The Keys to Finding & Winning Publishing Tenders

Posted on 15th June 202215th June 2022 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

Make sure your answers are clear, concise, and relevant
Don’t use technical jargon as this can confuse the buyer
Ensure you proofread your proposal before submission, so it is of the highest standard
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

Make sure your answers are clear, concise, and relevant
Don’t use technical jargon
Ensure you proofread your proposal before submission
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.

Check out some of our other blogs:

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

Posted on 13th May 20227th June 2022 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:

Stick to the word count – If you can’t follow instructions, you leave a bad impression.
Don’t use technical jargon – You don’t want to confuse the buyer when they read your proposal.
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.
Proofread and edit your bid before submission – Mistakes in your bid will make you look unprofessional.
Use bid management tactics to stay organised – This will drastically decrease stress and make the process easier.
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.

Stick to the word count
Don’t use technical jargon
Make sure your bid responses are clear and concise
Proofread and edit your bid before submission
Use bid managementtactics to stay organised
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?

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 Mentor

Tender Writing

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.

Check out some of our other blogs:

ESPD – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW – European single procurement document

Posted on 14th May 201825th January 2022 by John Hudson

ESPD – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW – European single procurement document

ESPD & Procurement policy – not the most known or thrilling of topics. We know that reviewing changes does not exactly make for riveting reading, so we have condensed this information into what you actually need to know.

Due to the European Public Procurement Reform which kicked off in April 2016, one of the key elements featured was the introduction of the ESPD (European Single Procurement Document).

What is an ESPD?

An ESPD is an online electronic form that any supplier can complete, download and submit as part of their bid for a growing number of public procurement agencies, both nationally and internationally.

Access to the form can be found HERE.

As part of the reform, this process simplifies cross-border procurement, cuts down on paperwork, and helps provide access to new opportunities for businesses of all sizes.

The procurement policy remains the same as a pre-qualification questionnaire stage (or PQQ for short), where buyers can assess your response to specific criteria to determine the capability of your delivery in order to be invited to tender (ITT).

CLICK HERE for further information about the PQQ process.

What does an ESPD include?

This contains all of the similar exclusion criteria and selection criteria that enables your company to subsequently be invited to tender (ITT), which remains from the prior PQQ document. It’s the YES/NO questions that ensure you are an upstanding member of the national business community and are not faulting in certain areas, such as criminal convictions, tax evasion, fraud etc.

The biggest new element is the idea of self-certification. During our team’s procurement careers, what happened in the past was that on a typical PQQ, you had to attach endless amounts of financial accounts and policies. Now, as per the reform and introduction of an ESPD, you must self-certify that you maintain all this documentation and provide the evidence later at any time. So, make sure you have your policies and financial documents in place, ready to attach when prompted by the buyer.

How does it affect you?

This has been put in place to ensure that you don’t need to keep completing the same old questionnaire time and time again. Many buyers now will ask you if you have completed this generic document and you can attach this in order to save time (see example below).

One thing to remember is the Technical & Professional Capability section as part of the PQQ (or Selection Questionnaire-SQ). You must adapt this for every contract, because no two contracts are the same and you’ll need to show off your technical capability and experience in different ways, for different previous contract examples. Make sure this is adjusted based on the new contract requirements at hand.

Other than this, this affects you minimally. If you have tendered before you’ll be used to the questions asked here – it’s purpose is merely to make it simpler and save you time.

We are here to help you SUCCEED

Get in touch with our Tender Consultants for more information

MAXIMISE YOUR MEMBERSHIP WITH AN ACCOUNT MANAGER – Tender portal tips

Posted on 7th May 20184th May 2022 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!

Get in touch today

TENDERS & BUYER PRESENTATIONS – TOP 3 BENEFITS OF ATTENDING A SITE VISIT

Posted on 30th April 201825th January 2022 by John Hudson

TENDERS & BUYER PRESENTATIONS – TOP 3 BENEFITS OF ATTENDING A SITE VISIT

It’s an obvious analogy: The bigger tenders are – the more effort that is required from both the supplier and buyer!

We’ve been to hundreds of site visits and buyer presentations to know that this is a crucial part of tenders and how they are developed.

