We have extensive experience in responding to tenders and writing them for clients as well as evaluating the responses they receive. As a result we have a full understanding of what clients are looking for, their evaluation criteria and methods and therefore the best way to present your company to them. We can also help you with the terms and conditions that inevitably form part of any tender process. Since all organisations’ standard terms are drawn up for their sole benefit, this inevitably means you will be trading on disadvantageous terms if you accept them unchanged. In this situation most if not all liabilities are shifted onto you thus threatening your profitability with unpredictable costs.

Organisations are increasingly using some form of tender process to identify and enter in to a contract with their suppliers. This has long been the case in the public sector where procurement is subject to the European Communities Procurement Regulations.

Completion of pre-tender questionnaires and subsequent tenders is time consuming and therefore expensive. Requests for Information and Invitations to Tender by their very nature are geared towards larger suppliers who often have whole departments whose sole purpose is to respond to tenders. This can leave small and medium size enterprises at a disadvantage. It does not have to be that way.

From our experience we know the clauses on which organisations will negotiate and those that are “set in stone”. An incorrect response to the contractual terms can get a supplier disqualified without their offering even being read.

We can either provide advice to help you respond to the invitation yourself or work closely with you to draft the full response. We can:

• Provide an evaluation of the invitation to help you decide whether or not to respond
• Help you calculate what the opportunity is worth to you
• Provide an understanding of what the organisation is looking for in answer to each question
• Advise or draft your responses for you
• Review the contractual terms and conditions you are being asked to agree
• Identify the onerous clauses that threaten your profitability
• Draft suitable alternative clauses
• Negotiate to achieve a contract that is acceptable to both you and your client