good preparation even before putting pen-
to-paper and how this can increase your success rate; it discusses ways to effectively utilise key
documentation in Tender packs; examines legitimate ways to influence a reader, and considers the most
effective techniques to increase the readability and impact of your written submissions, with the aim of
increasing your bid score and winning more business!


• Understand recent competition levels and their impact on what a winning submission needs to look like
• Learn about the importance of good preparation and how it improves your success rate
• Learn to expertly read, and make use of, all of the documents and information in Tender Packs
• Explore writing techniques to enable you get your message across and make your bid stand out


9.00am Arrival
9.40am The importance of preparation - identifying if a tender is worth pursuing
10.15am Structuring tender responses to ensure maximum impact and readability
11.15am Successfully working with evaluation criteria – the secrets of scoring well!
11.45am Evidencing your statement and Working with work limits
12.30pm Close
.

• "Trainer was extremely knowledgeable and an interesting speaker. She gave very good examples and was able to
answer all the questions" WCVA delegate
• ‘Pitched at the right level and pace for my needs – hints and tips for other areas of my job’ Senior Services
Manager, British Red Cross
• ‘Very thorough, raising points I hadn’t previously considered.’ Senior Consultant, Freshminds
• ‘Engaging & extraordinary look at Public Sector Tendering’ Business Development Manager, City & Guilds
Centre for Skills Development


Seminar G

Pricing Your Bid to Win
(Its more than just cost: a methodology for competing on price!)

Do your public service contracts cost you more than you are paid by the Commissioner?

Are you losing out to competitors when tendering … on price and/or value-add?

Don’t know where to start when asked to prepare a price for a Tender?

In the ‘age of austerity’ the price you submit during competitive tendering is the most critical element of your
bid! With this in mind, it is vitally important for organisations to develop a structured and methodical way of
arriving at their bid pricing; be able to properly cost service delivery when in a competitive situation; distinguish
service delivery costs from overheads and understand that both of these are dealt with differently in tender
pricing; understand and make best use of the added-value they can offer; handle effectively the inclusion of
profit/surpluses and present them appropriately in pricing matrices; win business through appropriate price
competition and by evidencing that their organisation can deliver in innovative, personalised, and cost-effective
ways.

This Seminar explores how to arrive at an appropriate price for your tender/grant submission; discusses what
to include and why; identifies when and how to include profit/surplus; discusses ways to compete on price
without leaving you ‘out of pocket’; looks at the public sector price v. quality (best value) assessment and how
the spending squeeze is impacting on tender scoring in this vital area; provides a template methodology for
organisations to use to guide their future tender/grant pricing activities!


• Understand new language of pricing - Affordability, Whole-Life cost, Added Value, Supplier Investment
• Learn a structured methodology of arriving at your bid price
• Explore how to compete on price … balancing cutting prices with increasing value
• Understand the different approaches required between Tenders and Grant applications


9.00am Arrival
9.40am The Public Sector deficit effect … more for less from 2011
10.15am Impact on buyer expectations …affordability, with customer satisfaction
11.15am Bidder responses – a radical new approach needed
11.45am Pricing your Bid to Win … a methodology
12.30pm Close


• ‘We found the Seminar to be extremely useful and very interesting, providing a lot of invaluable information.’,
Assistant Director, The Disabilities Trust Group.
• ‘Very informative – will use knowledge gained when submitting tender responses’. Area Manager, ROSTA


Seminar H

Presenting your bid
(Its all about relationship building!)

Does all your hard work in writing a submission, come to nothing at the Presentation / Interview stage?

Do you need to improve the skills and confidence of those who attend Presentations / Interviews?

Successful Tender presentations are what really wins you the business! With this in mind, it is vitally important
for organisations to develop their staff’s ability to confidently stand in front of Commissioners and really sell
their organisation and its capabilities; be able to reach out ‘in person’ and initiate a commercial
relationship whilst in a competitive situation; demonstrate the required capabilities from the specification, face-
to-face with the purchaser, and evidence that their organisation can deliver in innovative, personalised, and
cost-effective ways.

This Seminar explores the tools and techniques organisation’s successfully deploy to prepare strong, effective
competitive presentations/interviews; discusses what the presentation/interview stage of the process is really
about; identifies the importance of good preparation and technique; discusses ways to effectively utilise your
organisations’ existing resources to provide evidence of those vital capabilities from the specification;
examines legitimate ways to influence a Tender Panel, and considers the most effective techniques to increase
the impact of your Presentation, with the aim of increasing your overall score and winning more business!


