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How much does it cost for a professional tender writer to help us write our tenders?

Factor 1: What type of help you need and how much of it?   

Different clients have different demands and requirements, and we tailor our service to each of them. For example, you may be hands-on in the tender management process or have an office coordinator or some other person in your team who will project manage the process. If that is the case you will more than likely only need pure tender writing service.

If you have a comprehensive understanding of your market and have win themes and strategies in mind, then you may not need any guidance there either.

On the other hand, some clients have never tendered before or are so busy with existing bids and tenders or other day-work that they simply don’t have the time. In this case, if we need to project manage the bid and also work with you to workshop your win themes and overall strategy, we (and most bid and tender writers) charge more given the additional time involved.

Sometimes, given  the nature of bids and tenders, and regardless of if it is a construction, infrastructure, medical or other tender, there is more work in project managing the bid and tender writing process than there is in actually writing the responses.

Factor 2: How complex and sophisticated the RFT or RFP documents are

Requests for tender vary in nature and depend on the procurement documentation the individual entity adopts. For example, Cold Coast City Council generally uses the same type of RFP document with similar questions irrespective of the nature of the services that are to be provided. Other Councils and government departments, use more complex procurement documentation when the purchase value is above a certain amount.

Where there is a detailed scope of works, requests to comply with certain policies and technical documentation, as well as an evaluation criteria that isn’t clearly written, the tender documentation becomes more complex. This makes it more time consuming to complete the tender and we charge more for these types of tenders.

Factor 3: What type of additional documents and compliance is required?

Compliance is generally part of every tender or bid and has an impact on what you need to do to submit a compliant bid. Sometimes, they require ISO certification, or other procedures, plans and insurance certificates. You may need to write a modern slavery statement or review your work health and safety and quality assurance plans to ensure they comp with requirements. For some construction tenders, and other bids (for example, cleaning bids), you will need to create specialised safety documents that are designed for the specific project.

Compliance takes time and it is helpful if you have existing templates although they do need to be tailored to each individual tender or project sometimes. The level of work required to ensure you comply with the tender requirement impacts the total costs we charge for a tender or bid.

Factor 4: Your bid library or the extent of your existing content

Writing your first tender is completely different to writing your tenth or 20th tender or bid. If you have written many bids, you will generally have existing content which can be used as a base and adapted to future questions. You will more than likely have pre-written CVs, case studies and other content which can be tailored, and this generally speeds up the process.

Furthermore, certificates of currency for insurance and other documentation are generally well organised and you will have been through the whole proceed before. Our tender writers will always speak with key subject matter experts when writing your bid and tailor our responses to the opportunity. However, however some base content certainly helps speed up the process and results in your overall fee being lower. Therefore, tender writers, like us here at The Tender Team generally charge less for bids and tenders where you have existing content from previous similar tenders.

Factor 5: The level, experience and description of the tender writer

Here at The Tender Team, when we are working off hourly rates, we have two levels, tender writer and bid manager. Most tender and bid writers charge more if they are more experienced and also if there is more responsibility. For example, being a pure tender writer generally has less responsibility than managing an entire bid. Some tender and bid writers are booked up in advance and clients often engage us to help them with a tender or bid before it has even been released.

We usually charge based on level of experience and also specialisation in a particular industry. For example, a tender or bid writer may have fifteen years experience in tenders and bids but only one year experience writing medical tenders. Another writer may have five years experience in tenders and bids with all those five years writing medical tenders.

When we are working on a bid, we always allocated to tender writer with the most relevant experience to work on the bid.

Why our clients choose The Tender Team and why our fees are fair and reasonable

At The Tender Team, we are committed to providing value and position our fees in the middle of the market. We are not the cheapest, nor the most expensive tender writing consultancy in Australia. We help businesses of all shapes and sizes including small businesses bidding for their first local Council tender, to large corporations looking to secure national and multinational bids. Generally speaking, our clients choose us because:

  • They get a professional polished tender response and ensure they give the individual bid their absolute best shot.
  • When they calculate the opportunity cost of time spent on the business, it works out cheaper to hire a processional like us.
  • We leave you with a bid library and a previous tender with CVs and case studies for use in future tenders should you chose to complete them in house.

