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Guidance
There are significantly fewer sources of dependable advice and information for bidders. And as such, we thought it would be beneficial to share some of our insights into competitive tendering, drawing from years of experience in bidding. We've kept them concise – they're insights, not essays – and trust you find them helpful.
Quality vs Price
As a management consultancy, clients often approach us disheartened by recent results.
Despite their bids meeting specifications, holding accreditation to relevant standards, and offering competitive pricing, success seems elusive. The prevailing sentiment is one of bewilderment—wondering if there's a flaw in the bid evaluation process or if the winning bidder secured the contract by undercutting the market.
It's a common misconception that compliance and competitive pricing alone guarantee success. The passage rightly underscores that compliance is a prerequisite, not a winning proposition, and that a lower-priced offer doesn't always translate to victory. The skepticism among clients sometimes stems from a belief that the authority had a predetermined preference or that the process lacked impartiality.
The misconception often relates to a commonly used, but misunderstood term "Value for Money". Whereas the actual definition is "the best Quality for the lowest Price".
As such, there is a need for businesses to adopt a more nuanced and strategic approach, recognising that success in competitive tendering demands more than mere compliance and competitive pricing.
Every contract has a problem
Sometimes, hard to believe until we rationalise against our real-life activities as consumers. For example, when we buy groceries, we may opt for particular ingredients due to a problem allergy.
Considering any given tendering exercise as an attempt to address a specific problem, it's likely that the problem is intricately tied to one or more significant issues unique to the authority.
So to stand-out from the compliant bids we need to build a solution to something that buying authority wants. If every contract has a problem, then a solution which solves the authority's headache is going to stand-out from the competition.