Buyer presentations are delivered usually halfway through the Tender exercise and they provide all tenderers/suppliers the opportunity to get to know the buyer’s environment and culture, as well as a more detailed outlook on the requirements at hand.

This is usually for large-scale public-sector contracts.

The buyer invites all suppliers to a site visit, which may include a group tour or a group presentation. This is to provide suppliers with a better opportunity to comprehend what’s expected of them during delivery and with developing their tender response.

We’ve provided our top 3 benefits in attending a buyer presentation/site visit.

To comprehend – sometimes it takes more than a specification document to truly understand what’s expected – especially in a large, multi-million-pound contract that spans multiple regions. As you can expect, with undergoing these types of visits, online clarification questions are often decreased as all aspects will be clarified on the day. Yes – the buyer should make this public to all tenderers, but we’ve found that you’ll tend to grasp more out of the day rather than on a paper-reflected document. Whole conversations aren’t recorded and provided, so there will always be something (possibly crucial) that may be missed on paper, but clear on the day.

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To introduce yourself – by getting your face in front of the buyer[s] – this not only introduces yourself to them but if you display strong professionalism, knowledge and decorum – this will also stick in their minds. If you send your administrator on the day who’s clueless about your operations – and this is clearly projected – the buyer will consider your organisation less committed to the project and you don’t want to be remembered for that. Choose your most knowledgeable staff to attend who you know will act professionally and come back with a steered view of how better to develop your tender response and leave a lasting impression on the buyer.

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To stay ahead of your competitors – now we aren’t one for shaming our competitors – no matter how subtle. However, if you attend grouped discussions you’ll see exactly who your competition is. This provides in many ways a more competitive Tender process as you should be trying to enhance your response based on advantages over your counterparts. For example: If Company X is present and they deliver a certain way – you can always state how your delivery model provides much more added value to the buyer. Don’t go naming and shaming in your response – keep it classy and always have the buyer’s needs in mind!

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These are just some of the things that make attendance at a site visit crucial when developing your tender response.

If you require any support at all with the development of your tenders – please get in touch with our Tender Consultants who’ll be happy to assist you in your efforts.

CLICK HERE for a FREE Consultation.

We’re here to help you succeed!

ECONOMIC FINANCIAL STANDING – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Posted on 23rd April 201825th January 2022 by John Hudson

ECONOMIC FINANCIAL STANDING – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Economic financial standing is primarily established through annual turnover, financial ratios and their level of insurances.

This is typically assessed on a PQQ but can easily translate to more formal tender procedures.

CLICK HERE for an overview of the basics to a PQQ.

This is one of the two ways to assess the suitability of the supplier and to pursue a specific activity/contract – the other being the technical and professional capability.

Your economic financial standing reflects multiple financial aspects of your business. Three being:

Annual turnover – you need to usually attach your most recent audited/unaudited accounts
Financial ratios – this is usually found in your full financial accounts and can include the ratio of your assets to liabilities (acid-tests / quick ratios)
Your insurance[s] – you usually need to attach your Insurance documents and commit to potentially increasing your amounts before contract commencement.

One of the key things a lot of our clients assume when they start tendering is their ambitions will become reality almost immediately, especially in terms of finance. You cannot have your turnover increase within the first year to that 7-figure amount we all desire. This is as rare as blood diamonds on a blue moon.

As per a new requirement introduced in the 2014 Public Procurement Directive, “the minimum yearly turnover that economic operators are required to have may not exceed twice the estimated contract value unless there are specific circumstances which justify a higher level.” This means if you’re turning over £100,000 per year, the most you can typically bid for, based on your economic financial standing, will be £50,000, unless there are specific circumstances which may justify this – going over this amount, we’ve found, is extremely rare and will only increase slightly – not massively. We encourage you to aim for opportunities that are half your turnover or lower.

In a nutshell, make sure your finance is in order, so the above attachments maximise your chances to passing to the subsequent stage, not hinder your overall efforts!

Need further advice in filling out PQQs? Get in touch with our Tender Consultants.

We’re here to help you succeed!

PQQ BASICS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Posted on 19th April 201825th January 2022 by John Hudson

PQQ BASICS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

PQQ is something you’ll hear most often in the tendering and procurement world.