For help with your next bid or tender give our team a call on 0410 448 770 or email us at info@thetenderteam.com.au

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Creating a winning tender document

Our bid and tender writing service

writing winning tender documentsThe tender team provides bid and tender writing services to businesses across Australia. From downloading the docs to undertaking a bid/no bid decision process, writing your response and creating the supporting documentation, we manage the tender process from start to finish and help our clients win private and public sector contracts.

Our team will help you:

  • create a persuasive, professional and polished suite of tender submission documents
  • write your tender and bid documents from start to finish
  • manage the tender process

We help business across Australia including in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin and Canberra as well as in regional and remote areas.

Strategies for Australian businesses to create compelling tender documents

Create a tender documents list at the start of the process

It’s a good idea to actively project manage your tender or proposal from the start. In addition to establish a list of compliance requirements and questions for the tender, you should also create a list of the required supporting documentation. This is then incorporated into an overall tender documents list which can be used a checklist for your submission. The list will detail the documents tender for the tender application so that you have all of the tender submission documents ready as required. 

Read the RFT and tender documents in full

It’s easy and also tempting to skim through the tender, rfp and rft docs when they are issued and go straight to the questions. However, we generally recommend firstly reading through the specification. The specification provides detailed information on what services they are looking for and often some great insights into what key points of difference and selling points may be of interest to the client. 

You also need to understand and comply with the tender conditions – particularly insurance and liability requirements which are always important to consider. 

Well presented tender documents

Your tender docs need to be well presented and professional. Incorporate graphics and infographics where possible and keep a clear, consistent template throughout. It is also critical that you match any branding in your tender document with the client as well as your own website and corporate branding. 

A lot of the tender, when reading and scoring your bid, the procurement team will quickly jump onto your website to verify certain information. Having consistent branding helps re-enforce your image as a credible supplier. 

Write in a simple, clear and concise manner

Many clients ask for help about how to write a tender document and how to write a tender proposal. They generally ask for an example or sample tender document. Our usual advise, in addition to providing a sample of our work, is to write in a simple and concise manner. It’s important to avoid technical jargon where possible and instead, use simple English. Equally important is to include evidence in your bid to increase your credibility in the eyes of the reader. 

Answer the question comprehensively

Response structure is sometimes more important than spelling and grammar. The reality is that if you have a spelling error in your bid, you still have a decent chance of winning the bid. However, if you incorrectly interpret a question, and as a result, fail to provide a comprehensive response, you will more than likely be scored down substantially.

When writing your tender documents, ensure that you focus on each word in the question. Interpret it broadly and directly answer the question based on that interpretation. Provide case studies and other supporting evidence as required and ensure you provide the necessary detail in concise and easy to read manner.

Bullet points and sub-headings are great for breaking up texts so it is easy to read.

Help with your tender documents

For assistance with your next tender or bid, contact our team here at The Tender Team. We help businesses, including small and medium businesses, across Australia write winning tenders and bids. 

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Pricing Strategy – How to Price a Tender

Pricing and pricing strategy is a critical part of the tender process. As bid and tender writers, most of our time is usually helping clients with the writing side of the tender process. However,  we are also able to provide guidance with pricing and pricing strategy.

What you need to consider when setting tender prices

When developing your pricing strategy and setting your prices, you should consider:

Many businesses looking for tender consulting services require assistance with pricing. Generally speaking, regardless of if you are in the construction, maintenance, defence, health or any other industry, you will need to take into account some core factors when formulating your pricing.

  • The value of price vs quality from the buyers perspective. What weighting do they put on each and what is the weighting criteria for pricing stipulated in the tender. Federal, state and local governments in Australia all include a weighted criteria in their procurement documentation.
  • What type of rates to our competitors charge? What is the ‘market’ rate and how do I rates fit within the market?
  • Do our rates enable us to add additional value? How can we explain the additional value provided as a result of our pricing strategy?
  • Does our pricing account for the additional compliance requirements normally associated with the government or private sector tendering and delivery process? Will we make a profit and have we considered the costs of reporting and other communication associated with servicing the contract? For example, in the construction sector, the level of compliance and communication associated with building a residential home in Sydney is a lot less than building a small public toilet block for a local Council.

