Fit to Fly, Fit to Win!

Pricing is important, quality is key but never overlook meeting the mandatory requirements of the tender you’re bidding on. Don’t fall at the first hurdle! Being Bid Compliant, is the difference between being selected or not, failing to answer the questions you have, will ruin your chances of winning.

Compliance is key, meeting the requirements of the tender within the Selection Questionnaire or Pre-Qualification Questionnaire will be the difference between passing an SQ or failing. No matter how many times you’ve responded to similar questions in the past, read the questions in front of, never assume, answer them correctly and increase your chance of selection.

Remember your teachers at school shouting “read the questions!”, just before an exam? Hands Up! I am guilty of doing this! Don’t make the same mistake as teenage me!. Understand the question, what is being asked. Read all of it the question twice or as many times it takes to understand it.

Here are some helpful hints to support you in getting it right.

Pilots use checklists when flying aircraft, so to minimise mistakes. Follow the checklist, to ensure the aircraft fuel pump is on, seatbelts and harnesses are fastened, fuel is mixed, the aircraft is ready to fly etc. Take the same approach with your bid management. Run through your checks, make a list of the client’s requirements and what they are asking in, in terms of insurance policies, health and safety policies, accounts etc. Tick them off one by one as you complete your checks. Work towards compliance. There is an old saying in aviation, “Familiarity breeds failure”. Checklists counteract that complacency

I always read the tender document from start to finish and list out the requirements, what is being asked, noting the question number and use it as a reference when I make my checklist. Do the same. In some cases when you are answering questions, you can see that you are not compliant, for example you might have a poor financial record, or not enough accounts, then you have options, you can either not bid at all or bid to fail or you can seek a clarification by asking the Buyer duration the period the tender is open. In some cases, it’s better to save your time and energy and not bid, focusing your efforts on tenders you have a better chance of winning. However clarifying why a question is mandatory is always my preferred option. Being informed gives you an opportunity to win next time.

Good Checklists contain the following

• Have you provided all the insurances, certificates, etc.
• Have you provided the number of annual accounts requested?
• Have you demonstrated how you meet all the listed requirements?
• Have you priced the goods or services in the way they have been asked for?
• Have you shared all the documents that have been requested?
• Are all questions, etc answered in the correct format? Right font and format?
• Have you ensured you have not gone over the word count for each question?

If you have a list like these, follow them and submit! Good luck with your bidding.