As bidders, we’ve all been there. The tender comes out and we flick to the response requirements.
There are 20 questions.
Most of the questions ask you to:
‘Describe in detail’ (or other similar openings) X, Y or Z process, followed by a list of 10 bullet points, which ‘should include but are not limited to…..’
You read to the end of the question and the criteria states:
‘Answers should not exceed 750 words’.
The question is almost as long as the space available to answer.
Your first instinct is to raise a clarification to request more space to answer the question, pointing out that this extra space will enable bidders to demonstrate the value they can provide to the client’s organisation.
The buyer rejects your request, stating, “bidders have sufficient space to provide a response” and adding “answers should focus on the key aspects of the question, and bidders should refrain from including any irrelevant or generic information.”
So you spend the next month trying to find creative ways to cover all components of the question rather than focusing on actually answering it and demonstrating why your company offers the best solution for the buyer’s requirements. It becomes a test on style over substance, and we resort to tactics such as using graphics and tables (where permitted!!), sketches and drawings, combining parts of the question into one section, using active headings to help partially answer the question and removing filler words.
You submit your response and the buyer then spends the next month clarifying bidders’ responses due to ‘lack of detail’.
You receive the outcome letter, see your quality score and realise you’ve lost marks – with the buyer’s feedback being, “The answer failed to address all points of the question.”
In my (near) 15 year procurement career, I have received many textbook-size bids full of generic marketing literature, so I empathise with a procurement team’s desire to receive concise, focused bid responses. But the procurement process should be two-way, designed to set both parties up for success.
For this to happen, there needs to be more space – literally – for bidders to provide better, more solution-focused answers that address the buyer’s needs. Because when great suppliers can’t fit greatness onto the page, everyone loses – including the buyer, who might miss out on the best supplier for the job.
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