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Tag: bid writing support

Signage Tenders: The Secrets to Success!

Posted on by Charlotte Jarvis

Here’s how you can find and win signage tenders

How to find signage tenders

When you search for signage tenders, you’ll likely start off by using a search engine such as Google. This is understandable, and you’ll find a lot of results! However, the challenge will be narrowing it down to signage tenders that are suitable for you. For example, you may be looking for tenders in a certain location or within a particular budget.

The sites you search will have tenders listed in a variety of ways, and all will be different. It will take hours to go through these to find a tender right for you. They won’t feature the key details on some results either. This means you’ll have to scour through lengthy tender documents. Once you get through these, it might not be a suitable contract, so you’ve wasted all this time!

The good news is that there are helpful solutions available to you.

Creative Tenders

At Creative Tenders, we are one of Hudson Discover’s 11 sector-specific portals. These portals are specifically designed to make the tendering process easier. This is done by listing tenders based on selective filters. You can see tenders based on location, deadline dates, budget, and keywords.

Our Opportunity Trackers add new signage tenders to the portal daily. So, they are always up to date. Plus, we don’t use CPV codes, which can result in missed opportunities. It is what sets us apart from other tender portals.

You can also receive tender notifications when tenders are uploaded that may be of interest to you. It couldn’t be easier! Or could it?

Discover Elite

If you want to streamline the process even further, you can sign up to Discover Elite. With this service, a dedicated Account Manager will find live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules.

Examples of signage tenders found on our portal

Creative Enterprise West (Hounslow’s Creative Enterprise Zone) – Wayfinding

London Borough of Hounslow – London – Budget: £50,000

National Signage Framework

Forestry Commission – South West – Budget: £1,200,000

Signs

ESPO – East Midlands – Budget: £25,000,000

GB-Braintree: Wayfinding Signage at Horizon120 Business Park

Braintree District Council – Eastern – Budget: £100,000

Production and Installation of Signage (To Promote the Level of Investment Underway By Hull City Council)

Hull City Council – Yorkshire and Humber – Budget: £35,000

How to win signage tenders

To win signage tenders, there’s a few tips you should know. We sat down with our Senior Bid Writers to see what their top tips are for winning signage tenders!

1.     Don’t use technical jargon

The buyer is likely to be unfamiliar with your industry. So, to avoid confusing them, make sure you don’t use any technical words that they won’t understand.

2.     Be clear and concise

Similar to our previous point, you don’t want to confuse the buyer. Keep your bid proposal as clear and concise as possible. Focus on answering the questions and don’t ramble about anything irrelevant.

3.     Express what makes you different

You should always showcase your unique selling point (USP) in your bid. This gives the buyer an idea of what you can bring to the contract that other suppliers can’t. It is also a great way to help you stand out.

4.     Showcase your experience

The buyer wants to see that you have evidence of completing signage tenders. You should include three to five case studies that detail similar projects that you did well.

5.     Proofread and edit before submission

Before you submit any bid proposal, not just ones for signage tenders, you must proofread them! If you don’t, you are almost certain to have left mistakes and errors that the buyers are likely to notice. This will give them the impression that you do not thoroughly check your work. If you don’t do this, they won’t trust you to handle their contract well.

6.     Use bid management to stay organised

You should use bid management to stay on track when working on a bid proposal. It can be easy to become overwhelmed with the workload. By breaking it down, you separate it into manageable chunks.

7.     Don’t submit the bid last minute

One of the worst things you can do is submit proposals for signage tenders at the last minute. This is often a recipe for disaster. You may come across technical issues or find that there is further information to submit. If you are already close to the deadline, it will get extremely stressful. If you submit your proposal even a minute late, you won’t be considered.

Who can help you win signage tenders?

Worried you don’t have enough time to dedicate to writing a bid? Help is available! Professional Bid Writers are at hand to support you with your bid proposal. They can take all the stress off of your hands and handle the entire process on your behalf. This is ideal for organisations or individuals that do not have the spare time.

Summary

Here’s a summary of everything we covered in our blog on signage tenders!

To find signage tenders, you should use tender portals such as Creative Tenders. You can upgrade to Discover Elite to have an Account Manager do it for you!

To win signage tenders:

1.     Don’t use technical jargon

2.     Be clear and concise

3.     Express what makes you different

4.     Showcase your experience

5.     Proofread and edit before submission

6.     Use bid management to stay organised

7.     Don’t submit the bid last minute.

Need help writing your next tender?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next tenders.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a tender and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portalsof your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

Book a free live demo with Creative Tenders to see how we can help your business grow.

Contact us for more information.

 

Media Tenders- The Ultimate Guide

Posted on by John Hudson

Media Tenders: Everything you need to know before you start

Media tenders come in many forms and are a growing market. With the increased need for innovative marketing strategies, we’re seeing a vast range of media contracts going out to tender.

In this blog, we will guide you through not only how to find these tenders, but also how to win them.

How to find Media tenders

When looking for any tender in the media sector, your first instinct may be to use Google or a similar search engine. By searching ‘media tenders’ for example, you will be bombarded with a large number of websites hosting these tenders.

To find a suitable tender, you would need to scour these websites. This can take hours or even days and the whole process could become very tedious. Fortunately, there is a solution available. By using our Creative Tenders portal, you can search with ease to find live tenders in the media industry.

By using the search function on our Creative Tenders portal, you can filter all results. You can narrow down your search by budget, location and keywords so the results match exactly what you’re looking for. This helps ensure that you only see tenders that are relevant to you.

The budget for media tenders can range heavily so businesses of all sizes can benefit from using our portal.

The portal saves you time and money, whilst searching for the latest media tender opportunities that are right for you. We source new media tenders every day using our high-skilled Procurement Team. The team categorise sector-specific tenders all in one place using industry-driven keywords. This allows you to effectively find tenders that are relevant to you and the services you offer.

Understanding the scope of media tenders

Media tenders cover a large range of opportunities that are published by different sectors. Whether you are searching for a marketing tender or a media relations tender, we have something for you. We understand it can be difficult finding the most suitable tender for you and your business. So, we are here to help you through the process.

Our portal is manually updated daily with new opportunities. You can be confident you are finding the most up to date and accurate results.

Examples of media tenders we have sourced in the past include:

Marketing and Branding

Tesso Bridges – North West – Budget £7,000

Digital Media Planning and Campaign Management

National institute for health and care – North West – Budget £86,000

Digital & Social Media Agency Services (China) 

University of Dundee – Scotland – Budget: £500k

Communications and Advertising Framework

Southern Water Services Ltd – South East – Budget £12.8 million

5 tips for winning media tenders

  1. Research the buyer

Ensuring you understand the buyer and what they want from you is key to writing a high-quality response. For a media tender, understanding how the buyer markets themselves and how you can enhance this will be vital. Understanding the specific requirements of the tender will ensure you can include as much relevant detail as possible.

  1. Research the target audience

Look at who the scope of the tender will be aimed at. For example, for a marketing contract, who will be the target audience of the marketing required. For example, the content you will be required to produce will be vastly different if your target audience is young adults as opposed to elderly people.

Being able to demonstrate how you will be able to tailor your content to reach the target audience is key to winning a media tender.

  1. Experience

Depending on the contract, a media tender may require specific experience or qualifications. Make sure you check the requirements for the tender. It will be very difficult to succeed if you do not meet the mandatory criteria. For example, you may need specific media planning experience or marketing qualifications.

These requirements could heavily impact your final score. It is essential that you identify the requirements prior to writing your responses to avoid wasting time and resources.

  1. Read and reference the specification

The specification will detail exactly what is required from you for the duration of the contract. It may include specific software you need to use or certain processes you need to follow. By reading and referencing this, it demonstrates to the buyer you have what is needed to effectively deliver the scope. Referencing specific parts of the specification tells the buyer that you understand the requirements of the contract and have experience.

