Indicators of a good proposal - a checklist

Bidding can be complex and challenging. Each client and every project is different. However, there are some basic principles you can use to guide you when writing your responses. I've identified seven key areas for you to use as a checklist when planning, writing and reviewing bid responses:

1. Compliance:

- Answers question and mitigates any non-compliance

- Provides compelling evidence

- Makes it easy for the client to find the answer – through concise writing, an effective structure and clear signposting.

2. Responsiveness:

- Shows an understanding of customer issues and the drivers behind procurement

- Tells the customer what they want to know – not what you want to tell them

- Addresses the business outcomes required by the customer.

3. Strategic focus:

- Provides compelling evidence – why choose us?

- Contains facts and case studies supporting claims (‘facts tell, stories sell’).

4. Competitive focus:

- Shows the advantages over competitors

- Brings out strengths and benefits - and acknowledges and addresses any areas that could be perceived as less favourable by the customer.

5. Quality of writing:

- Has a clear, effective and consistent structure

- Contains summaries and key points at the front of document where they will be easily seen by senior reviewers (who are the final decision makers but who may only have time to skim-read the proposal)

- Recognises that the audience may not be exclusively technical staff.

6. Visualisation:

- Contains effective graphics and images that are used to communicate

- Uses meaningful ‘action captions’, describing what is interesting or beneficial about what is shown.

7. Page and document design:

- Acts as an effective professional ‘shop window’

- Has a personalised, clear and consistent layout.

Red flags that indicate a response is missing the mark:

- Has not answered the question

- Is non-compliant and does not justify why

- Lack of evidence on which the customer can score

- Documents too difficult to read and navigate – customer couldn’t find the answer.

Prioritise. If you have a tight deadline, concentrate on ensuring the areas that are most important to the customer are ‘great’ responses:

Great = we have done the above AND discriminated our offering from others

Good = we have done the above AND we’ve shown an understanding of customer needs

OK = we have answered the question and confirmed we’re compliant (or said why if we’re not).

Make it easy for the client to evaluate your proposal by using consistent language and a clear structure.

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