Top Ten Tips – April 2026 update!

29th April 2026

As it’s spring, we thought we’d give a little spring clean to our Top 10 tips blog and bring it right up to date with current best practice, in line with the new regulations and the advances that AI has brought to the world of bidding.

Read our top 10 tips to understand how to write a winning tender…

Many of these recommendations may seem simple or obvious on the face of it, but carefully following them can really make a difference to the quality of your tender responses. We recommend that you keep in mind that when the buyer is evaluating and scoring your submission, you should be aiming for top marks, not average marks. So, look at their scoring criteria and understand what the buyer needs to read in order to award the top scores. These all important scores and the way in which they are weighted make the difference between an average response and a winning tender.

1. When the PSQ (Procurement Specific Questionnaire) or ITT documentation is released, read the specification with a highlighter

• Highlight key areas, that resonate with you and your organisation’s experience, this will help you identify points of importance that will inform the drafting of your responses.
• Are there topics that crop up a lot? Make a note of these, its important you cover them in your responses.
• Also, make sure you read the tender pack when it is released – DO NOT put it in your “in tray” for a week or two…. if you do this, you compromise the opportunity to undertake phased reviews, which are essential to really lift draft responses.

2. If you have questions on the content of the tender document, raise them with the buyer.

• It is better that you understand what they are saying and asking, rather than misinterpret their meaning.
• If you have read the documentation thoroughly and your query remains, it is valid to raise a clarification.
• Quite often bidders prefer not to raise clarifications, which results in their misunderstanding tender requirements and questions, which can result in not answering them correctly.
• Be mindful of the tone of the clarification, if information is missing or unclear in their document, raising an aggressive clarification does not create a good impression – ensure questions are asking politely and professionally (do not expect phone call or personal email communication unless you have been advised otherwise, generally all questions need to be put through the tendering portal).

3. Put a timetable together for completing your tender response

• This enables you to work back from the deadline and allow sufficient time for review stages and proof reading before submitting.
• It will also help you to organise any other supporting information or details you need to write your tender.

4. Consider colleagues and team members who may be able to contribute to the responses with you

• Do you have customer facing members of staff who can provide useful examples and evidence?
• Are there employees with specific qualifications in H&S, Sustainability, First Aid, Data Protection etc. that may be able to help with any questions on these topics?

5. Think about how you will make your response reader friendly?

• Carefully consider how you are going to present the document…
• Are there page or word limits? Or restrictions on the fonts to be used?
• Can you use images or screenshots? See our blog on including graphics in tender responses here

6. Provide good, relevant evidence and proof from your experience in delivering your product or service in each of your responses

• Telling them that this is what you do is not enough. Provide facts, figures, and relevant details about your experiences with other customers
• A cut and paste from your brochure or website is not enough to gain good marks
• See the examples from our website Review & Analysis page

7. Always ensure that you are answering the question that they have asked

• As well as directly answering the questions raised, also use the information that the buyer provides in their introduction and specification to inform your responses.
• Take into account their use of language, try to mirror it. For example if they refers to their tenants as residents, or service users as clients, do the same in your responses.
• Also, pay regards to their aims and objectives in this tender process. Read our handy blog on How to score higher in your tender submissions here

8. Ask yourself and your team, how (through this bid) you are going to make it easy for the buyer to award the contract to your business?

• Consider theming your responses, using key areas of importance to the buying organisation.
• Make it easy for them to locate and understand the information they need.
• Think about how the document presents visually, is it easy to read and decipher? Can the use of fonts, colour, visuals, headings etc. help the buyer find key information in your responses?

9. Get a fresh pair of eyes to proof read your responses

• Checking for good use of language and punctuation, readability, layout
• How do the response documents present?
• Do the responses flow well?
• Do they keep the reader interested?
• This is a service that we provide! See our Tender Review page

10. Prepare the submission of your response

• Ensure all attachments and supporting information is included.
• For online submissions, have backup copies saved to a separate device.
• Remember, if your IT lets you down, the deadline won’t be extended.
• ALWAYS plan to submit a day or two IN ADVANCE of the deadline.

Follow these top 10 tips and we are sure you can write a great tender. Also follow these tips if you are turning to AI to help you create a first draft.

OR get in touch! We would love to help you write a winning tender!