  1. Added value

What makes you stand out from your competitors? This is a key question to consider when explaining how you will add value to the contract. Social value is now a compulsory element on all public sector contracts, with a 10% weighting. Explaining what you do to help with environmental, social and economic issues is crucial to success in the public sector. If you are new to public sector tenders, we would recommend planning your responses to these questions in advance. Knowing which initiatives you can describe in detail will speed up the process when it comes to answering these questions.

Answer these two questions before you start bidding on media tenders

  1. Can you deliver the services in the specified geographical location?

The location of the service delivery is a key element to look at when sourcing potential tenders. If the location is outside the area your business covers, you will need to consider the viability of the opportunity. Will you to be able to effectively carry out the work required?

On the other hand, since the pandemic, the way many businesses operate has changed, with an increase in remote working. Looking at the tender you are going for

Using the search options and filters on our Creative Tenders portal will allow you to effectively narrow down all locations. This ensures you only view tenders that are within the locations you specify. It is important to read the tender documents to determine if the tender will have to be delivered at a set location, virtually or even a mix of both. This will allow you to decide whether or not you can carry out the duties required.

This filter means you will be able to efficiently identify tenders that are suitable for you.

  1. Does your business meet the financial threshold criteria?

Threshold considerations can range depending on the buyer and the contract. Considerations could include:

  • Looking at if your business is large enough to carry out the contract
  • Considering if you have the capital available/stated in the economic standpoint.

Bidding for a media tender that would not be financially viable for your business would be a waste of time and resources. Media tenders come in a range of sizes and budgets. This means that these opportunities are not exclusive to large, international organisations.

Your economic financial standing considers the following:

  • Your annual turnover
  • Financial ratios
  • Insurance(s).

Buyers consider this to make sure that you’re able to carry out the work.

Looking at this information prior to completing your responses could save you valuable time. If you notice you do not meet the minimum requirements – don’t bid for the work. It sounds simple but we have seen many businesses fall at the first hurdle by not checking the specification requirements.

Summary

As we come to the end of this blog on media tenders, we thought you might need a little summary.

  • Where to find media tenders: Use our Creative Tenders portal to search through new media tenders. Book a free live demo to see the portal in action.
  • How to find the perfect media tender: Take advantage of the filters on the search function of our Creative Tenders portal. These let you filter by location, budget and any keywords you want to include. This helps narrow down the scope of results you see as media tenders cover a wide range of opportunities.

Tips for securing media tenders:

  1. Research the buyer: Understand exactly what the buyer is looking for.
  2. Research the target audience: Look at who the scope of the media tender is aimed at and ensure you tailor your responses appropriately as the target market for the tender will influence how you write your responses.
  3. Experience and qualifications: Certain media tenders may require specific qualifications or experience. It is key to ensure you have what is required prior to completing your responses. You don’t want to get to the end, only to find out you are ineligible because of this!
  4. Read and reference the specification: This demonstrates to the buyer that you can carry out the duties of the contract to all stated requirements.
  5. Added Value: How are you planning to add value to this contract? Answering this question is key to standing out from the competition.

Two elements to consider when looking for a media tender

Location: You want to ensure the location is within a practical distance from where you operate. With the growing focus on remote work, you may be able to deliver the contract virtually..

Economic: Is it financially viable for you to pursue your chosen tender? This is a question you will need to answer prior to completing your responses.

Do you need assistance with writing media tender responses?

You don’t always have the time or resources to write a winning response in-house. Outsourcing to bid writing experts can help. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, offers four levels of bid writing support. They boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of bid writing experience. The services on offer include:

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

The Keys to Finding & Winning Publishing Tenders

Posted on by John Hudson

Here’s how to find and win publishing tenders

Looking for publishing tenders? You’re in luck! At Creative Tenders, we know all about publishing tenders. So, if you have questions, we will be happy to answer them. In this blog, we will cover what publishing tenders are, where to find them, and how to win! Keep reading, you don’t want to miss out…

What are publishing tenders?

For those that are unsure, publishing tenders are contracts that require some form of printing and publication services. A company or organisation may require the following to be printed/published:

  • Magazines
  • Books
  • Articles
  • Newspapers
  • Leaflets
  • Brochures
  • Posters
  • Invitations
  • Academic works
  • Electoral supplies.

Do you offer any of these services? Do you want to bid for contracts to expand your business? There are plenty of opportunities out there, which is why it’s so beneficial to tender for work. Looking for contracts allows your business access to opportunities you wouldn’t know about otherwise. Keep reading if you want to know where to find the perfect publishing tenders for your business…

Finding publishing tenders with Hudson Discover’s Creative Tenders

Most of us will turn to a search engine such as Google when we need to find something. It is the wizard that has all the answers to our questions. But when you search for ‘publishing tenders’, you’ll find yourself swamped with countless sites to visit. Each site will feature information differently. Most will not make it easy for you either.

You’ll likely have to read lengthy tender documents to get to the key details of each tender. This could be the deadline date, location, budget, or perhaps an element that dictates whether or not you are eligible. Imagine reading over 50 pages to find out you aren’t eligible for a tender, or the deadline is too soon. That is a lot of time wasted!

There are easier ways of finding publishing tenders…

What is Creative Tenders?

As one of Hudson Discover’s 11 sector-specific portals, Creative Tenders makes it easy to find opportunities.

These portals were designed to make it simple to find tenders suitable to your preferences. For example, you can use filters to search for tenders based on location, keywords, dates, and budget. You may be familiar with tender portals, so what makes ours different?

Well, each of our portals are updated daily by Opportunity Trackers that don’t use CPV codes. These codes are used to identify contract opportunities, but they can often have errors. This means that we will never miss a tender due to the wrong code.

Every day, we will send you a tender notification of all the new opportunities you may be interested in.

Want to save even more time looking for publishing tenders? Try Discover Elite

What if you could streamline the process even further?

The good news is – you can!

Sign up to Discover Elite via your chosen portal where a dedicated Account Manager finds live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules.

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portalsof your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Examples of publishing tenders found on our portal

Publications Production with End-to-End Print Services

Swansea University – Wales – Budget: £1,000,000

 

Contract for Publishing Guidebooks

National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool – South East – Budget: £85,000

 

The Provision of a Publications Dispatch Service

Department of Social Protection – Republic of Ireland – Budget: £200,000

 

The Provision of NIHR Journals Library: Production Services

University of Southampton – South East – Budget: £7,000,000

 

South Devon College ITT for the Design of Publications

South Devon College – South West – Budget: £60,500

4 tips to win publishing tenders from expert Bid Writers

  1. Make sure your answers are clear, concise, and relevant
  2. Don’t use technical jargon as this can confuse the buyer
  3. Ensure you proofread your proposal before submission, so it is of the highest standard
  4. Use writing and language skills to keep the buyer engaged with your bid.

Summary

We have reached the end of our blog on publishing tenders. Here is a recap of everything we covered:

What are publishing tenders?

Here are some examples of products needed as part of a publishing tender.

  • Magazines
  • Books
  • Articles
  • Newspapers
  • Leaflets
  • Brochures
  • Patient identification bands
  • Posters
  • Vouchers
  • Product packaging
  • Invitations
  • Academic works
  • Electoral supplies.

To find publishing tenders, you can use the Creative Tender’s portal. By upgrading to Discover Elite, an Account Manager will find tenders on your behalf.

4 tips to win publishing tenders from expert Bid Writers

  1. Make sure your answers are clear, concise, and relevant
  2. Don’t use technical jargon
  3. Ensure you proofread your proposal before submission
  4. Use writing and language skills to keep the buyer engaged with your bid.

Need help writing your next tender?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next tenders.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a tender and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

Book a free live demo with Creative Tenders to see how we can help your business grow.

Contact us for more information.

Check out some of our other blogs:

Marketing Tender Opportunities: How to Find Them and 6 Secrets for Winning!

Posted on by John Hudson

Here’s how you can find marketing tender opportunities and 6 tips from Bid Writers to help you win!

