Flex those bid writing muscles

In a competitive process, a bid needs to have the winning edge. Those responsible for responding to bids within FE colleges often need to juggle this responsibility with their day job, which can make the whole process challenging and stressful.

So, how effective are your bid writing skills?

Here are ten top tips for bid writing:

1. Plan – develop and agree a structure, read all the tender documentation, organise the documents and make sure you can track the progress of your submission.
2. Answer the question and use supporting evidence where appropriate.
3. Make your document easy for the evaluator to read…and evaluate
4. Sign-post your writing with sub-headings
5. Use everyday words and expressions
6. Use verbs rather than abstract nouns
7. Use the active voice, the subject performs the action of the verb. For example: ‘The dog ate all the biscuits.’
8. The magic of 3’s – messages or bullets
9. So what? – have you explained everything clearly?
10. Review – proof read, read copy aloud and give to another person to check over one last time before submitting.

Never Second are experts in bid writing and tender responses, working with major blue-chip companies to win competitive bids. They will be running a workshop with AoC on 31 October in London to help you to beat the overwhelm of bid writing and improve your practice.