Chapter 5
Preparation and planning the process
Timetable and process
As soon as you are aware of the need to submit a proposal, pre-qualification or tender you need to start preparing.
Draft out a rough timetable based on your internal process and alert those people on whom you will be relying to contribute.
Within the process, allow time to:
- hold a readiness review to identify the areas, as far as is known, that have not yet been addressed or about which you have insufficient information
- check through all the research available to make sure you are ready when the tender or request for a proposal is published.
Contributors and team selection
As part of the preparation, make sure you have identified the contributors to the submission document or proposal as well as the person who will be in charge of its development.
You may also have to identify the delivery team, in which case make sure that those identified:
- are available to deliver the project
- are available to attend a pre- or post-tender presentation
- have up-to-date and bespoke CVs that are tailored to the client and their project.
Once the documentation is received, quickly review what is required in order to submit a compliant response. Check that all background and supporting information is available. If it is not, instigate the production of missing information, such as case studies and additional endorsements.
Keep the prospective client involved
To increase your chances of success and address all the relevant points you will need to keep the potential client involved during the preparation stage. If you are not submitting a tender but are putting forward a proposal document then consider:
- obtaining the client’s approval to remain in contact during the proposal drafting stage to clarify points
- visiting key members of the client’s team to go through various elements of the proposal at draft stage in order to obtain their feedback and build any relevant information into the proposal. It may be wise during this process to allow them the credit for some of the ideas
- issuing a draft proposal and meeting the client for a discussion and exchange of initial thoughts about the proposal
- encouraging comment and contribution from the client throughout the whole preparation stage.
However, if you are submitting a tender then consider the following points:
- Keep in touch with the client during the process by asking relevant questions regarding the project. You will need to be careful not to divulge your proposals or any key winning advantage you may have at this stage. The client will often be obliged to issue to all your competitors tendering copies of your questions and the client’s answers.
- Try to be the first to ask the questions. This will show that you are enthusiastic and taking the process seriously. If you delay asking the key questions then the competitors may ask the same questions before you can and take the credit for doing so.
Process for preparing the document
Project intelligence and readiness review
Leading up to the release of the bid document you should constantly collect project intelligence. This might be from your client contact or other sources, such as the client’s website. Keep in touch with the client, if possible, regarding the tender release date. You will need to know this so that you are fully prepared to start your submission without delay.
Armed with this information you will have the available time set aside for preparing the submission. If, in the meantime, another opportunity comes in, be prepared to abandon one opportunity to significantly enhance your success with another. Too many firms chase every project that they become aware of and then suffer by submitting weak proposals. Take a hard commercial view on the available prospects and always be ready to review the ‘bid or no bid’ position.
Documentation received and initial read through
Your first read through will be to check that:
- the project is still the same in scope as anticipated
- there are no show-stoppers, such as unacceptable contract terms
- any additional input required that wasn’t anticipated can be accommodated in the time available.
Having reassured yourself that you still want to proceed, then do a second read through and start preparing bullet-point or brain-map replies to each question. Also, identify at this stage who might assist in writing the submission. As you are doing this you should also be considering what it will take to win the project. You will hopefully have a scoring matrix provided by the client (if a formal tender) or some client needs identified (if a proposal document). Based on this information you will know how to prioritise your effort.
You will need to prepare a bid timetable and send it to all those contributing with their individual deadlines highlighted. These deadlines should allow you sufficient time to edit and polish the contributions and present them in a consistent house style.
Team meetings
The size of the project and number of contributors, if any, will determine the need for team meetings. On larger projects there may be a need for an initial meeting to get an overview of the project, identify winning themes and reach agreement on commercial aspects.
Larger projects will also call for mid-point reviews and possible sign-off by senior management on certain commercial aspects.
Process, revision and reviews
When you revise and review the proposal document you need to:
- check the basics
- establish whether it answers the question
- ensure that it is compliant.
Check that you have included the extras, such as:
- client endorsements
- case studies and project profiles
- additional relevant information to differentiate yourself or gain additional marks.
Verify that:
- the proposal tackles what your client research has told you is required
- you have addressed the question of ‘what will it take to win?’.
Depending on your resources, put in place a process (see Figure 5.1 for an example) that will help you with creating, revising and reviewing your proposal document.
Figure 5.1: Create a process that works with your available resources
Themes and winning strategy
It is more likely that you will be able to develop themes within a proposal where you are setting the structure and content. Within a tender there will usually be a set structure to follow. However, there will be scope to develop themes within each section. These themes may be based on the information you have gathered in your pre-tender research.
How the ‘bid or no bid’ evaluation assists in the theme and winning strategy
If you have a robust ‘bid or no bid’ evaluation system, you will only be pitching for work that you have a good chance of winning. The selection process will assist you in deciding on the winning strategies to incorporate within your proposals.
If you consistently bid for opportunities from clients who are accepting proposals from all and sundry, then it will be difficult to position your business within the marketplace. If the project is particularly price sensitive then there may be no scope for you to provide a service that differentiates you from the next lowest price.
If your ‘bid or no bid’ strategy picks out the projects that meet your corporate strategies, core capabilities and strengths and allows you to differentiate yourself from the competition, then you will be able to put winning strategies in place.