Are you looking for marketing tender opportunities? Here at Creative Tenders, we have a whole host of contracts available on our portal. In this blog, we will share with you how to instantly find marketing tender opportunities. Plus, we will have 6 tips from expert Bid Writers on how to win! Keep reading to learn more about how we can help you and your business…

Where can you find marketing tender opportunities?

When most businesses begin their search for marketing tender opportunities, they’ll likely use a search engine. For example, they’ll use Google to find countless websites that may have opportunities available. They will then have to scour each of these websites individually for contracts that are suitable.

This can take hours and a lot of the time the opportunities will not be suitable. They also may not display key details. So, you’ll have to read lengthy tender documents to decipher whether you’re eligible for that contract. Or the deadline date may be very close and so you won’t have time to complete the bid. This tedious practice can quickly become frustrating. Thankfully, there are solutions available…

Hudson Discover’s 11 sector-specific portals were built to streamline the process of finding tenders. Via the Creative Tenders portal, you can easily find marketing tender opportunities. Our portals display key information on each tender such as location, deadline date, and budget. This way, you can clearly see whether a tender is right for you.

You can use filters to narrow down your search for marketing tender opportunities. This way, you can select a budget, location, and keywords to locate the right contract for you. Our portals are updated daily by our Opportunity trackers. They manually search for opportunities to upload to the portal. They don’t use CPV codes to find contracts either. This means that there’s no risk of missing opportunities that are listed incorrectly with the wrong code. Government sites will use CPV codes and so they can be less accurate.

Discover Elite

If you want to streamline the process even further, you can sign up to Discover Elite. With this service, a dedicated Account Manager will find live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules. Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portalsof your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Examples of the tenders we house on our portal:

Editorial Services – North West – £55k

Organisation seeking a supplier to provide editorial services, including copywriting and proofreading.

Campaign Services – South East – £100k

Council seeking a suitably experienced and qualified supplier to produce a marketing campaign.

Media Monitoring – London – Budget: Undisclosed

Tender submissions required for the provision of media monitoring services.

Crisis Media Marketing – Scotland – £50K – 19-04-2022

Company is seeking a provider of crisis media management and associated support.

Marketing Services – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

Contract for the provision of marketing services to promote brand awareness and increase website traffic.

Here’s how to win marketing tender opportunities

Have you found marketing tender opportunities and are now ready to tender for work? Here are a few top tips from the expert Bid Writers at Hudson Succeed:

  1. Stick to the word count – If you can’t follow instructions, you leave a bad impression.
  2. Don’t use technical jargon – You don’t want to confuse the buyer when they read your proposal.
  3. Make sure your bid responses are clear and concise – Making it easier to read will keep the buyer engaged. They will also be able to clearly understand your ideas.
  4. Proofread and edit your bid before submission – Mistakes in your bid will make you look unprofessional.
  5. Use bid management tactics to stay organised – This will drastically decrease stress and make the process easier.
  6. Turn to a Bid Writer to handle the entire process for you – They have the experience and know what it takes to win!

Summary

Here’s a summary of everything we covered in our blog on marketing tender opportunities.

Creative Tenders is one of Hudson Discover’s 11 sector-specific portals that hosts tender opportunities. These portals streamline the process of locating a tender suitable for your business. This is done by the use of selecting filters such as location, budget, and keywords. They’re updated daily and our team don’t use CPV codes, so there’s no risk of missing opportunities.

  1. Stick to the word count
  2. Don’t use technical jargon
  3. Make sure your bid responses are clear and concise
  4. Proofread and edit your bid before submission
  5. Use bid managementtactics to stay organised
  6. Turn to a Bid Writerto handle the entire process for you.

If you still have questions about marketing tender opportunities, why not contact us? Our team are always happy to help!

Need help writing your next tender?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next tender.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a tender and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

Book a free live demo with Creative Tenders to see how we can help your business grow.

Contact us for more information.

Check out some of our other blogs:

3 Things to Consider from Event Management Contracts

Posted on by John Hudson

What to Expect from Events Management Contracts

Knowing where to begin with event management contracts can be daunting and even overwhelming at times. Luckily, we are on hand to help!

We’ve put together a list of three things to consider when applying to events management contracts. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that every tender is different, and every buyer will have different requirements. It’s best to refer to the tender documents to see what exactly is required for your specific bid.

When tendering for contracts, you should always make sure you’re eligible to apply for an opportunity before progressing. Ensure you meet the economic financial standing. As a rule, you shouldn’t be going for contracts that are more than half your annual turnover.

What’s involved with events management contracts?

Some events management contracts may involve an end-to-end process. This could be including, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Event creation
  • Design
  • Management
  • Marketing and Communications
  • Management of key contributors
  • Post-event services
  • Risk mitigation.

Interested suppliers are often asked to outline the event that they are responding to. This will likely need to include a risk register or assessment.

3 tips for writing winning responses to events management contracts

  1. Proof of experience

Buyers will be expecting you to have a bank of experience of successful contracts. They will likely require you to detail up to three case studies within the last three to five years. These case studies should be similar in scope and style to the events management contracts you’re applying for.

It’s worth detailing how you overcame any unexpected challenges on these projects too. This will demonstrate your problem-solving skills and flexibility; both of which are essential in events management. This can help instil confidence in the buyer that you’re the best business for the contract.

  1. Structure your response

A winning bid for events management contracts will be well structured using clear and concise language. This isn’t just formatting, it’s also other things such as sticking to the word count. You want to ensure that you’re writing as close to the word or page count as possible. They’re there for a reason.

In terms of formatting, using bullet points can help break up blocks of text. Subheadings can also help. Often questions will contain three questions within one question. A good way to ensure that you’ve answered every aspect is by breaking it down with subheadings. That way, it will be clear for both you and the buyer that you’ve covered all bases.

Just because the tender is pre-formatted doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Consider including your brand colours and logo in your proposal. This can help your response for events management contracts stand out from others.

  1. Be united when it comes to company CVs

When you’re tendering for work, you may need to include company CVs. Putting forward uniformed CVs shows attention to detail. Imagine you’re the buyer and you’re faced with 10 CVs from a business that all look different. Then imagine you’re presented with 10 unformatted CVs – it will look a lot more professional.

Buyers often want to know will carry out each duty. Including a professional yet friendly-looking photo can be a nice touch. That way they can put a face to a name. Remember to include all the key and relevant information such as qualifications and their experience. This with further cement your capability.

So, now you know how to better your response to events management contracts. Demonstrating your proof of experience can build confidence in the buyer. Structuring your response can put you in the buyers’ good books.

NEED ASSISTANCE WRITING YOUR upcoming Events management contracts?

You don’t always have the time or resources to write a winning response in house. Outsourcing to bid writing experts can help. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, offer four levels of bid writing support. They boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of bid writing experience. The services on offer include:

WHERE CAN I FIND events management contracts FOR MY BUSINESS?

Running your own business takes up a lot of your time. The last thing you want to be doing is trawling hundreds of websites searching for public affairs tenders. Most websites post multi-industry opportunities and filtering them with CPV codes can produce unreliable results. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Enter…Creative Tenders

Creative Tenders is an easy-to-navigate, centralised portal hosting live creative tender opportunities from across the UK.

Below are previous public affairs tenders sourced on our portal:

Invitation To Tender for The Provision of Event, Production and Digital Media Support For The 4 Corners Festival 2022

4 Corners Festival- Northern Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

Organisation Implementation and Management of Bolsover Town Centre Events Phase 2

Bolsover District Council- East Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

Major Ceremonial Event

Transport for London- London- Budget: Undisclosed

Procurement of an Outdoor Events Management Service under the Ancient Connections Project

Pembrokeshire County Council- Wales- Budget: Undisclosed

QU523 – Christmas family event on Edgbaston Street (Birmingham City Centre)

Birmingham City Council- West Midlands- Budget: Undisclosed

A subscription to Creative Tenders offers your business:

  • Access to all exclusive, private and public sector opportunities within the creative industry.
  • A dedicated Account Manager on hand to answer any questions you may have about public affairs tenders. They can help you understand the procurement process in general.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new, sector-specific opportunities are uploaded.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20 minutes of free consultancy with one of our Bid Consultants each month.