• Understand the common pitfalls which lead to Tender presentation/interview failure
• Learn about the importance of good preparation & technique
• Learn to ‘manage’ the Tender Panel whilst addressing all of their requirements
• Explore how to use ‘props’ to enable you get your message across, score well and make it memorable!


9.00am Arrival
9.40am The purpose of the Tender Presentation and how you should prepare for it
10.15am Structuring your Tender Presentation to optimise the time you are given
11.15am Creating an impact to sell your organisation and Team, to the buyer
11.45am Bringing your bid to life – products, samples, case studies and even service recipients!
12.30pm Close
.

• ‘Very useful – enough practical examples to clarify parts of the process.’ Bid Coordinator, The Open University
• ‘Useful and practical’ Policy Manager, Enterprise Insight
• ‘I have really enjoyed this workshop – I have found it really useful’ Campaign Manager, Swinton Group Ltd


Seminar I
Contract Management
(keeping the contract once won!)

Do your public service contracts cost you more than you are paid by the Commissioner?

Would you like the chance to extend a current contract rather than have to re-tender?

Do you need to improve how your organisation manages its public sector contracts?

After all the time and effort spent on tendering, what happens when you are successful in your bid? This
seminar offers guidance to suppliers on successful contract management, provides advice on improving your
relationship with commissioners/buyers and looks at the key issues you should be considering - before
submitting your tender!

This Seminar goes on to explore the roles of contract negotiation, monitoring and reporting; provides tips on
how to maximise the benefit of contract management meetings, and aims to put you in a good position to
negotiate a contract extension through having effectively ‘managed’ the whole process.


• Understand the 3 separate activities which go to make up ‘contract management’
• Learn new techniques for contract management, to apply immediately for maximum impact
• Explore how to use contract management meetings to your advantage!
• Understand how good contract management will increasingly lead to contract extensions - and how to
achieve this for your organisation


9.00am Arrival
9.40am What is contract management?
10.15am How is it used in public procurement?
11.15am How should you go about it, and why should you to it?
11.45am How you can use this to increase your chances of securing a contract extension
12.30pm Close


• ‘Thank you for this, and many thanks again for delivering the workshop, which I found incredibly useful, as did
the other delegates for whom we commissioned this event. Mr G Coles, Policy Officer, Wales Council for
Voluntary Action (WCVA)


Seminar J

Renegotiate it!
1-day information seminar designed around 5 key questions you should be asking if you are already
delivering successful goods and/or service contracts to public bodies around the UK

Are you already successfully delivering goods or services to public bodies?

Is your contract due to end within the next 12 months?

Would you prefer not to retender but to continue delivering the contract for a further 3 years?

Designed for any organisation, large or small, private, public or charity sectors, currently delivering public
services/goods, on a contractual basis which was originally secured by competitive tendering.

The aim of the seminar is to arm organisations with the knowledge and skills to be able initiate and conduct
renegotiations to extend existing contracts before they come to their contract end date, so saving both the
commissioner/procurer and your organisation time and money on a new tendering exercise. To successfully
achieve this your organisation must be delivering services successfully under the current contract terms (i.e.
meeting, or ideally exceeding, the contract performance requirements).

Seminar Timetable

9.00am Arrival
9.45am Q1: Why is it the right time to renegotiate rather than retender?
10.15am Q2: What has to be in place to renegotiate rather than retender?
11.30am Q3: How can you influence commissioners to renegotiate rather than retender?
12.45pm Lunch
1.30pm Q4: What elements could be renegotiated?
2.45pm Comfort Break
3.15pm Q5: Renegotiation – the art of doing it
3.45pm Pitfalls
4.10pm A Final thought
4.15pm Renegotiate it - recommended strategies
4.45pm Close


Seminar K

Practical Public Sector Tendering

2-day Practical Workshop
Exploring the techniques to enable staff in organisations write and present more
effective public sector tenders and competitive bids

This intensive two day course provides your organisation with the knowledge and skills to write and
present more effective public sector tenders, bids and competitive grant applications. The course has
been designed for staff who have been involved in bid/tender/grant writing for some time (advanced
session).

Using an action learning approach your experienced trainer will impart best practice knowledge,
demonstrate useful techniques and provide opportunity for your staff to apply their learning and develop
commercial skills. The Master Class is based on a tried-and-tested approach but is tailored to suit your
organisation's particular tendering requirements.

