What is bid writing?

If you work in the public sector, or for a private company that offers specific services, then you may have come across the term ‘bid writing’. This way of pitching for and securing public and private sector contracts is incredibly common and is a multi-million-pound sector.

Did you know that BWS boasts an impressive success rate in crafting, submitting and securing contracts, leading to 70% of our revenue being generated from repeat business? So it’s safe to say we know a thing or two about bid writing, but what exactly does it mean?

In this all-encompassing guide, we’ll explore what bid writing is, an overview of the complex process involved, and some things you absolutely need to know before trying for your first bid.

What is a ‘bid’?

In a nutshell, a bid is an offer or a proposal made by one party and submitted to another, with the aim of securing a contract or a ‘tender’. Bids are a common way for businesses, organisations and individuals to compete for work or funding, and they can take a number of different forms depending on the nature of the bid opportunity.

The most common types of bids include tenders, proposals, and quotes:

• Tenders – Often used in the public sector and involve a formal process of requesting bids to be submitted from potential suppliers or contractors.
• Proposals – A type of bid used in a range of contexts, from grant applications to business proposals, and typically involves outlining a detailed plan for how a project or opportunity will be carried out.
• Quotes – The most straightforward type of bid that involves providing a price for a particular service or product.

Regardless of the type of bid you are submitting for, the goal should always be to persuade the recipient that your bid – and therefore your company – is the best choice for the job.

So, what is ‘bid writing’?

Now we’ve covered what a bid is, we can take a closer look at the process of bid writing and what it involves.

Bid writing is the process of creating a compelling and persuasive proposal – or bid – that outlines why a particular business, organisation, or individual is the best choice for a project or opportunity.

The process of bid writing typically involves:

• Gathering and analysing key information
• Speaking with internal stakeholders
• Correctly structuring the bid
• Writing persuasively and convincingly

What does a bid writer do?

Bid writers are essential to the bidding process, as they are responsible for ensuring that the submitted bid is well-researched, structured, and written in a way that resonates with the recipient. They must work closely with other members of the team, such as subject matter experts, in order to gather the required and necessary information to craft the bid.

Skills and attributes of a good bid writer include, but are definitely not limited to:

• Strong writing and editing skills
• Attention to detail
• Excellent communication skills
• The ability to collaborate effectively with team members
• An understanding of the client’s needs and expectations.

They should also be able to work well under pressure and be able to manage multiple bids simultaneously.

Let’s talk about public sector procurement

What is the procurement process?

Procurement is defined as the process of acquiring work, services or goods from in-house or third party providers. This is usually achieved through a competitive tendering and bidding process, which is to ensure that the buyer receives the best possible price and service.

Procurement legislation

According to Public Spending Statistics, spending on public sector procurement amounted to £393 billion across the UK in 2022/23, which is an increase of 7% (£25 billion) compared to 2021/22.

With this tremendous amount of money at stake, the procurement process needs to be closely monitored for a number of reasons, including to promote transparency, drive competition, reduce fraud, and deliver value for money for both sides. To help with this, there are a number of key legislative pieces in place, including:

• The Procurement Act 2023 – this comes into effect in October 2024.
• The Procurement Reform Act 2014
• Procurement Regulations 2016
• Public Contracts Regulations 2015
• Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016
• Concession Contracts Regulations 2016
• The Single Source Contract (Amendment) Regulations 2019
• The Public Procurement (Electronic Invoices etc.) Regulations 2019
• The Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020
• The Public Procurement (Agreement on Government Procurement) (Thresholds) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
• The Public Procurement (Agreement on Government Procurement) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021
• The Public Contracts (Amendment) Regulations 2022
• The Common Procurement Vocabulary (Amendment) Regulations 2023

What submitting a bid involves

There’s a lot more to the bidding process than simply writing and submitting. In order to successfully pull together a bid that ticks the boxes required and also stands a chance of being selected, there are a lot of criteria you’ll need to consider. Below you’ll find BWS’s very whistle-stop tour of the bid writing and submission process…

Finding the right tenders

Opportunities for tenders are listed on the following Government websites:

• Find a Tender
• Contracts Finder

These will allow you to search for and apply for high-value contract tenders within both the public and private sectors.