The term can take many forms including SQ (Selection Questionnaire), Stage 1 Tender and the recently established ESPD (European Single Procurement Document).

PQQ stands for Pre-qualification questionnaire and it does exactly what it says on the tin!

This is typically the first stage of a tender process and helps the buyer filter through organisations that are more suited to deliver upon their requirements and needs. This allows a select few to be invited to tender (ITT) and making it easier to narrow down competent suppliers. It also ensures any previous convictions or misconduct is declared as per procurement regulations.

A lot of people assume that this is the easy part of the tender process. If you have all of your business affairs in order, then you’d be right! Think of it as an application form. It doesn’t necessarily win you the contract, but it’ll get you to the next stage!

The image below represents what’s featured in a typical PQQ – where you, as the supplier, would complete all relevant fields, including basic company information and registrations etc.

The PQQ is predominantly a ‘tick-box’ exercise, where you and your organisation state compliance with key legislative requirements in order to do business.

This includes:

Legal Compliance
Financial Standing
Insurance Cover
Modern Slavery
Equality & Diversity
Health & Safety Regulations
and Environmental Standards etc.

One of the most important aspects of a PQQ is your response regarding technical and professional capabilities. This is where you must list [usually 3] references/contract examples to show the buyer of your capabilities to undergo the required works based on your past experience (see extract below).

Most questions throughout a PQQ are quite clearly ‘pass and fail’. If you don’t commit to providing the correct insurance cover (for example) – you fail and that’s that!

However, the technical and professional capability is one of the few questions that is scored based on the quality of what is provided.

See our ‘Importance of Relevant Case Studies’ blog to make sure you are ahead of yourself when it comes to contract examples and case studies.

How to tackle PQQ information…

You’ll find PQQ information is quite repetitive. As long as you aren’t breaking the law in any way or have been found guilty of any misconduct, you’ll find you are answering the same information over and over. The more PQQs you complete, the easier they are to submit.

In 2017, the Crown Commercial Service wanted all procurement bodies/suppliers to stop using the typical PQQ and now use an SQ (Selection Questionnaire). This is nothing to worry be concerned about. The bulk of the PQQ questions still remain, with just a few tiny amendments, such as the inclusion of Modern Slavery compliance.

Also, the European Public Procurement Reform kicked off in April 2016. One of the key elements to this was the introduction of the ESPD (European Single Procurement Document). This is an online electronic form that any supplier can complete, download and submit. Mainly as part of their bid for a growing number of public procurement agencies, both nationally and internationally.

In a nutshell, a PQQ is a document you complete to show you are both capable of delivery and compliance with specific regulations. Once you’ve passed this point. You’ll then move onto the core part of a tender process – the Invitation To Tender (ITT).

Need further support with your PQQs? Get in touch now with our Tender Consultants!

Start by receiving those all-important opportunities today by receiving a free demo from one of our 10-industry-specific portals. We are dedicated to helping you DISCOVER the right tender opportunities to bid for!

CLICK HERE to arrange a free demo!

WRITING BIDS – TOP 4 TIPS FOR TIME MANAGEMENT

Posted on 16th April 201825th January 2022 by John Hudson

WHEN WRITING BIDS, TIME IS A PRECIOUS THING!

Not only is there an imminent deadline, but if you don’t give it your all and put everything you have into the bid, then it’s not only time you’re wasting – it’s money!

We’ve provided a few best practice principles to make sure you don’t create unnecessary panic at the last minute and can time-manage your bids more effectively.

1. Know your deadlines

There will have been times in the past, especially if you’re handling more than one tender at a time, where a date may have been mixed up and you’ve realised that the bid is due in 24 minutes and not 24 hours as thought. Read the tender timetable carefully – this will enable you to start planning effectively. Tender Timetables are featured in the instructions to tender and look something like this:

Example Date	Example Milestone
02-July-2018	Opportunity published
12-July-2018	Site Visits
23-July-2018	Clarification Deadline
27-July-2018	Submission Deadline
30-July-2018	Presentation Date
31-July-2018 – 03-Aug-2018	Evaluation
03-Aug-2018	Notice to Award / Alcatel commence
13-Aug-2018	Contract Start Date

2. Assess & Digest

Make sure you assess whether or not the opportunity is the best option for you. We have been behind many projects in the past, working tirelessly on content and writing bids on behalf of our clients, when 2 days before submission, they decided it’s not right for them. Don’t waste your time and money – make sure it is right for you by closely digesting ALL of the information at hand. Yes – it may be a 100-page document you have to read through but believe us – it’ll be worth it in the long run.

