How to create strong tender responses with subject matter experts
Bid process best practice
Asking tender clarification questions: a best practice guide [with examples]
Set up for success
How to create and manage a better bid library
Writing for fundraising
Goals, objectives, outcomes and more: navigating the language of grant proposals
Grant-writing strategy
Why grant proposals are rejected (and what to do if yours is)
All articles
How to write winning bids with tight limits on characters, words or pages
A guide to social value and how to respond to social value questions in tenders
How to boost your bid win rate by ghosting your competitors
Want to give your bids the winning edge? Use theme statements
Better bid/no-bid decisions – three signs you should say no
How to write a winning executive summary for your bid [with example]
How to write a case study for a bid
Bid management: a step-by-step guide
Is your bid presentation pushing prospects into the cold?
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Quick questions
For those answers that don’t need a full article
What's the purpose of issuing a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) in procurement?
The pre-qualification questionnaire (or PQQ) comes out before the tender, and potential suppliers complete it. Its main purpose is to help the buyer identify any would-be suppliers who don’t fit the basic requirements of the contract. Those suppliers then wouldn’t go on to submit a tender, so both the supplier and buyer save time and money they’d otherwise waste.
The PQQ has now essentially been replaced by the standard selection questionnaire (SQ). The terms are still sometimes used interchangeably.
What is a bid library?
A bid library is an archived resource of responses and supporting material from previous tenders. You can use the material for reference as you write new tender responses or reuse sections of copy for subject areas common to most tenders.
How long should a grant proposal be?
This falls into the ‘How long is a piece of string?’ category of questions. There is no one answer here, but often you’ll be told how long your grant proposal should be by the potential funder. If there’s no guidance on length, essentially your proposal should be (only) long enough to succinctly make your case and provide the necessary information. Aim to be as succinct as possible, and be careful not to pad with waffle or anything that doesn’t further your case.
Isn't starting with the client's position in a bid or proposal telling them what they already know?
Ah, you’ve heard about the Four Ps structure!
To answer your question: yes, absolutely. And that’s good. At that initial stage, what you’re trying to do is to get them nodding – and to see that you’ve been listening and have understood exactly what it is they want to fix or change.
Once you’ve done that, you’re in the strongest position to tell them why your solution will solve the problem they have or create the result they want.