Bids, Tenders and Proposals: Winning Business through Best Practice (Bids, Tenders & Proposals: Winning Business Through Best)

See whether items you would expect to be told about are included, and identify points that may need to be clarified directly with the client or through further research about the contract environment. Hard copies of bid specifications are sometimes sent out with lines, paragraphs or even pages missing or repeated: look through the document straight away to spot any errors of that sort.

Turn the client's instructions or guidance into checklists to help guide the preparation and production of the bid. These checklists can form the basis of the bid development worksheet and bid response matrix recommended in Chapter 8.

As you read through the documentation, look for information on the following topics:

• requirements for bid submission;

• the background and objectives of the contract;

• the scope of services covered by the contract;

• issues and priorities identified as important by the client;

• factors likely to favour or detract from the competitiveness of your bid;

• emphasis on particular competencies, qualifications, experience, team composition or logistic capabilities;

• the acceptability of consortia and subcontracting;

• evidence of either a predisposition toward a certain approach and method or receptivity to alternatives and variant solutions;

• the client's attitude to risk management;

• the time frame for the work and the delivery of results;

• the outputs and deliverables of the contract;

• any indication of the available budget for the work and financial constraints;

• the client's perception of its responsibilities and inputs;

• the information and material to be included in the bid;

• the required treatment of price information;

• the criteria for evaluating bids;

• any further stages in the procurement process;

• clarification procedures;

• contractual matters and conditions;

• any unusual aspects of the work or requirements about bid style and presentation.