WINNING THE BID
There's more than just bidding
Part 6 of the How to Win More Public Sector Business series
So you’ve found a contract. You’ve done your research, prepared your business and submitted your bid.
Job done!
Well, not quite.
What happens after you submit your bid is another crucial step in the procurement journey, and businesses which handle this step well can set themselves apart from their competitors and put themselves in a good position for future tender success.
You weren’t successful this time
Unfortunately, this happens. But it’s important to remember that you weren’t successful this time.
Understanding why you weren’t successful and learning from this experience for your next tender is what turns a good bidder into a winning bidder.
If you feel you’ve been unfairly treated during the process, you can challenge the award decision. If you want more information about why your tender wasn’t successful, seek further clarification and information on the specification and learn from those who did win.
The Cabinet Office will provide you with best practice examples and information on why certain firms were selected over others. Use this information to your advantage.
You won the contract
CONGRATULATIONS!
But remember, no one scores full marks and there are always lessons to learn for next time. In the EU, you are entitled to feedback from the awarding authority on your performance, called a Decision Notice.
It will outline where you scored highly, where you were weak, what little mistakes may have cost you a point here or there.
Improving on these little things for next time could end up being the deciding factor in your success in a future business opportunity.
So what’s next?
We’ve now taken you through the full procurement process, showing you what it is, why it’s important and what to do to win.
But there’s one last piece of advice we’ve got to share…
We’re about to show you how everything you’ve learned in the past few weeks fits together and, most importantly, how to make the entire procurement process work for you.
We’ll explain how to streamline the journey from finding opportunities to winning contracts and explain how to give yourself the best possible start in winning new business.
So stay tuned!