WE SOURCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SECTORS INCLUDING;

Book a free live demo with Creative Tenders to see what creative contracts in the UK can help grow your business. 

WANT TO SAVE EVEN MORE TIME?

Upgrading to Discover Elite allows you to optimise your tendering opportunities even when you’re busy. Our two upgraded packages can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. Each can help save you even more time when searching for video and film tenders.

THE ULTIMATE TIME SAVER PACKAGE OFFERS YOUR BUSINESS:

  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Creative and Technology, for example.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices are monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid.
  • Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable creative tendering opportunities.

THE BECOME A PRE-BID MASTER PACKAGE ALSO INCLUDES:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven tender breakdowns per month.
  • A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

A Guide to the Bidding Process in Event Management

Posted on by John Hudson

10 Top tips for the bidding process in event management

Would you like the bad news or the good news?

The bidding process in event management comes with both good and bad news. Event management is an incredibly underrated industry in terms of the complexity and effort it takes to thrive. Many people outside of the industry may feel that managing an event is an easy task. However, as you will likely know, there is a lot more to event management than meets the eye. Planning, budgeting, and logistics are just a few of the hidden skills you need to thrive.

The bad news: nothing worth having comes easy. Starting the bidding process in event management is not something your business should take lightly. You will need to put in some time and effort to see results.

The good news: the bidding process in event management isn’t all that bad. You may find you already have the skills needed to submit successful bids. Once you have some basic knowledge, tendering can become your organisation’s best friend.

What is the bidding process in event management? 

The bidding process in event management can feel like a daunting challenge. From finding the perfect tender to writing the bid, it can be tricky to know where to start.

A basic process within procurement is where the buyer will release an invitation to tender (ITT). This ITT will detail a project the buyer requires support with. It is then the supplier’s job to submit a bid to demonstrate their company’s capabilities. The bidding process in event management often requires details from suppliers which demonstrate their ability to organise a successful event.

When a business begins its tendering journey, the first hurdle is usually understanding the above process. The next task is to develop a bidding process in event management.

Top 10 tips to consider within the bidding process in event management

  1. Read the ITT

One thing to consider when entering into the bidding process in event management is reading the ITT documents. This step is severely neglected and can cause critical time and effort to be in vain. Make sure you have noted the location and budget to ensure you are suitable for the project. Have the key dates handy so you can see if the work will affect other commitments. By properly digesting this information you will have both the confidence and competence to succeed.

  1. Do your research

Often within an ITT, the buyer will include some background information about their organisation. It doesn’t hurt to go the extra mile and find out more about the buyer. Businesses often want their employees to be passionate about the business and align themselves with their values and goals. The relationship between buyers and suppliers is no different. Knowing more about who you are requesting to work with will give you a greater insight into their decision making. This way, you will know precisely why and what the buyer is asking.

  1. Be realistic

As previously mentioned, it is important to understand the scope of work for your desired tender. It can be easy to lose sight of reality when you see an attractive opportunity. The job itself may suit your business but the location may be too far afield. You may be attracted by the budget but have other commitments in the start and end date periods. If you find yourself not meeting any requirements you must take a step back and be realistic. Don’t waste time on a bid which you cannot feasibly secure and complete. You are making life harder for yourself and wasting time that could be used securing the perfect opportunity.

  1. Don’t put yourself down

On the other hand, it is also crucial you do not put yourself, or your business down. It is easy to feel that, as a small or medium enterprise (SME), you will not stand out against bigger suppliers. The UK government currently has a target to spend more with SME’s. Their target is to spend £1 in every £3 with small and medium businesses. This means that public sector buyers are looking to establish relationships with smaller organisations. So, you still have every chance to secure work, even if you’re a small business.

  1. What is your USP

Having a unique selling point is essential. You must relay to the buyer what makes your business stand out from the competition. What makes you unique and what can you offer the buyer that no other supplier can? Perhaps it’s the experience in that particular type of event or your specialist resources. You may even have better working relationships with suppliers and vendors compared to your competition. Having some knowledge of your competition can be used to your advantage. Try and think from the buyer’s perspective. If you were making the decisions, what would you value in an events company?

  1. Create a bid library

Each tender you submit a bid for will be unique. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t keep your bid documents for future use. Supporting documents such as health and safety policies and case studies can be used multiple times. Keep these filed away as part of your “bid library”. Some documents may need adjusting to suit the tender but having the outline can save a lot of time. This will ultimately result in a more efficient bidding process.

  1. Be methodical

Tendering is a structured process. You must set yourself tasks and deadlines to complete the work needed. It may be worth having an internal checklist of deadlines if more than one department is involved. Make sure to give yourself plenty of breathing space for errors or delays. Many events have an aspect of complex time management, scheduling and coordination. Use these skills to your advantage within the bidding process in event management.

  1. Social Value

Social value is becoming an increasingly important factor which buyers are evaluating in their tender scoring. Our Hudson Insight Series has revealed a stronger emphasis on social value within the procurement world. At the time of writing this blog, the UK has very recently left the European Union. With this change came a change in procurement procedures. The government’s green paper gave an in-depth look at the changes which were being made. Buyers will now be encouraged to consider social value more within their bid evaluation. This means your bid should have a focus on how you help your employees, as well as the wider community. As of January 2021, government buyers have placed a 10% weighting on social value within your quality response. Make sure you stay ahead of the curve and have your social value responses prepared.

  1. Reflect on previous feedback

If you have previously submitted a bid and have not been successful, don’t feel disheartened. Ask for feedback on the unsuccessful bid and use it to your advantage. Your feedback will clearly show your bid writing strengths and weaknesses. It may be that your pricing was too high, or your quality response lost some marks. Take the time to study this feedback and make sure you learn from any mistakes. This will ultimately improve your bidding process in event management.

  1. Get a second opinion

Whether you are solely responsible for your bid or you’re working within a team, mistakes can be made.  When you work closely on a project it can be hard to take a step back. You may not notice spelling or grammar mistakes, or you could have even left out important information. For almost two decades our team of bid writers at Hudson Succeed have been responding to tenders. They know better than anyone the importance of taking a step back to make sure your bid is error-free. Make sure you leave enough time to ask for a second opinion and make the necessary changes. Whether this is through a team of professional bid writers, or a colleague, you will benefit from their feedback.

Can I get support with my bids?

With all of these factors involved with the bidding process in event management, it is natural to need some support. You may want a professional to guide you through the process. You may also look to completely outsource this process. At Hudson Succeed, our team of bid writers thrive in creating successful bid responses. Our team also hold an 87% bid success rate. Last year alone, they secured direct contract wins totalling over £300million for our clients. So, next time it comes to working on your next bid, why not consider a bid management consultant to support you in the process?

Is now the right time to get involved with the bidding process in event management?

Due to the current climate, it is easy to feel disheartened within your business. At the time of writing this blog, the UK has gone into another national lockdown. Many organisation’s plans for expansion and growth have been pushed back and put on hold. Events have been cancelled and income has been lost. You may find yourself wondering if it is worth investing any more into your business.

To set your mind at ease let’s look at the facts. In 2017, UK spending on events was £39.1 billion. This contributed 35% to the UK’s visitor economy. As one of the largest industries in the UK, it is impossible to ignore the significance of the events sector.

The Scottish Government have recently released a guidance plan which reiterates the importance of the events sector.

