Effective Project Management

Section E Tendering and Proposal Phase

In war there is no second prize for the runner‐up.

Omar Bradley, in the Military Review February 1950

Successful tenders or proposals have to convince a client of three things:

1. That the company has the necessary experience, resources, and systems.
2. That the company can apply them for the benefit of the client and achieve their objectives better than the competition.
3. That the company has the lowest risk combination of technical and project execution proposals and contractual and commercial terms.

Achieving the first requirement will get the company short listed. This requires good quality standard material that every company can produce. It is achieving the second requirement that will get you to the final. In order to achieve this, the proposal document must:

• Be responsive.
• Stick to the agreed theme for the proposal.
• Highlight what will be provided to the client.
• Highlight why the project should be awarded to the company.
• Clarify or explain what has been written to avoid misunderstandings.
• Illustrate the text, where possible, with charts, graphs, and diagrams.
• Write logically and arrange information in a logical sequence.
• Be project specific. Explain how issues meet the client's objectives.
• Be relevant. If it does not apply to the project, leave it out.
• Be word thrifty. Express the point in as few words as possible.
• Demonstrate understanding of the project, the scope, and any special features or problems.
• Make the proposal document ...