Different tender pricing strategies you can use to win government tenders in Australia and profit

There are many different tender writing strategies you can employ to win government tenders. Some of the strategies we help our clients employ include:

  • Penetration pricing. This is generally a dangerous strategy that can lead to you winning contracts that are not profitable. It needs to be used with caution and in line with a larger overall strategy to penetrate the government market. Penetration pricing involves offering prices that are lower than your competitors and generally below market. Sometimes your lean business structure allows you to do this, whilst other times, it’s an overall strategy to win more contracts. For some building contracts, it’s the potential for variations that is attractive. Either way, a low pricing strategy can work in some scenarios.
  • Market pricing. This is generally a logical strategy especially when you can back yourself to write a great compelling and persuasive tender response. Market analysis is critical and often in bids in Australia, they will provide an approximate contract value. For example, in Northern Territory government tenders you can see the value of previous contracts. Also, when bidding at market price, you give the buyer the single that you are a quality operator that is pricing to deliver a good outcome and that you have provisioned for the appropriate resources to be allocated. Sometimes a low price can trigger some scepticism in the mind of the procurement team.
  • Price Skimming. This is where you price the contract as high as the market lets you. It generally results in you winning less work for high contract value. This strategy generally comes down to your resourcing. If you have limited resources and would need to engage additional resources to complete a project or deliver a service, you may chose this pricing strategy to cover any additional costs and ensure you operate at a high margin.
  • Cost-plus pricing. This is a strategy that a lot of our construction clients in Australia adopt. We help them write the tender whilst they gather quotes from several different tradespeople. Once you have calculated your costs, you then add a margin for your profit. With this strategy you need to be careful. When you calculate your costs you need to factor in your project management as well as contract management costs. The costs of managing a government contract in terms of administration, communication and reporting are generally higher than a private sector contract.

Pricing and winning tenders and bids in Australia

When you are putting together your pricing, you need to ensure you communicate the value your pricing presents. Sometimes, having a higher price, with an explanation about how it can by a lower overall lifetime cost to the client when you consider the whole lifecycle.

Some points to communicate in your bid or tender (and explain in your pricing if possible) include:

  • Talk about and showcase potential efficiencies. If there are specific efficiencies through your program, capability or even equipment, you should highlight these and explain how they enable you to provide more competitive pricing.
  • Highlight decreased lifecycle costs. It may be your chosen use of materials, or doing something a more expensive way now that will save money in the future. Either way, you should explain these and clearly define savings. Talk about these and explain how the long-term savings in terms of maintenance outweigh the short term increase in costs.

How to understand your competitors pricing

This is always a challenge as generally speaking, as you would, your competitors will keep their pricing confidential. However, in order to gather insights into your competitors pricing you can:

  • Research the contract value for the previous tender. You can do this in the Northern Territory as well as some other states. They often provide insight into the overall budget in the specification document.
  • Bid and enter the game. This helps as the more you tender the more you will receive tender feedback. This will give you insight into how your pricing rates against your competitors. Remember that if you are winning too many bids you may be pricing too low. In a tender debrief they generally provide guidance to you on your pricing.
  • Analyse your competitor’s operations. This is also important. You can look at how your competitors operate in order to understand their costs which then drive their pricing.

Some other key points to consider when setting your pricing include:

  • Is your pricing proportional to the volume of work? For example, if there is a potential high volume of routine work, you may want to price lower and find more efficiencies in your operation.
  • Is there a new competitor that is undercutting everyone? If so, how are they doing it. You generally don’t want to enter into a race to the bottom.
  • Is there any intel you can get on the costs of performing the work? Does the client have a reputation for being flexible and lenient. If so, factor this into your costs.
  • Do you have a strong bid with solid experience and a track record that justifies a higher price?
  • How do you fit in the market in terms of services provided? Are you a premium service provider? If so – you can price accordingly.

How do you set your price for a government tender?