We want a strong events sector to help drive Scotland’s economic recovery and future prosperity. Event organisers should therefore use this guidance to look forward and engage with trade union or workforce representatives early in their plans for restart to develop workplace specific plans for a managed transition away from current restrictions”

A new campaign is also being launched in the UK to support the events industry. #WeCreateExperiences aims to raise awareness of the importance of event management to the UK economy. The campaign will set the scene for the return of live events in 2021. Simon Hughes, the co-founder of the #WeCreateExperiences campaign, says:

Live events will return in 2021 and there will be pent-up demand. Businesses who commit budgets to events in 2021 will reap the rewards and steal a march on their competitors”

Perfect your bidding process

Over any event management life cycle, you will face unexpected difficulties. Your business has likely seen a shift in security measures following the increase in the national threat level. You may have also had to shift to a more digitally focused approach to events. Social media is now widely used to safeguard events and has given more visibility to smaller events. Having to change and adapt to the current climate is not unusual for an events company.

It is vital to note there are still events opportunities out there. You may need to shift from a word of mouth approach to a tendering process. The current situation may be the perfect time to perfect your bidding process in events management. Keep evolving your business with the times to make sure you have a steady stream of work in your pipeline.

Where do I find tenders?

If you are struggling to find event management opportunities, then Creative Tenders offers the perfect solution. We have been uploading record-breaking numbers of opportunities to Creative Tenders, even throughout lockdown.

As a member of Creative Tenders, you will have access to:

  • All the available events tenders within the UK, without needing to understand CPV codes.
  • A dedicated account manager.
  • 20 minutes of free consultancy every month with our bid experts.
  • The ability to filter by keyword, location and budget.
  • Discounted bid support with Hudson Succeed.

Book a free live demo with Creative Tenders to see how we can help your business grow

We source creative contract opportunities for sectors including;

Recent events management tenders we sourced include:

Provision for the service of Managed Open Access (MOA) for Winter and Summer Solstice at Stonehenge
English Heritage- Stonehenge visitors centre- South West- Budget: £480,000
21-12-2020

Provision of Management, platform hosting and delivery of virtual events
Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland- International- Budget: Undisclosed
16-12-2020

Grimsby Creates: Festival Director – Grimsby Festival of the Sea 2021
North East Lincolnshire Council- East Midlands- Budget: £10,000
07-12-2020

Visitor Programmes Production Company Framework
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – London- Budget: £ 450,000
18-12-2020

Events Tender
Ordnance Survey- South East- Budget: £ 300,000
18-12-2020

Opportunities for Creative Contracts UK

Posted on by John Hudson

5 Expert Tips for Winning Creative Contracts in the UK.

Are you looking for creative contracts in the UK? Whether you’re a marketer or website developer, you may be wondering, what creative opportunities are currently available, locally and nation-wide? And how is the industry rebuilding itself going forward, after such a devastating year?

We’ve compiled some industry insight, with tips from tendering experts and bid writers, to support creative contractors. Discover how you can boost your chances of winning creative contracts to grow your business as we head into 2021.

The creative industries: a workforce like no other!

Creative jobs make up a significant portion of the UK workforce! Did you know, more than 2 million UK jobs are in creative industries? The Creative Industries Council (CIC) reports an estimate of 2,040,000 jobs – with 75 per cent of them falling outside London. A further 1 million creative jobs are based in organisations outside the creative industries, such as technology and digital services. This takes the total number of UK jobs in the wider creative economy to 3.2 million. (That’s 9.6 per cent of all UK jobs!)

Creative jobs are added to the UK economy at a much faster rate than jobs in the economy as a whole. In fact, new jobs are developed at two to five times the rate of jobs in other sectors. Creative employment between 2011 and 2018 increased by 30.6 per cent. Average growth across the UK was only 10.1 per cent during that period.

Evidently, creative contracts in the UK cover a vast range of services. Such a versatile and everchanging industry requires a well-adapted and streamlined approach to sourcing business. At Creative Tenders, we’re experienced in sourcing creative contracts. We host tenders for sectors including:

Creative contractors need time to be creative! That’s why our priority is saving clients time and money when they’re searching for business opportunities. We source new tenders using our skilled procurement team, who categorise sector-specific tenders all in one place using industry-driven keywords. Opportunity tracking has never been so efficient! Book a free live demo to see how we can help your business grow.

How is the UK currently investing in new creative contracts?

There’s no doubt 2020 has been a tough year for the creative sector. The pandemic has stunted a rapidly growing industry and forced many creative businesses to close their doors, or drastically adapt. Music venues are now providing socially distanced concerts, for instance. Some businesses, such as theatre companies, have remained closed with workers furloughed since March, with little or no respite.

It continues to be an uncertain time, heading towards 2021. However, major investments are now being made throughout the creative industries.

Here are some key examples of grants, schemes and programmes currently in place to revive the creative sector:

  • £1.57 billion – Culture Recovery Fund.

This is the government’s overall rescue package for the cultural and heritage sector. Thousands of organisations across a range of sectors can benefit from grants and loans. This includes the performing arts and theatres, heritage, historic palaces, museums, galleries, live music and independent cinema. For example, venues and organisations currently benefiting include:

    • Military Wives Choirs
    • The Hepworth Wakefield
    • Night and Day in Manchester
    • Whitby’s Tomorrow’s Ghosts
    • Gothic Festival
    • London’s Somerset House
    • Kneehigh Theatre in Cornwall.

  • £500 million – Film and TV Production Restart Scheme.

The scheme supports 40,000 UK jobs by covering Covid-19 related insurance costs. The scheme will provide financial compensation for costs incurred due to Covid-related issues.

  • £150 million – The Sector Deal.

The Government has agreed a Sector Deal with the creative industries sector, through the Creative Industries Council (CIC). This investment will unlock growth and a longer lifecycle for creative businesses in the following ways:

    • funding leading creative clusters to compete globally.
    • by funding technologies and content via research into augmented reality and virtual reality.
    • funding creative skills of the future via a careers programme that will open up creative jobs.

  • £75 million – National Lottery Project Grants.

Recently re-opened by the Arts Council with an increased budget, funding is available to creative individuals, communities and cultural organisations.

  • £18 million – Developing Your Creative Practice Programme.

Also re-opened in Autumn 2020 by the Arts Council with an increased budget. This programme helps creatives step up their work in new ways.

  • £3.36 million – Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund.

This is an investment in 135 venues at risk of imminent closure due to the coronavirus.

  • £3 million – Festival UK 2022 Research and Development Programme.

Research and development for 10 major creative projects began in November 2020. The 2022 festival aims to reach millions, bring people together and showcase the UK’s creativity and innovation globally. 30 creative teams will be drawn together from over 500 organisations and individuals, including freelancers, across the UK.

Which areas have been identified for further industry improvement?

In addition to these major investments supporting the creative industries, areas for further research have been flagged up. Research will be another key avenue in reviving the industry and creating a more sustainable sector, going forward.

The Creative Industries Council (CIC) has identified nine core areas to improve through further research and development. These are:

  • Job Quality: While there is growing data on the number and growth of creative industries jobs, however, more insight is needed into job quality.
  • Strategic skills: The industry needs an accurate, refined future vision for which careers and skills are in highest demand, especially with the changes to the industry.
  • Creative education: There needs to be a stronger system for capturing and reporting the value of creative education.
  • Pipeline of talent: Better visibility into the talent pipeline and into career progression is required.
  • Creative professional development: the industry needs a better understanding of opportunities for professional development and learning.
  • Productivity and management practices: Compared to other industries, there’s a lack of evidence about productivity in the creative industries.
  • Tackling the diversity challenge: Better evidence is needed on the representation of all minority groups, and for data that goes beyond participation to explore the quality of work.
  • Local talent pools: The UK is lacking evidence on local skills and talent pipelines and how these meet the needs of local businesses.

Looking forward to the future of the creative industry, improvements in these areas will be significant for advancing the industry. This will, in turn, improve the jobs of the large percentage of the UK workforce in the creative sector.

How can you win creative contracts in the UK right now?

