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2nd Thursday

Worcestershire Business Club

Hillscourt Conference Centre,

Rednal, Bromsgrove

www.hillscourt.co.uk

3rd Thursday

Warwickshire Business Club (South)

Henley Golf & Country Club,

Henley in Arden

www.henleygcc.co.uk

All meetings 12-2.15pm

£25 on the door

(£5 discount with advanced payment)

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How to Write Tenders

by Helen Dowling of Exceptional Thinking

If you’re thinking about applying or thinking about applying for tenders in your business, it can be very difficult if you’re not sure what to look out for. Here’s my quick guide:

Where to find tenders

There are various sites where you can search for and apply for tenders. Some you need to pay for and some are free. The problem with these are you’ll have to go through each one to find the tenders you’re looking for, so I tend to use one called Skillfair – www.skillfair.co.uk which pulls tenders from various places and is the most comprehensive one that I’ve found. It’s free to join for 3 months and then you can make a decision about whether or not it’s for you.

The first stages of tenders

Once you contact a company telling them you’re interested in applying for the tender, they’ll usually come back to you and tell you how to apply for the tender. You’ll need to follow the instructions exactly or there is a danger you’ll be disqualified.

If you find one a tender you want to apply for, you’ll either be asked to complete an Expression of Interest or a PQQ (pre-qualification questionnaire). The company you’re applying to will use both the PQQ and Expression of Interest to screen people and decide who they want to take forward to the next stage.

First the more straight forward one – a pre-qualification questionnaire is a document that you’ll need to fill in. It will usually ask you for contact details, financial information, who you are and what you do. They’ll also probably want to know about your health & safety policy and what recruitment practices you have in place.

At this stage, they’re looking for reassurance that they don’t have to worry about you as a company. In other words, if they give the job for you they want to know that you’re an ethical company who does things properly and that you’re still going to be around at the end of the contract.

An expression of interest is very similar to a PQQ, but this time there is no form to fill in. Usually you will need to write a one page summary explaining why you’re the best company for the job.

If you get through

If you get through the first stage, the next stage is an ITT – an invitation to tender. The company concerned will tell you what you need to do to complete this stage and again it’s essential to follow their instructions exactly or there is a danger you will be disqualified.

Exceptional Thinking provides advice and help to small business owners on their marketing and to people setting up in business.

www.exceptionalthinking.co.uk

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