To compile a winning proposal you need to create a story that the client wants to be part of. That story will position you favourably compared to your competitors. By only bidding for opportunities that reflect your corporate strategies, and where you have a competitive advantage, you can prepare your proposal knowing what story to tell.
Format and production
Consider the format and the production of the tender or proposal documentation. Make sure you comply with any restrictions, such as font size, word or page count and appendices.
Points to consider:
- apply your house style in respect of font; perhaps use your company colour for headings and bullet points
- create a hierarchy for headings and sub-headings and be consistent throughout
- use section dividers
- if the documentation runs to several binders, consider using a bespoke box to contain them
- use the client logo (if permitted) within the footer or header to make the documentation more bespoke
- use a binding that allows the open document to lie flat when being read
- use double-sided printing (showing consideration for your carbon footprint) and recycled materials
- make use of white space – do not overfill the page
- use graphics to make a point
- put additional information into an appendix and cross-reference it within the body of the submission.
If several questions ask for the same information then repeat it. Do not refer to another answer for support. With some larger projects the tenders are divided up and sections are sent off to different markers so you need to make sure that every answer can stand alone.
Creating a storyboard
It is worthwhile having a brainstorming session at the outset of the process of submission preparation. This might also be a good time to create a storyboard, which is simply an outline of the various parts of your proposal where you can list:
- the points that need to be addressed, which have been specifically requested
- any additional features and benefits that will help to differentiate your proposal from your competitors’
- extra applicable information, if time and resources permit.
Your storyboard will also need to incorporate a bid theme(s). This will be a theme or idea that you want the client to notice and which, hopefully, will set you apart from your competitors. Bid themes could include:
- innovation
- one-stop service delivery (if yours is a multi-professional firm)
- design capability (backed by design awards and media coverage)
- sector knowledge (this might be your niche sector).
Format if submitting a proposal
Unlike a tender, the proposal document may not be constrained by a defined format or specific need to answer particular questions. In that instance, the client may not be requesting a particular structure or format for your proposal. The proposal may have come about through discussions with the client and you are now taking the opportunity to address all the issues in one document. Therefore, if the client has not been specific about the structure or content of your proposal you might consider the following proposal format:
Approach to fees at proposal stage
The client will want to have either an indicative fee or a fixed fee at this stage. You will only be able to provide a fixed fee if all the contract conditions concerning the provision of your services have been met. You may require independent advice from lawyers, advisers or your insurance providers. You may place a condition on your fee to state that it is purely indicative, based on documents received (and you may list the documents you have relied on) and on the final agreement on contract conditions. You would be wise to take legal advice, and advice from your insurers, on how to approach fee bidding and contracts for the provision of professional services. You will therefore need to think carefully about how to handle this issue, considering the following:
- It may be wise to link the indicative or fixed fee to a proposal or option within the proposal, making the proposal very specific in respect of the scope and duration of the project.
- If possible, leave the fee out of the proposal document if the proposal is being evaluated by a client team. You don’t want your fees to be broadcast throughout the client’s organisation and you will have no control over the document’s circulation. If the fee is required at the proposal stage, then consider placing it within a separate document that can be handed to the appropriate client team member whose responsibility it is to negotiate the fee with you.
- Ask your client if you can submit a fee once there has been some official feedback on the proposal. It is best to submit a fee proposal once the preferred option has been identified and any changes accommodated or considered. See the proposal document as being stage one, with stage two being a submission on fees.
- If the assignment is straightforward, and once you have had some feedback on the initial proposal, you can expect to discuss fees in detail.
Consider incorporating a section confirming compliance, additional services and variations
Take every opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competitors. A good technique is to incorporate a section at the beginning of your submission which confirms that you have:
- complied with the client’s requirements; particularly relevant if you have various options for services to be provided (for example, you may be able to offer additional skill sets)
- provided additional services
- considered alternative options
- offered additional elements which are either additional to or included within the fee.
A simple example is shown below.
Confirmation of compliant submission and additional points for consideration
| Confirmation of service | We confirm that we will be providing the following professional services:
|
| Additional services available | If required, we are able to provide the following additional services:
|
| Additional service at no extra fee | We have included within our proposal interim value engineering workshops. We will manage the process and coordinate all aspects of the project with other team members, including the client and contractor when appointed. |
| Compliant proposal | Our proposal and fee submission reflect the services required as outlined in the client documents and further instructions arising from various meetings. Minutes of these meetings are contained in the appendix. |
| Options considered | In addition to our compliant proposal, we have considered:
|
If you are able to consider this approach at the outset, you can allocate the time and resources within your preparation process to considering options that might make you stand out from your competitors.
▸ Summary Checklist
- Prepare a timetable to reflect the input required and the available resources
- Identify the team and contributors and programme their contribution within the process
- Keep in touch with the client during the proposal/bid stage
- Hold a readiness review meeting and have interim team meetings if appropriate
- Consider themes and a winning strategy in conjunction with your ‘bid or no bid’ review process
- Consider preparing a storyboard and format for your submission
- If submitting a proposal, consider your approach to the inclusion of fees within the main document
- Consider incorporating a compliance section and highlight options considered