Securing creative contracts that are the perfect fit for your services is essential for growing your business – especially now. Finding the right contracts through effective portals like Creative Tenders is a great place to start. But how can you ensure you’ll see success throughout the tendering process?

Tenders for creative contracts are most often Requests for Proposals (RFPs), which can require a long and complex tender response. An RFP essentially means the proposal will be free-flowing, rather than comprised of short and simple text box answers. An RFP must encompass the entirety of the project, including a statement of work, along with a specified timescale and plan. The buyer may require a specific format. Due to these requirements, becoming a successful RFP writer can be challenging.

A successful RFP writer must ensure all elements of what the buyer is looking for are covered. If you need support, the bid writing experts at Hudson Succeed have extensive experience in writing successful creative contracts. They have secured a range of creative bids for UK clients, from marketing to videography, helping creative businesses to grow.

What do our experts recommend when bidding for creative contracts?

Here are 5 features our bid writers recommend focusing on when it comes to bidding for creative contracts:

  1. Design is an important element of a creative bid; a well-designed and clear proposal is often a requirement. Do you have the skills to create a well-designed bid in-house, or is this something you should outsource?

 

  1. Cultural alignment. Ensure you fully understand the buying organisation and reflect this in your proposal. Can you demonstrate your cultural alignment to the buyer and job at hand? For instance, consider how their work ethic and brand vision aligns with your own.

 

  1. Experience and case studies. Case studies are essential. Can you demonstrate your company’s relevant experiences and lessons learned in detail? How have you analysed and improved upon past projects?

 

  1. Creative bids tend to be more conceptually driven than other industries. Construction bids, for example, contain highly detailed specifications with little room for abstraction. With a creative bid, there is usually much more freedom to showcase your brand and vision. Can you demonstrate your brand’s personality alongside the concept of the bid?

 

  1. Delivery model. Can you comprehensively set out each phase of your delivery model, i.e. inception, production, post-production? The evaluation criteria of a creative bid will consider the quality of each of these stages. Detail is important here. Since the proposal is likely free-flowing, however, you should evaluate what level of detail is required.

Get in touch with Hudson Succeed for further support with writing proposals for creative contracts. Access expert support through the following bid writing packages:

Below are some tenders we’ve sourced on our Creative Tenders portal:

COVID Public Information Campaign

CPD – Supplies and Services Division- Northern Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

Provision of Video Production – Provision of Video Production and Broadcasting services.

Abbey Theatre Amharclann na Mainistreach- Northern Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

Tender for Website Design, Build & Host

Believe housing- North East- Budget: Undisclosed

Procurement of Services for Artwork, Design, Layout and Formatting of a Series of Knowledge Products to be Ready for Printing for EVAW Pacific Partnership Project

UN WOMEN- London- Budget: Undisclosed

Specialist Curator for the Good Business Festival

Liverpool City Council- North West- Budget: £20,000

Still looking for creative contracts in the UK?

Start finding creative contracts in the UK with Creative Tenders – it’s simple! Book a free, live demo with one of our team members today. We’ll walk you through the unique features of our portal and how they can help grow your creative business.

But don’t just take it from us! What do our clients say?

The following feedback is from clients of Creative Tenders:

  1. “I get an overview of relevant tenders in the sectors I have chosen, summarised in one bulletin that arrives at the end of the day, leaving me to focus on other activities. We actually won our first tender we applied for using the site which was amazing. Any queries I have are always swiftly responded to by Marie and the team. A great service we would highly recommend.” –

    Kyle Gray, Head of Business Development, Regency Creative.

 

  1. “Creative Tenders has been an amazing resource for us. We’ve found the daily discover updates invaluable, allowing us to uncover opportunities we wouldn’t have previously seen without this resource. The Succeed service was brilliant at giving us the tools and guidance to confidently submit winning tender responses.” –

    Laura Dearden, Head of Client Services, Unwritten Group.

  

  1. “We use Creative Tenders to source opportunities like bespoke development, website design and build projects, and apps. Creative Tenders has become central to our daily operations – the platform is easy to use and the regular updates regarding new tenders and business opportunities are invaluable.” –

    Sarah Luther, Sales Director, 6B Digital.

Tendering Portals – Reimagined

Posted on by Charlotte Jarvis

Tendering portals reimagined by Hudson Discover

Hudson’s tendering portals were designed as time-saving tools to help increase efficiency in the tendering process.

How long does it take you to search through numerous websites and find the right opportunity for your business?

Tender tracking is a full-time job. We know because our team of opportunity trackers search through thousands of websites every day.

This year, we are modernising the tender tracking process by enhancing our ten sector-specific tendering portals, including Creative Tenders.

The new features

As the updated portal is currently in development, here is a brief overview of what to expect from the new system:

The look

As you may already know, we recently rebranded the Hudson Group. Our new look is sleek and modern – therefore, our portal will be redeveloped to match.

Dynamic inter-trading

Procuring services will be even easier. Buyers will simply upload their specification and select which tendering portal they wish to target.

For example, if an accountancy business needs a new website, they can upload their specification on the new ‘Post a Project’ section and simply tick a box to send the opportunity to ‘Creative Tenders’.

Team collaboration

The new systems will allow users to assign tenders to their colleagues. Once the bid is submitted, the team can mark the tender as complete in the new ‘My Tasks’ section. This will allow for consistency across teams and increase efficiency when bidding for contracts.

User details can also be managed in the ‘My Profile’ tab. This enables the user to add or remove colleagues in just a few clicks, change passwords and update business details.

Industry collaboration

At Hudson, we believe that everything is better when we work collaboratively. We know that our clients share the same belief. Our new tendering portals will allow users to ‘opt-in’ to collaborate with other businesses.

For example, a marketing agency could contact a freelance graphic designer to ask for collaboration on a large project that they do not have the in-house design resource to deliver.

Access to more tendering portals

Clients who require access to more than one portal will be able to easily swap between systems.

Simply selecting the ‘Change Portal’ menu will allow users to move from one tender portal to another without loading different websites.

For example, a software company may require access to both our Creative Tenders and  Technology Tenders portal. 

Stay in touch

The new dashboard page will not only display the recently uploaded tenders that match your criteria but helpful updates from the Hudson Group.

For example, the dashboard will make you aware of:

  • New Tender VLE masterclasses;
  • Bid Surgery date and location announcements;
  • System changes you should be aware of;
  • Hudson notices, such as seasonal opening hours.

Remaining features

The unique benefits of our tendering portals will remain the same. Here are just a few of the features and subscription benefits that you can expect to continue:

Manual opportunity tracking

We only use manual tender tracking processes – our research identified that a third of tenders uploaded using algorithms were tagged with incorrect CPV codes.

What does this mean?

For the users of these systems, this means that they could receive notifications for irrelevant opportunities. It also means that when the users search these portals, they will still have to sift through numerous, unrelated contracts.

Our fundamental objective at Hudson Discover it to save time for our clients. Our team of opportunity trackers manually search thousands of sites every day, uploading each tender and tagging the opportunity with relevant keywords. This means that our users can simply log into the portal and filter their search results by keywords – only to be shown relevant contracts.

My favourites

When you simply can’t decide which tender to bid for, add those that stand out to your ‘My Favourites’ page. Later, you can peruse through these opportunities and compare them more easily.

Bid writing support

Our Hudson Succeed team are still only a click away. We understand that some tenders can be daunting. Our clients don’t have an unlimited amount of time or resource to spend on writing and submitting tenders. That’s why our team at Hudson Succeed are there to help.

Last year alone, the team secured £300million in direct contract wins for our clients. They proudly hold an 87% success rate and they are trusted by more than 700 businesses, globally. More information about services and testimonials can be found on the Hudson Succeed website.

Account management

Tendering can be confusing and sometimes you need a little support. Our account managers are not going anywhere.

Every client on our tendering portals receives personal support from our expert account managers. Whether you need support with getting started or responding to a specific tender, our account managers are only a phone call or an email away.