To bid or not to bid?

The Bid/No Bid process, also known as Go/No Go – is a process your business should go to in order to decide whether the opportunity is worth your time and effort. Preparing a bid response can be very costly and time-consuming, so it’s important to consider whether the resources and time you’ll put into it are going to provide you with decent returns.

The main factors that you need to consider for Bid/No Bid are:

• Are you in a position to win? Who is the current provider? Who else are you up against?
• Can you do it? Do you have the capability and capacity to produce a quality brief?
• Do you want to do it? How attractive is the project to your business’s long-term goals and strategic direction?

Are you eligible?

To avoid disappointment before you’ve even begun, it’s highly recommended that you check your eligibility before starting your bid submission. There are a few ways you can do this:

• Check the contract notice/PIN and the information there
• Check the ITT document (Information to Tender) within the tender pack. Look for a ‘eligibility’, ‘pass/fail’ or ‘minimum requirements’, which should tell you what you need to know.
• Ask the authority or buyer a Clarification Question through the tender portal

Preparing the bid

Depending on the tender you are submitting, there will be different questions that you have to prepare answers to. These questions will help you come up with a clear strategy for winning, and spot any potential weak spots in your offering. The bid preparation is almost as important as the bid writing itself; you’ll need to consider and gather your key USPs, and the necessary evidence and client testimonials to prove your expertise.

Read the documents

When working towards a big submission, you will have access to a number of documents that will detail the buyer’s requirements. In order to understand the full scope of the contract and the buyer’s expectations, you’ll need to read and thoroughly understand the following:

• The ITT (Invitation to Tender) Document
• The Buyer’s Specification
• The Clarification Question Log
• The Evaluation Criteria

Writing the bid

Before you even put pen to paper – or fingers to keyboard – you will need to have a bid house writing style nailed down, as this will ensure that your proposal looks consistent and professional. This not only means deciding on font, sizes and layouts, but you’ll also need to decide on the style of language. Examples of this include steering clear of complex jargon and long sentences.

And don’t forget, your house style also needs to align with formatting and style requirements stated in the ITT, so even though a house style is important, be prepared to adapt it if necessary.

Quality review

After writing, and before you submit your response, it’s essential that a thorough and in-depth Quality Assurance (QA) review is undertaken. Assign someone – not the writer – to analyse your responses and provide feedback and comments to challenge and improve. Ideally, your reviewer should be someone who is an expert in the subject matter you are tendering for.

How are bids scored?

Final bids will be scored based on two main components:

• Price
• Quality

Price scoring

Points or a percentage will be attributed to the price proposed, and the bids will be scored against predetermined criteria, which allows the tenders to be ranked in order.

Quality scoring

The specific quality criteria depends on the nature of the bid, but some of these may include:

• Technology
• Compliance with terms and conditions
• Meeting specifications
• Staffing arrangements
• Training and development
• Social, economic and environmental benefits to the wider community
• Methodologies and project plans
• Speed of delivery
• Support offered

What to do after you’ve submitted the bid

If you’ve received a decision after your bid and are unhappy with the result, there are a couple of options you have:

• The right to feedback
• The right to challenge

The right to feedback

All tenders that are submitted for public contracts are entitled to receive feedback form the contracting authority. This feedback includes:

• The award criteria, along with anything this entails including quality and price
• The reason for the decision to go with another supplier, including price and quality scores given to the winning bid
• Your own price and quality score
• Details of how you can improve your bid

The right to challenge

If you believe that the procurement decision is unfair or not transparent, then all suppliers tendering for public contracts have the right to challenge it. This right can be enforced at any time during the process, such as when you first become aware of an issue, and not just at the award of the contract.

As you may have gathered from this all-encompassing guide, bid writing is a complex and challenging process. That’s why it helps to have the best bid writing team possible on your side!

Looking for help with bid writing? Get in touch with our bid experts today!