In the article Getting Involved in the Global Development Market (available in full in
Latest News at www.globizdev.com) I commented that while tendering skills are
critical, in isolation of other key activities success is a lottery.
Preparation must remain as a key and ongoing activity if organisations and
individuals are to expect success from their tendering involvement.
While there is no doubt that some of this preparation may require investment if site
visits and the like are to occur, as they need to, not all preparation is costly.
So often, when working with some of the smaller organisations that seek activity in
sub-components of larger projects, the tendering effort is stressful, time-
challenged and often without system.
This can be managed by planning in advance.
As discussed in Getting Involved in the Global Development Market, tender
responses, even for sub-components, invariably require details of your team,
approach and methodology, management, price and past experience. With the
often tight timelines for the tender response, it is critical that time is spent on
ensuring the best possible solution to the project’s requirements at the best
possible price. Hence, time should be mostly devoted to new thinking, not
administrative compilation of past information.
There is no doubt that a successful track record of implementing or involvement in
similar activities will be assessed and contribute to your success or failure for any
tender. But this does not mean taking two weeks to find and compile a list of past
experiences is time well spent