Filters

Once you sign up, all you need to do is tell the system what you are looking for and anything matching your criteria will appear on your dashboard page.

Your criteria can be categorised by location, keywords, budget and sector. This helpful functionality will remain the same.

Do current clients need to update anything?

Our existing clients do not have to change or update anything. Your account manager will contact you to let you know when the new system will be live and what to expect.

If you have any questions about the system changes or your subscription, please contact Marie Fisher via marie@hudsonprocurementgroup.co.uk.

More information

For more information about what creative contracts in the UK are available, please get in touch with our team.

WE SOURCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SECTORS INCLUDING;

Book a free live demo with Creative Tenders to see how we can help your business grow. 

MAXIMISE YOUR MEMBERSHIP WITH AN ACCOUNT MANAGER – Tender portal tips

Posted on by John Hudson

TENDER PORTAL TIPS – MAXIMISE YOUR MEMBERSHIP WITH OUR ACCOUNT MANAGERS! – Tender portal tips

Wham, bam, thanks for your money – goodbye!

Does this sound familiar? After signing up to some online portals it is easy to feel forgotten about and quickly become disgruntled with the whole tendering debacle.

We know that tendering can be complicated and that not everyone is a bidding expert. That is why when you sign-up to one of our platforms, you will be assigned a dedicated Account Manager.

This is where you can really maximise your membership!

As part of your subscription, your Account Manager will ensure that you receive filtered daily bulletins, specific to your sector – as well as access to the online, member’s portal.

Your Account Manager is directly contactable five days a week, to deal with any queries you might have. This service is not only limited to tender portal tips, our Account Management Team can also assist you if you are needing to advertise a tender opportunity as a buyer.

For example, if you have work that needs to be put out to tender, but you don’t have a portal to take the submissions and host the clarification questions etc, this can all be done via our portal, with access to industry-specific suppliers. Simply contact one of our Account Managers and you’re on your way!

If it is the actual tendering process itself that is proving to be problematic, i.e. you are bidding but not winning or maybe you are new to tendering and don’t know where to begin. Our dedicated Account Managers will be able to refer you directly with one of our Tender Consultants, who are experts with all tender-related projects.

Your Account Manager is part of your subscription, so make sure that you utilise this service to the full potential!

We are here to help you DISCOVER!

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Framework Agreement – Top 4 questions to ask yourself!

Posted on by John Hudson

FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT – TOP 4 THINGS TO ASK YOURSELF

You’re most likely to see the term ‘Framework Agreement’ scattered across our tendering portals, asking for multiple suppliers to deliver/supply either one or more services/goods across various locations. Sounds pretty broad, right?

Well, through utilising a Framework Agreement, this is a much smarter way of working for a lot of buyers and procurement agencies. Although it may be a contractual headache at times, the long-term aspects to delivery remain progressive and are more and more often used across the UK procurement sector.

See our ‘TENDERING DOESN’T NEED TO BE COMPLICATED’ blog for other terms you may see!

Multi-provider Framework Agreements are quite simply, contracts or agreements between one or more organisations. There is such a thing as a Single Provider Framework, where one provider is utilised for ad-hoc call-off requests for particular services/goods, however, that is a story for another day.

Multi-provider frameworks can be exhibited via the following example:

London-based Council seeks up to 8 Creative Agencies / Freelancers (per LOT) to undergo multiple creative services. This includes:

  • LOT 1: – Digital Design & Branding
  • LOT 2: – Website Development & Build
  • LOT 3: – PR & Marketing
  • LOT 4: – Managed Print Services

As you can see here, the buyer is asking for 8 suppliers per LOT (service), meaning there will be a total of 24 suppliers as part of this contract. Although you may have to share the spotlight with your competitors, it’s a fantastic way of getting your company heard across the Creative Sector and to show your position in the market alongside your competitors. Plus, there’s work and money involved.

The majority of companies argue that if you don’t score the highest tender, then your impending work is decreased by a long shot. Sometimes, you may be right, but a lot of the time you may be wrong.

Here are the 4 crucial questions you must ask yourself when tendering for a framework agreement:

1. How many suppliers is the opportunity open to?

Remember, the more suppliers the opportunity is open to, the more chance of securing a place on the Framework.

2. Do you have a good chance of winning it?

Obvious question you might say, but you’d be surprised at how many organisations go for work that (at the time of tendering) they could potentially deliver but haven’t got the corporate literature or writing skills to make them stand out on paper. Look at our ‘To Bid or not to Bid’ blog to look at what you can do to ensure your success is maximised! 

3. Are you going for multiple LOTs?

Do you have to submit a response per service/LOT? Does this mean you have to submit 4 or more tender responses? – if so, always make sure you have the resource and time to do this. Never replicate your answers, always give as much time to each individual tender/LOT to ensure increased chances of success. It is better to focus more of your time with something that you can deliver better in, than going for all LOTs where other competitors may have the upper-hand. Go for the LOT where you know you can be number one! If you don’t think you’ve got the upper-hand, then should you be wasting time on it.

4. What is the process of contract award?

One of the most important aspects of a Framework Agreement is to understand the process that you undergo when you’re in the framework and how is work dished out? This could work in multiple ways, so remember to read the instructions carefully. Some examples include:

  • Mini-competition – this is where the buyer asks all suppliers on the framework to quote them a price for a specific job at hand. This may include a quality aspect also. The cheapest quote wins!
  • First Supplier wins all – this is where the supplier who scored the highest via the tender process, will be guaranteed all work. If they can’t deliver a specific element, then it will go down the chain to the supplier who scored second. If they can’t deliver, then the supplier who came third and so on – all the more reason to be completely focused on the service you work best in and become number one!
  • Drop down effect – some buyers take it in turns to disperse work. In this case, the highest-ranking supplier would receive the first job, the second highest ranking supplier the second job and so on.

All decisions to how the framework is managed are declared by the buyer in the ITT (invitation to tender) stage. It’s usually transparent from the get go!

Find out how you can receive various framework opportunities straight to your inbox, by BOOKING A FREE DEMO TODAY!

Frameworks can be extremely complex when tendering for works. Remember our Tender Consultants are here to help!

BID WRITING SUPPORT – THE DAPCAS MODEL

Posted on by John Hudson

BID WRITING SUPPORT – THE DAPCAS MODEL

Bid writing support can be varied and contradictory – that’s why we invented the DAPCAS model, to boil down the tendering process into its most simplistic formula. Here is a short breakdown to outline the parameters of the model.

D is for Decipher

Before you start tendering you need to decipher the opportunities that you want to go for.

Do NOT just go for any opportunity in the hope of being successful. This is not only a waste of time and money but weakens your overall tendering approach.

When starting any business, these are some of the questions you need to ask yourself, so that you understand your place in the market and set defined goals to succeed in tendering.

Start by asking yourself three simple questions; What services do you ideally want to deliver? Where do you want to deliver these services? and Who is your ideal buyer?

Once you have the answer to these questions, you then need to source the relevant opportunities. You can do this by signing up to our sector-specific portals, where you can receive daily tender opportunities that remain specific to your service/offering. Our service will signpost you directly to the client/buyer via published notices across the thousands of websites/portals that remain across the UK alone.

A for Assess

To bid or not to bid. That is the question!

After you have deciphered what you want to start tendering for, and you have sourced an opportunity, you then need to conduct an assessment to make sure it is 100% worthwhile.  Remember the contract title doesn’t tell you everything!

A few questions to try answering, in order to gage the feasibility of the bid are; Have you delivered work like this before? Do the opportunity outcomes align with your long-term strategy? Is it financially viable? What is your USP in the market sector?

Have a look at our ‘To Bid or Not to Bid’ for further information into ways of assessing the opportunity at hand.

P for Plan

One of the deciphering factors, as to whether your bid will be successful, is the planning of the whole tender process itself.

Each tender is different and in turn, the planning must evolve to match the specification. You should define clear-cut milestones for what needs to be actioned, when and who is responsible for the deliverables.