In order to set your price for a government tender (or private sector for that matter) in Australia we generally recommend you:

  • Understand your position in the market and how you fit-in relevant to your suppliers. Are you a quality provider, a budget option or something else.
  • Review the specification and scope of the tender. Where there is insufficient detail and this results in uncertainty from a pricing perspective, you should go back and clarify (by asking questions through the portal). Often the incumbent provider has an advantage because they know the ins and outs of the contract. Clarifications can help limit this advantage.
  • Identify areas where you can do things better – faster! These are two your advantage. If you are a demolition business for example, and your methodology enables you to decrease costs by completing the works quicker, then this is to your advantage and will enable you to be more competitive on price. It’s also important to keep your sub-contractors in check so there is no price creep from preferred sub-contractors.
  • Forecast variable costs as best you can. This is always a challenge for longer term contracts which many panel appointments and tenders are. You need to quote at a price that has some buffer – in case variable costs such as wages, labour hire costs and materials (if applicable) increase. Factor this into your quote.
  • Include your wider team. Sure – keep your pricing confidential. However, include your wider team in the discussion to identify any potential costs you haven’t factored in.
  • Don’t price a tender or job you don’t have a reasonable chance of winning and deliver. It’s a lot of effort and you need to consider the opportunity cost of your time.

Looking for assistance to price your next tender, project or job?

Our team of bid writers based in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth can assist. We will work with you to understand and interpret the pricing questions and guide you on the pricing process. We can’t help you set your price as we do not have sufficient knowledge of your business, however, we can help you identify factors to consider when setting your pricing.

Contact our team of bid and tender writers today at info@thetenderteam.com.au or call our Director, Jason Cooney, on 0410 448 770.

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How to prepare for a tender

how to prepare for a tender

We are often asked by clients how to prepare for an upcoming bid or tender. For some clients, they know through their existing relationship with a client that a tender or RFP will soon be released. This applies in both the private and private sector. Usually, your sales or business development team will have done a lot of work to get you into a strong position – and the tender release will be pending. 

Other times, you may be an existing supplier to government on a three or five year contract, and you will know that the contract will soon be ending. As an incumbent supplier, you will be looking to be reappointed to the contract and will be keenly awaiting the tender release.

Finally we have some clients that are small or medium businesses and have never tendered for work in the past. They are searching for tenders and want to know what they can do prior to the tender being released.

How to prepare for a tender if you are the incumbent provider on a government contract

This is a common problem faced by many clients. You have been servicing a government contract for three years or sometimes even longer, and it’s time for it to go out to tender. You know the tender is pending and are doing all you can to stay in the ‘good books’ and deliver a quality service. However, you know there must be more you can do. 

Here at The Tender Team, we recommend our clients who are in this (or a similar position):

  • Check the previous tender or bid you submitted. Usually you will have made commitments in a tender document and these are often forgotten about. These could be around social value and helping the local community, environmental or reporting (as well as many other topics). Once a tender or contract is implemented, they are often forgotten about. However, you need to go back and check your tender, and then start implementing any and every one of these initiatives you can while there is still time. The reason is because you will want to make new commitments in the new tender and to give your bid credibility you will want to talk about what value-add initiatives you have delivered for the contract thus far.
  • Check the current tender requirements and KPIs. Most tenders have KPIs built into them and sometimes these aren’t reported on through the contract process. It’s important that you check for reporting or other sometimes ‘irrelevant’ criteria as part of a contract and make sure you are delivering on / adhering to these. 
  • Get feedback and testimonials in writing while you can. Many of our clients have great verbal feedback, however, they often don’t have this feedback written down in an email. The issue is that once the tender is released, you aren’t permitted to communicate with any internal government personnel about the tender (aside from day to day contract work). Therefore, it’s a great idea to get written positive feedback prior to the tender release.

How to prepare for a private sector tender if you have an existing relationship with them that you have developed

The most important point in this situation is information transfer. The reality is that when the tender is released, you will have time to respond to it. However, you need to ensure that your response is influenced by the client’s pain points and that your win themes need to be interwoven throughout the bid. 

In order to develop your win themes, you need to  understand the feedback you have gained from working with and speaking with the client from a business development perspective. Ask your sales team to take notes on all conversations with the client, create a list of insights into the client needs and any issues with the existing provider. 

Set up monthly meetings with your BDM or sales people to discuss the client and their needs. This is important as from a tender writing perspective, you will want as much information from your sales team as possible. In addition, your sales team may forget the little snippets of information they attain in their client conversations. When you have these in notes, you can develop win themes that are tailored towards your prospect’s needs and ensure your bid or tender is tailored to these.

