Architecture tenders are often lengthy processes which place significant strain on any architectural practice, as well as significant costs.
Pre-existing relationships are sometimes crucial to success in architectural tenders as is a track record of developing innovative designs to the subject industry. Pre-existing relationships do not guarantee success. There is always scope for new architects to win architectural tenders both in the government and private sector.
Over the years, we have helped many architectural and building design practices write and submit architectural bids and tenders and building design tenders. From identifying suitable government architecture tenders to bid for, to writing the bids, designing the bids in in-design and submission, we’ve seen our clients grown from small into medium firms as well as retain key contracts and remain as large practices. Our team of writers are familiar with the architecture bidding process, have written architecture and building design bids for a range of sectors such as private schools, education, defence and infrastructure, and know what it takes to win.
Sometimes, unfortunately, architecture and building design bids are not won and lost on expertise alone. You need a well presented bid that clearly articulates the benefits of selecting your firm. Local and similar experience is key, as demonstrating you have the depth of resources to complete the project.
Strategies to win architectural tenders
Our team employ a range of strategies to help our clients in architectural design tenders, government tenders for architects and architect tenders including:
- Detailing where you added value as part of our previous experience and case studies. This means when you are responding to questions on previous experience, you need to go further than simply describing your previous experience. You need to ensure in the projects you include as examples you:
- Highlight which of your key personnel were involved and if they will also be involved in the proposed project.
- talk about buildability – and detail where buildability was considered in previous projects.
- Provide context to the previous project and talk about where you considered the views of all stakeholders in the design process.
- Focus on how you project managed the design process as well as the actual designs. Was the previous client a government client? if so – it’s a good idea to talk about how you liaised with all the relevant stakeholders and incorporated government specific requirements into the design.
- Ensure you highlight your relevant experience – Every single aspect of the bid or proposal should be tailored to ensure it is compelling. This takes time and effort but is worth it in the long-run. Let’s assume you are tendering to provide design services for an extension to a primary school in your local area. The type of experience you should include includes:
- Projects and experience in designing other primary schools.
- Projects and experience designing buildings in the local area and in close proximity to the school.
- Projects and experience that involve servicing a government client.
- It is also important that you tailor your CVs to the opportunity and not simply provide a generic CV as part of your response. Let’s take the school example again. You want to present yourself as a specialist in the design of education institutions (primary school education) as well as a specialist in your local area.
- Put forward a team with sufficient depth – Key person risk is a concern for most organisations when procuring professional services and architecture is no different. The client will want to know that:
- You have the capacity to deliver.
- If something happens to your lead architect, you have another principal architect with the capacity to deliver.
- You have a solid team that has the relevant experience at all levels, and will deliver value to the client by delegating work down as appropriate.
Bid / No bid process
More often than not, companies tendering for Architectural services take a conservative approach to procurement. They want to see value, a strong track record in their industry, a commercial focus and a demonstrated understanding of their requirements. The client will generally be working closely with you, so the look and feel of your proposal as well as a flexible, adaptive approach through the process is critical to be successful in architecture tenders.
Once the opportunity cost of your time is taken into account when competing for architecture tenders, its easier to see why the bid / no bid decision is so important. We recommend the first and most important step is to review the specification document. When conducting this review, you need to have a critical eye. Read between the lines and think about if you have the experience they are looking for.
If a school is looking to design and build a new wing with additional classrooms and a large PV system, then architects with experience in the education sector would be looking to apply. So if you were a Tier-1 Architecture Firm with a history of delivering quality high-rise projects in City Centre areas, you would be best to consider weather it is work the opportunity cost for tendering at all.
On the other hand, you may be a suburban architecture office with close ties to the local community, as well as a track record entailing delivering projects to the local Tafe, and a few private schools, then this would be a valid opportunity.
Examples of our successes
We have a comprehensive history of helping architecture firms write and win design bids and architectural services tenders. Examples include:
- Assisting a boutique architecture firm in Sydney to secure their first NSW State Government Contract. We guided through the tender process, wrote a compelling response, and incorporated a strong indigenous and aboriginal theme into their proposal to give them the best prospects of success. In addition, there was a shortlisting process which our client was unfamiliar with (as it was the first time they had been shortlisted). We guided through the process including the BAFO (Best and Final Officer) process and they were ultimately successful.
- Assisting a multi-state practice to identify government architecture tenders and a range of other building tenders and design tenders. We built a content library for the firm to be able to write and respond to a large volume of bids efficiently. We guided them through the architecture bidding process and assisted on public and private sector architecture tenders (including private school tenders and bids and tenders for the healthcare industry). We provided training to their key personnel responsible for writing and submitting bids, and providing feedback and review services to help them improve their bids and tenders. This resulted in a 15% increase in success over a six month period.
How we help
Our team of writers are experienced in helping architectural firms across Australia write winning tenders and bids. We will help you:
- Find tender opportunities: We subscribe to all major tender and bid notification websites. We can identify architecture and building design tenders that align with your capabilities and alert you of these opportunities.
- Develop a strategy: There is a large chance lots of competitors will be bidding for the same tender as you. Prior to writing the bid, yo need to develop a strategy. Think of what they client is looking for, read between the lines of the tender and research the client and the proposed project. Look at your own firm’s capabilities compared to your competitors and figure out what sets you apart in the eyes of the client. These key points will then become your win themes and will need to be interwoven throughout your bid.
- Design graphics and infographics: Not all the people reading your bid or tender will be architects themselves. Many will be project stakeholders and some will be members of the procurement panel who will assess your bid from a compliance perspective. The way your proposal looks and feels is critical. If you are solving complex architectural problems, these are often best illustrated in infographics. In addition, for previous projects where you have exceeded the clients expectations and delivered a great outcome, this can also be expressed in infographics. They key is to ensure your proposal is professional and polished, and that the branding is consistent with your firms branding and your website branding. Our graphics designers will assist you with this process.
- Write your response: We will write your response from start to finish. We are also able to review your response and provide constructive feedback should you wish to write it yourself. We always adopt a concise, positive writing style that employs simple English and is easy to read and understand.
- Project manage the response: For larger bids, where you may be bidding in a joint venture with other designers, or in conjunction with a Tier-1 firm, project managing your bid can become a job in itself. Our expert writing consultants can assist you in managing the bid process to ensure you comply with the mandatory criteria and submit the response on time and to an exceptional standard.
We assist architectural firms across Australia to secure contracts including in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania. This includes all major capital cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin and Hobart. We have also helped architectural firms in regional areas to secure contracts and look forward to assisting your firm, irrespective of where you are located.
Price and Relationships
Architecture tenders more often than not come down to price and relationships. The government is generally price sensitive, and the profile of the buyer often provides a great indication of how price sensitive they will be.
An educated buyer will value service and quality over price, whilst some architecture tenders are designed to generate competitive tension and drive down the price.
Call The Tender Team on 0410 448 770 for a quote for us to project manage and draft your next Architecture Tender in 2024. We have been writing architecture tenders for over nine years and have a strong understanding of the sector.