This Master Class is delivered as an in-house training event for up to 10 people**, and each event is
facilitated to provide individual attention throughout.

Features
• Overview of public sector tendering process, OJEU and how these are used in UK
• Includes lots of tools and techniques to prepare strategic and competitive responses
• Extensive best practice knowledge on both writing, and presenting effective public sector tenders
• Individual and group activities designed to aid practical skill development
• Built-in opportunities for individual reflection and action planning
• Tailored course content using a recent tender your Organisation has submitted (if desired)
• Industry/Sector specific versions available (CVS / Infrastructure bodies / Corporates / Groups)**

Benefits
• Up-to-date awareness of changes in public procurement drivers, requirements and expectations
• Valuable commercial knowledge and skills internalised
• Increased commercial capabilities
• Improved written bid submissions and presentations/interviews
• Improved competitive position and prospects of securing more business


2012 Prices

3 hour Skill-Builder™ Technique Seminar (A – I)
£250.00 (+ Costs*) per Seminar
1-Day Information Seminar (J)
£695.00 (+ Costs*)
2-Day Master Class (K)
£1200.00 (+ Costs*)**

Pricing assumes
• maximum number of 10 delegates**
• a suitable venue (including projector/screen and flipchart easel, paper and pens), and any refreshments,
are provided by client
• delegate administration/booking is handled by client
• Session Programmes will be prepared by Dawn Rowley, incorporating 1 appropriate client logo (in top
right hand corner) and will be emailed to client for distribution no later than 1 week before booked
session
• Client provides Dawn Rowley with full name, job role information and email address for each delegate,
no later than 1 week before booked session
• ‘Delegate pack’ production/printing are the responsibility of the client

If your organisation is unable to provide any of the above, I am happy to quote, separately, for undertaking
these administrative activities on a Seminar by Seminar basis.

*Costs - Accommodation/Subsistence/Travel

• The cost of a Standard Open Return rail ticket (SOR) to/from Darlington and nearest station to
confirmed venue, at the advertised rate at time of booking, is payable in addition to the session fee
• If multiple sessions are booked for the same delivery date, usually only one SOR ticket is payable
• The distance and time required for travel to/from Darlington sometimes requires overnight
accommodation, which will be invoiced on an ‘at-cost’ BB&EM 3* Guesthouse or Premier Inn/Travel
Lodge basis

**Pricing: Larger groups 12 – 50 delegates accommodated, price upon request.

Promotions and Special Offers
Promotion offers are available from time to time on a limited basis. To take advantage of any current
offers, please contact me before booking.
dawn@dhrinterim.com


Your Trainer
Dawn Helen Rowley
Born in Sheffield; recently moved to rural North Yorkshire, Dawn is married to Peter and has 3 step-children; 8 step-
grandchildren and 4 step-great-grandchildren; likes home cooking, fashion knitting and growing fruit & vegetables!

She started her career in the 1980’s in the NHS before moving to Local Government, working in Housing

Benefits and Debt Management. Eager to experience new things, Dawn took the decision to move into the

private sector in the mid 1990’s; taking a bid writing/relationship management position with the UK’s

largest public sector outsourcing company, working on the largest outsourcing contract the UK had seen at

that time.

In 2001 Dawn rejoined Local Government in South Yorkshire; a performance management position which

saw her increasingly drawn into large-scale procurement activities – culminating in being one of four

evaluation team leads for a 10 year £140m ICT contract for a Metropolitan Borough Council.

Her wide-ranging experience covering both the public and private sectors saw Dawn growing increasingly

concerned that good quality Tender training was expensive and usually only accessed by large

companies; recognising the large numbers of smaller organisations and businesses with the capability to

offer niche, unique and cost-effective products and services to public bodies ... if only they knew how to

compete through tendering!

The idea for Dawn’s next role was born! and so in 2006 Dawn established herself as an Independent

Specialist Trainer and has, since that time, delivered 100’s of seminars across the UK in her unique,

engaging and informative style. This, together with direct hands-on support in some cases, has resulted in

over 60 small, medium and large organisations bidding for £200million of business – with more than

£65million of public sector contracts known to have been won with Dawn’s help!

Throughout this time Dawn also undertook a Masters Degree in Management through Sheffield Hallam

University and completed 4 (of 5) MBA modules with the Open University.

Want to know more? Want to see who else recommends my training?
Use the link below to view my extensive on-line profile!

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/dhrinterimltd


A few of the Organisations who have commissioned this training!

SEEN3


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