Preparing for a tender if you have never tendered in the past

This is generally a daunting task and a lot of the time there is nothing you can do – i.e. you don’t know the questions in the RFT so you can’t respond to them. However, the reality is that once the tender is released, there are a lot of supporting documents which will be required. There are also certain questions in tenders that are almost guaranteed to be asked in one way or another.

Many small and medium businesses tendering for the first time find it hard to project manage the bid and develop all the documentation. Some initiatives you can implement to make sure you are ‘tender ready’ include:

  • Create CVs and Bios for all your personnel including previous experience
  • Create a Work Health and Safety System
  • Create an Environmental Management System
  • Create a Quality Assurance System
  • Develop a tender library with case studies of previous works you have completed.
  • Create a modern slavery statement if you are a supply business.

There is a vey high chance, particularly for government tenders and bids, that the above information will be required in your next tender or bid.

What can I do to prepare for an up-coming tender?

As discussed above there is a lot you can do to prepare for the release of a pending RFP. Our team here at The Tender Team recommends:

  • Evidence: Collecting evidence and case studies of works completed or services provided to date.
  • Testimonials: Collect and store testimonials from key clients and other stakeholders.
  • CVs: Update all of your CVs
  • Bid library: Update your bid library with case studies.
  • Current tender obligations: Ensure you deliver on the reporting and other requirements of your current contracts.
  • Industry trends: Keep up to date with industry trends and market changes. This should include new technological innovations applicable to your industry or business and ensure you can incorporate these into your bid.
  • Competitors: Continue to gather market intelligence on your competitors. Look for different (ethical) ways to find information on their pricing and services from other industry stakeholders. For example, sometimes when hiring new employees, they can provide insights. This will be important to help inform your win themes in your bid or tender.
  • Tender-ready assessment: Conduct a capability assessment of your tender library and other documentation. A central portal for key documentation is critical – especially insurance and other certificates that are generally required in bids. 
  • JV Partners: You should start to build relationships with potential JV partners .

The key point is to balance your preparation efforts with not wasting time. This is because it is impossible to predict what will be asked in a tender, even if you completed the tender in the past. Sometimes there are word limits or newly introduced questions. Most importantly, ensure that when the tender is released you start working on it and put in place a checklist straight away. 

Talk to The Tender Team for assistance

Our team of bid and tender writers can help you prepare for an up-coming tender. From creating a bid library to coach BD personnel and helping create supporting documents, our team will review your needs and let you know the best way to get tender ready. Contact us today to discuss how we can assist. 

FAQ
We want to prepare for future tenders so that we can win more tenders and government contracts. Can we get help with this? Is there a consultancy that can create a bid library?

Certainly. Our team here at The Tender Team can assist you to prepare a bid library and get your business bid-ready for future tender and RFP opportunities. We believe that by developing a good set of base content which is tailored to your business, you can develop quality, tailored tender responses more quickly and effectively.

We have helped national, state and local businesses create bid libraries and will help you integrate AI software to help streamline your bidding process. 

This helps put you in a position where you can respond to multiple tenders at once, regardless of if you are in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth or anywhere across the globe.

We need help with tender preparation. Is there an expert who can assist?

Yes. The Tender Team has six bid and tender writers who specialise in tender preparation. We will work with you to prepare for future tenders as well as put together a quality compelling response for your tender or bid. We will ensure your bids are:

  • Compliant – with all relevant requirements (especially for government bids).
  • Compelling – we will incorporate persuasive language and specialist bid writing and readability techniques into your bid.
  • Evidence-based – because anything you write in your bid should be backed up by evidence or it will not have as much credibility in the eyes of the reader. 

Let us help you create expert proposals. 

 

 

 

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Asset and Facilities Management Tenders

Asset and Facilities Maintenance Tenders and Bids

Most asset and facilities management companies have to complete asset management tenders for over 80% of their work and more often than not have to tender to retain work and contracts.

It’s a highly competitive industry with relatively limited barriers to entry and therefore intense competition.

