2024 brought a year of growth and new opportunities for BidABLE. Looking back, the key was entering the Kapiti and Horowhenua Electra Business Awards. On reflection, entering the awards and submitting an RFP proposal are very similar.
How are they the same?
It starts with planning your application or response to an RFP (Request for Proposal). Look at the questions, understand what they are asking (you need to read them more than once before you start writing), and agree on who will draft the response and what message you want to get across in your answer.
Next is drafting the answer
Do you already have content, and how relevant is it? Read the question again and your existing content. Does it answer the question in the first paragraph? No, then rewrite or start from scratch. To score highly, you must answer the question in the first paragraph. No waffle. Judges or evaluators have so many applications or submissions that they skim your responses, so make it easy for them.
Do not be intimidated by the questions; it is a good process because it gets you thinking about your business and may give you ideas on how to improve or make changes for the better. It certainly did for me.
I completed all these components for my application and got the call that I was a finalist.
Next came meeting the judges and preparing for that, which is the same as preparing to present to the evaluation board for new business; again, this involves planning, brainstorming, deciding on the messaging and practising.
So whether it is a tender or an award application, these few tips will elevate your chances. There is so much more to tendering, so for more tips, advice or help with your next tender/award application, chat with BidABLE to see how we can help.
