With even the smallest of logistics contracts now going out to tender, the challenge of writing winning tenders and bids are confronting even the smallest players in the logistics industry. Organisations across the globe are seeing long standing relationships being put to the test under a competitive tender process and the stakes are often high.
Here are three tips on how to win more logistics tenders and bids:
- Preparation is key. You may be a trucking company completing tenders on a monthly basis, or freight forwarder tendering for work week in, week out. Either way, you need to prepare. That means keeping examples of your experience stored in a central location, CVs on hand, insurance certificates of currency and other documents within easy access and possibly develop a tender library. Logistics tenders and bids are inherently complex, and it’s easy to be distracted by pricing. If you get your preparation in good shape your tender will be also.
- Remember the procurement panel will evaluate and compare. What you write they will read, along with the responses from four or five other companies. You need to draft a comprehensive response to all criteria. Driver safety for a fleet of five trucks may involve a GPS tracking system for each truck, and although it’s great to describe, taking screenshots and including captions to clearly demonstrating how your software works is a lot more effective. Case Studies are also critical. It’s all well and good to talk about client service and how you will respond to increases in demand for services, however, you need to provide evidence through case studies of when and where you have completed this in the past. Think of real life scenarios, provide details, demonstrate that you can implement and deliver on what you say.
- Project manage the process. For more complex multinational tenders it is critical to project manage the tender process well. That means have a tender checklist in place, allocate responsible authors and follow up key stakeholders. Logistics tenders are often multinational and there are many pieces to the puzzle. A well-managed tender process, especially at the outset, leads to a better outcome. Document control is critical and its equally important to challenge key stakeholders for more information to ensure a comprehensive response to each individual question.
Jason Cooney
Jason Cooney is a bid and tenders specialist and the founder of The Tender Team and Tsaks consulting.