As an asset and facilities management company, are you asking yourself:

  1. How can I win more facilities maintenance tenders?
  2. Which tenders do I actually have a chance of winning?
  3. Where can we get expert her for our tenders?
  4. Why are we losing bids? Is it because of price or other factors? How can I win more contracts?
  5. I have been a sub-contractor to major government departments and universities for many years. How can I find and write a tender to win the head contract?
  6. How do I answer local development plan questions if we are not based locally?
  7. I need a specialist facilities and asset management tender or bid writer. Can you help?

Our team of specialist asset and facilities management bid and tender writers understand the requirements and professional response required to writing winning bids to secure asset management and facilities management contracts. In a highly competitive landscape, our dedicated team of expert writers help businesses across Australia write bids that stand out and help you win.

We have a specialist facilities and construction industry bid writer on our team as well as two support writers both of whom have experience in facilities bids. This experience, our proven track record, and our energy to understand your business and help you win makes us well placed to assist in your next asset maintenance bid.

Our experience in asset management and facilities management bids

Our experience extends across Australia through both the public and private sector. Recent examples include:

  1. Assisting a facilities management company submit a bid for a shopping centre. The contract combined cleaning, security and maintenance and our client, although small, was able to provide all three services at a more competitive price that the competition. We assisted our client to arrange ISO Accreditation in time for the submission and other supporting documentation. We also provided an innovative solution for carpet cleaning for the shopping centre as well as issue identification updates.
  2. Helping a cleaning and security company bid for a University of New South Wales contract. This was a substantial contract for the cleaning and security of the entire campus including over 14 buildings and a number of other recreational areas. We assisted with the site inspection, advised on some pricing issues, and helped write the tender. Ensuring that we demonstrated through the bid, our clients commitment to the education sector and experience in managing Universities was key.
  3. Assisting a major infrastructure services company with a bid for the maintenance of a tunnel in NSW. This involved writing CVs for key personnel, talking about response times to incidents in the tunnel and putting forward a comprehensive plan for tunnel management for a three year period. This is a substantial bid response putting forward a large team of engineers to manage a multi-billion dollar asset.

Why engage us to write your next facilities management RFP?

We offer customized and tailored tender solutions to help you win your next bid. Whether you would like us to review your bid or tender, or alternatively, write and project manage it from scratch, our team will assist in whatever way adds the most value. We will quickly understand your business, use our experience in asset management bids to identify key win themes and develop a strategy that helps you win.

We have a proven track record securing winning bids for asset management and facilities management projects across Australia and we write with a high level of attention to detail. Our experience extends form the cities, such as Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth, to regional areas including Newcastle and Bendigo.

In addition to writing your tender response, we will:

  • Ensure you clearly conveying your key points of difference
  • Help draft and compile the appropriate supporting documentation
  • Introducing infographics and other graphics to put forward a professional response

We have a track record of success drafting asset management tenders for private enterprises, superannuation funds, as well as local, state and federal government departments. We also offer fixed price tenders that ensure we deliver budget certainty.

Our process for your next bid

  1. Initial consultation and tender discussion: We discuss your proposed contract, conduct a bid / no bid analysis, develop with themes and ensure you can comply with the mandatory criteria.
  2. Write the first draft: We will develop the initial draft for the bid. This includes gathering the necessary content and liaising with all of your key stakeholders. Our content will align with the tender requirements and will highlight your strengths and value proposition.
  3. Review the draft with your input: We will work with you to review and complete the draft document and get it into final form. We will develop and tailor the supporting documentation you require. We will collate the relevant supporting documentation, edit the bid into final form and develop graphics as required.
  4. Submission: Often you need to submit your bid on an online portal (although we have completed printed bids and bids by email from time to time). We will guide you through the submission process from start to finish to ensure you submit a quality bid on time.

We service all of Australia (and New Zealand). Contact the tender team on 0410 448 770 or email your tender documents to info@thetenderteam.com.au and we will provide you with an initial fee proposal.

We service NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Canberra, South Australia and Western Australia.

Our approach

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We are success driven, punctual, collaborative and lateral thinkers. Our bid and proposal writing team focus on delivering value.

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OUR OFFICE
1504/157 Liverpool Street, Sydney,
New South Wales, Australia.
Email : info@thetenderteam.com.au
Phone : 0410 448 770
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