The holiday season is often a time of relaxation and celebration. However, for many businesses, it’s also a period of intense activity as government agencies and corporations release tenders with tight deadlines.
Why the holiday rush and tight tender deadlines?
Government agencies and corporations often release tenders before the holiday season to align with their fiscal year-end or to kickstart new initiatives in the new year.
This presents a unique challenge for your business, as your key tender team may be on leave, and response timeframes can be significantly reduced.
But for your business, there’s a golden opportunity. Tender submission quality often dips during this period, making it your chance to shine.
Tips to navigate the holiday tender rush – and meet the tender deadline
To successfully navigate this challenging period, consider the following tender strategies –
Early tender identification
Identify potential tenders well in advance, even before they’re officially released.
Proactive planning
o Secure key members of your tender team – Confirm the availability of key team members, including subject matter experts, to allocate sufficient time for tender preparation.
Don’t accept team members saying ‘I’ll work on the tender during my holidays’. We all know that will never happens, and then you get a snow-balling effect on other parts of the tender not being able to be completed.
It is a huge advantage if you can confirm Prime and Back-Up Subject Matter Experts (SME) for all the solution elements that your organisation will be offering in the tender.
For example,
- an HR SME to write the sections related to your skilled workforce,
- an Operational SME to write the sections on procedures, methodologies etc,
- a Technical SME to write sections on the proposed equipment,
- an IT SME to write sections on technology (computer systems and AI),
- a Legal SME to review the draft Contract and the Terms and Conditions,
- a Pricing SME to work on the pricing submission, and so on.
You may have to ring some senior managers to confirm that people will be available for the expected timeframe and days that you need them!
o Leverage expert assistance – Partner with a tender consultant to streamline the process, manage complex requirements, and increase your chances of winning.
Partner with the team at Tender Evaluation to streamline your process and navigate complex requirements over the holiday period and increase your chances of winning.
Effective time management
o Realistic deadlines – Set realistic deadlines for each stage of the tender process, accounting for potential delays. It often takes longer to find answers and to make decisions on solutions and pricing to offer. Also, your Client may be slow in responding to your clarifications. So, the sooner you start on this, after the tender is released, the better.
o Prioritise tasks – Focus on high-impact tasks and delegate less critical responsibilities.
o Utilise technology – Employ project management tools to track progress and manage deadlines efficiently.
Clear communication
o Regular updates – Maintain open communication with your team, clients, and stakeholders to keep everyone informed. As a tender response manager, you will probably find that you will have to do a lot more writing and/or analysis than you would normally do, just to keep the tender submission schedule on track.
o Address challenges promptly – Identify potential roadblocks early on and take immediate action to resolve them.
Quality Assurance
o Thorough reviews – Allocate sufficient time for rigorous reviews to ensure accuracy and consistency.
Don’t forget to make sure that your Executives or Senior Managers who need to sign-off the tender response will be available at least 3-5 working days prior to submission date so you can conduct the required reviews prior to tender response submission
Seek external feedback
Consider involving a third-party reviewer to provide fresh perspectives and identify potential weaknesses.
By implementing these strategies, you can increase your chances of successfully responding to year-end tenders and securing valuable contracts.
Don’t let the holiday rush derail your business goals.
The Tender Evaluation team are ready over the holiday period to discuss your tender strategy and secure your tender success.
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