Check out our ‘To Bid or not to Bid’ for further information.

3. Gantt Chart is life

Once you know the buyer’s timescales, now it’s time to get yours in order. This is where you create a plan for the tender at hand. No matter the size of the opportunity, whether it’s £10,000 or £10million, it’s very important to make sure you’re not winging it and have a structured plan in place to manage your time and approach effectively. A Gantt Chart is typically used in project management cases for longer periods, detailing responsibilities, activities and timescales. We love a good Gantt Chart and feel this is a clear-cut process for managing those all-important milestones when developing and submitting a tender.

4. Know your portal

We’ve liaised with many customers, who have never used a specific online portal before and the submission of their tender documents have been delayed due to their lack of understanding or inability to navigate. We recommend you get to know your portal in the early stages. Have a click around and know your procedures for submission.

One of the key things that our group of companies can offer you is the chance of receiving the opportunity from the get-go, meaning you won’t be days behind other competitors – if anything, you’ll be days in front: –

Our Tender Connect service is the home of our industry-specific platforms that enables you to receive both public and private opportunities all in one place, that is specific not only to your sector but your service within that sector. Get those all-important opportunities from when they are published, allowing more time to focus on your time management when developing your response[s].

Need further help with writing bids? – just get in touch with our Tender Consultants!

We’re always here to help!

Framework Agreement – Top 4 questions to ask yourself!

Posted on 5th April 201825th January 2022 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!

PRIVATE TENDER OPPORTUNITIES – Intertrading at its finest!

Posted on 3rd April 201810th January 2022 by John Hudson

Want to find more Private Tender Opportunities?

The best way to inter-trade is with us – are you ready to do business?

Intertrading – a term that so many businesses want to hear day in and day out. It’s a term that indicates business transactions being a two-way street, featuring both Private Tender Opportunities and B2B-specific leads – “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.”

The main aim of Hudson Procurement Group is to ensure procurement and tendering is managed in the easiest, most transparent ways possible and we feel intertrading is a big part of that!

We have been back to the drawing board in the development of our Hudson Discover offering, due to the unrivalled success of our 10 industry-specific platforms.

Hudson Discover is all about INTERTRADING and ensuring that our customers who are receiving public contract opportunities via their subscription to our dedicated sector-specific website, can easily work alongside another customer via a different platform and receive Private Tender Opportunities.

Phase 2 is currently underway, and this will be on the ground running by December 2018.

We are wanting to tell you about what to expect and how YOU can maximise your opportunity tracking and how you can soon procure in a more effective and efficient way.

For e.g., if you are a Graphic Design agency and in need of a new piece of hardware? Those registered on our Creative Tenders portal can publish an opportunity which is made available to our Technology Tenders portal – filled with hardware-affiliated organisations. Or, if a Cleaning Company (subscribed to our Facilities Tenders portal) is after a new update to their website, voila – post the opportunity on Creative Tenders and you’re onto a winner!

We are here to help you bridge the gap between exchanging new business so it’s easier and more centralised.

We have also published a brand-new opportunity on our Creative Tenders portal TODAY! This is an EXCLUSIVE OPPORTUNITY aimed at Digital Agencies for the provision of a Content Management System and Website! Opportunity ends on 16th April 2018!

All the more reason to be a part of the action, right?

Of course, it isn’t only subscribed customers who can post opportunities across our platforms to our growing customer-base, any buyer across the UK can do this. And the best part is – it’s 100% FREE to publish opportunities. Our team will even help you ensure the specification is clear, coherent and developed to avoid scope-creep etc.

So, what are you waiting for?

Join our platforms to see exclusive private opportunities from buyers across other industry sectors and ensure you intertrade more effectively using a one-stop-shop for all of your business needs.

Get in touch and BOOK A FREE DEMO TODAY!