The volume of an Invitation to Tender (ITT) can range from half a page to 100 pages long and contain pertinent information that it is imperative to consider. Our bid writing support experts advise that each document should be read one by one with the following aspects in mind;

  • Reading Instruction – You should over-allocate time for this step as the instructions should contain everything from practicalities such as where to submit the tender to design requirements for word count, font size and style.

 

  • Submission Deadline – Obviously this is a crucial aspect as tender deadlines are very strict, a delayed submission of one minute could result in the dismissal of your bid.

 

  • Clarification Deadline – Some aspects may be unclear or missing from the specification, this is your chance to ask questions so also keep a note of this deadline.

C for Compose

Business owners/managers may not have the time, skills or resource to pull together a high-quality bid that is concise, detailed and exceeds buyer expectations. Writing is not everyone’s cup of tea – especially when you operate a fully functioning business.

Hence the reason why bid writing support exists and our Tender Consultants offering is highly sought.

However, should you wish to carry out the writing process yourself, there is one fail-safe process to ensure high-quality results. The PEE method;

  • POINT – This is where you state what you are going to do, or what you are already doing. This should be clear and concise.

 

  • EXPLAIN – As it says on the tin, explain how you are going to deliver the desired outcome.

 

  • EVIDENCE – It is no good talking about achieving something if you can’t back-up the fact that you have already accomplished something to demonstrate that you are a worthy winner.

A for Analyse

This step is something that remains an absolute necessity throughout the tendering process. We advise that you create multiple drafts and have them reviewed by multiple colleagues or be even more thorough and ask a new employee to read over the document to ensure that the inner workings of your company can be understood by somebody with little prior knowledge of your structure and function.

You should never assume that the reader shares the same depth of knowledge about your company as you.

S for Submit

 As simple as this step might sound, to a tender newcomer, it can be very daunting. You should take thorough precautions to ensure that your bid is submitted within the deadline.

If the bid is due in at 13:00 and you submit it at 13:01 – you’re out!

Once you have successfully submitted the bid you should always receive some form of acknowledgement that the bid has been received, this is most commonly done via email or an online portal.   

For further guidance and expert bid writing support, please see our Tender Consultants platform.

BID WRITING – TOP 6 NECESSITIES By Daniel Hall

Posted on by John Hudson

Top 6 Necessities to Bid Writing! By Daniel Hall

As Nathanial Hawthorne once said – “easy reading is damn hard writing.”

That is exactly what every bid writer needs to do! Make the reading of the proposed content as easy as possible for the buyer/evaluator to comprehend.

Although I’m considered the Procurement / Content Manager across the Hudson Procurement Group, this is a position I gladly accepted based on my skills as a bid writer!

Like any job in the world, there are highlights and there are headaches. Bid Writing ain’t no piece of cake and you need to make sure you always focus on delivering the highlights to avoid getting a headache!

Here are my Top 6 Necessities when you are writing a bid:

1. Start planning

If you go in with the intention of winging it – you’ll undoubtedly lose. Make sure you create a Gantt chart (or similar) and assign clearly-defined roles for pertinent actions and time-bound deadlines for the likes of first drafts, content completion and reviews.

 2. Adapt your content

You can reuse some previous content but please remember that every question is different and you’ll need to adapt this to align with the specification. You will, in a lot of cases, have to rewrite your content based on the ongoing changing needs of buyers.

3. Make it appealing

In ITTs, it is of course, typically all about your written word and the way you respond to buyer requirements in a confident and engaging manner. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t jazz your content up. On ‘free-flowing’ proposals (those that aren’t constrained by word counts and the inability to change your response layout). Use the likes of InDesign to make your proposal stand out! There’s nothing better than a first class response that is both descriptive, assertive and makes use of images, infographics, charts and other visually engaging content – depending on the opportunity and sector of course!

4. Know your buyer

Research goes a heck of a long way, especially when you can provide additional value that accommodates your buyer’s goals and aspirations. Hit the [e]books and start researching the buyer to help you gain further insight into what further points you can respond to.

5. Remain assertive and direct

Never write terms like – ‘we shall try …’ instead use assertive vocabulary such as ‘we will …’ – act like the contract is yours already.  Describe what you are going to do not what you’re willing, attempting or trying to do. Write this using bullet points. It allows the response to remain concise, free from superfluous information and more direct- overall supporting your assertiveness.

6. Review. Review. Review

Get your peers to check this. If you’re working on a piece of work for 3 days straight, you’ll have undoubtedly missed simple grammatical mistakes that others will pick up on. Leave it a day or two and go back to review the lot. The more time you have away from any finalised work, the more attention and recognition you give when you come back to it.

These are just a few helpful yet brief hints when bid writing.

Make sure you check out our Tender Consultants for further support OR our Impending Tender VLE service, offering FREE video tutorials on all aspects of bid writing and tendering.

The Rules and Regulations when Tendering!

Posted on by John Hudson

The Rules and Regulations when Tendering

Procurement: – The aspect of a business that many organisations wish was easier.

Buyers in the public sector, such as housing associations, councils, and other relevant government departments are dealing with public money. Our taxes! So, therefore, all that is procured must be done so in the fairest and most transparent ways possible.

If any conflicts of interest and/or other bias proceedings occur when tendering, there can be serious consequences to this. Especially with buyers paying massive fines and/or representatives facing prison time. The way in which procurement departments procure all works in the fairest way possible is called ‘sourcing the most economically advantageous tender’ (MEAT). This is usually established via an open process:

Open Process

 Open to all organisations to submit a tender. On large projects, this may involve a pre-qualification process (PQQ) that results in a list of suitable suppliers who will be invited to tender (ITT). This open approach usually results in a large number of responses of varying suitability (i.e. both large companies AND SMEs).

It has been noted that more needs to be done to ensure ALL organisations are familiar with the ‘open process’ of tendering and the rules and regulations behind it. Hudson Procurement Group are here to do just that! Our aim is to improve the nation’s understanding of the broad term that is Procurement and eliminate the worries and qualms of managing tender processes by providing lucrative guidance and advice to ALL.

Our focus here is purely based on how the rules of public sector tendering via an open process can affect you and what can be done to ensure you’re at the top of your game:

Each UK public sector buyer is obliged by EU law to:

  • publish the contract opportunity in the public domain – our industry-specific portals (incl. Creative Tenders, and Technology Tenders to name a few) are the first of its kind to have manual daily bulletins processed/disseminated by an efficient team of people, rather than [mostly] flawed algorithms via automated systems used by ALL our competitors;
  • inform all suppliers of how tenders are to be evaluated – 95% of the time this is split between a quality and a commercial ratio (sometimes including a presentation stage too) – outline your tender strategy/focuses here – is 80% of the mark purely based on cost – are your rates competitive?
  • ask for whatever they feel is relevant to the opportunity – this could be method statements, evidence of past work, policies and written procedures – are you up to date with all background content – you don’t want to spend another 2 whole days creating a new policy from scratch- this minimises time from your actual tender response;
  • not discriminate against businesses registered in another EU country– so currently you may be up against your French competitors or other EU companies that are trying to make their mark in the UK – know your market – how do YOU stand out?
  • clearly, state all deadlines – this includes deadline to ask clarification questions & deadline for submission etc. Organise your time wisely based on this!
  • provide at least a 10-day standstill period – this is the period between contract award notification and actual contract award, allowing other suppliers the opportunity to contest/dispute the decision[s] made;

What will change in the coming years?

As we all know, some sort of changes may likely occur over time due to the whole Brexit saga and we will be the first to update you on how this affects you! For now, there has been no immediate impact on the legislative position in the UK and all the provisions listed above continue to apply!

These are just a few regulations in a very large pond filled with procurement jargon. Our upcoming Tender VLE service will ensure this jargon is broken down and shared via understanding methods and practice. The days of wishing procurement were easier are now over! Watch this space!