WE SOURCE CREATIVE CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SECTORS INCLUDING;

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

BID WRITING SUPPORT – THE DAPCAS MODEL

Posted on 29th March 201826th January 2022 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.

TENDER HELP! TOP 5 TIPS FOR MARCH 2018

Posted on 26th March 201826th January 2022 by John Hudson

Tender help? Top 5 Tips – March 2018.

I’ve learnt a lot over the last 15 years of tendering. I’ve made all the mistakes you’re likely to have made and I’ve read hundreds if not thousands of pieces of feedback, both good and bad.

I’ve also sat on both sides of the table. Both as a buyer and a supplier, which allows me a unique perspective on what you should and shouldn’t do when tendering.

During 2018 I will be providing you with thorough tender help in the form of a monthly ‘Top 5 Tips when Tendering’, passing on my knowledge of how to keep on track when bidding for work, in both public and private sectors.

Mastering the art of tender writing is complex. It isn’t something which can be achieved overnight, but once you have a solid foundation, you will be set to achieve significant growth in your business.

With that in mind, my top tips for March 2018 are:

Number 1 – Be realistic

If you turnover £100,000 you’re not going to win a million-pound contract. If you only set up your creative agency two months ago, you’re not going to win London Fashion Week. Start small and build up.

Number 2 – Set realistic goals

Don’t expect to win the first tender you submit. If you win it, then it is a bonus. Put a value on what you would like to generate in the first year and be sensible with the effort you’ll have to put in to reach that target.

Number 3 – Don’t be afraid to ask questions

If something is unclear, then ask the question. This is usually via the dedicated tender system or email address provided, but make sure you follow their process for clarifications.

Number 4 – Can you make a profit?

If you can’t, bin it. You need to be ruthless and move on.

Number 5 – Ask yourself. Do you have the time needed to give it your all?

If you don’t feel like you can, don’t even start the tender. Don’t forget, there are other businesses that will put their best resource on winning this tender. You need to compete and assume you’re up against the best. Go for it and give it everything you have.

I hope these tips are useful. If you’re looking at a tender, ask yourself these questions. If you’re still unsure take a look at some other blogs on our website and stay tuned for our Tender VLE website for more response-specific videos we have created.

Or better yet, get in touch with our Tender Consultants for professional tender help.

We are happy to help!

Good luck.

HAVE YOUR SAY! TENDER VLE – TENDER TRAINING – FOR FREE!

Posted on 20th March 201810th January 2022 by John Hudson

HAVE YOUR SAY – TENDER VLE – How can our specialist tender training benefit YOU?

CLICK HERE TO TAKE PART!

With the impending launch of Tender VLE, our FREE virtual learning environment, fast approaching, we would like to hear from you regarding the beneficiaries of the platform.

Our vision has remained the same since DAY 1:

We want to help businesses effectively discover contract opportunities that are out there. Help them to succeed with their tendering efforts, support like-minded organisations to procure through guided support and innovative inter-trading, and help deliver crucial economic results that helps conglomerates invest in what’s best.

We understand that video content is at its height, and there is a surprisingly low amount of knowledge-based tendering information available online. For these reasons, we will be using highly engaging video material in all learning sessions, accompanied by a written ‘fact sheet’ guides, blogs, podcasts and a community-based platform, in order to cater to the masses.

We’ve invested in the development of this product because we know our customers need it. We act quickly on customer requests and believe the easiest way to share knowledge far and wide is via a holistic environment dedicated to tender learning.

We’ve also decided to provide this content for FREE! – No fees or hidden catches here!

We won’t charge to grow and develop the UK economy and within the next couple of years, we are aiming to develop accredited versions of our training to widen opportunity routes into writing for businesses, allowing a structured landscape for tender education.

This questionnaire features 5 short questions, which takes around 2 minutes to complete.

This is your chance to be heard and tell us how we can craft Tender VLE to maximise your understanding.

If there are any specific aspects of the process that you would like to see – tell us!

This is a purely user-focused platform, so make sure you have your say!

CLICK HERE TO LET US KNOW WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF TENDER TRAINING!

WE SOURCE CREATIVE CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SECTORS INCLUDING;

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