Jean Roberts

Treat quoting and tendering as core business functions, with their own set of critical success factors.

A critical success factor is a factor which, if not functioning or operating satisfactorily, may place your quoting and tendering efforts at risk:

1.     Clarity

• use language, format and style that are appropriate to the assessors: don’t confuse them, or allow them to misunderstand or misinterpret your statements and claims

2.     Compliance

• ensure your ability to comply with all mandatory requirements as well as specifications: if there is any doubt that you are able to comply, consider not quoting or tendering and address your doubts in preparation for the next round

3.     Conformance

• ensure that your response document fulfils all stated requirements: if you submit a non-conforming quote or tender, your document can be declared unacceptable and discarded

4.     Consistency

• use consistent language, terms, style, formatting, references, etc: make your response document as easy as possible to follow, understand and appreciate – and be placed on the short list

5.     Coordination

• ensure that one person within your company or organisation manages and coordinates the preparation of each quote or tender to ensure clarity, compliance, conformance and consistency

6.     Corporate image

• ensure that your company or organisation is presented as credible, capable and reliable in each and every quote and tender – and then be sure that you are!

7.     Competencies

At some stage during the core business function of quoting and tendering, the following competencies will be essential.  Treat them as core business competencies:

Administration   

• administering the processes, procedures and systems involved in the development of a response document

Decision-making

• following a consistent decision-making style, particularly in relation to criteria for the assessment of options and implications during the development stage: the issues of risk avoidance, risk management and quality control are dependent on consultative yet incisive decision-making

Evaluation and Review

• fully understanding and appreciating the importance of  evaluation and review, scheduling appropriate procedures in the transaction/contract stage, and including allowances in the quote/tender budget

Financial Management

• appreciating and protecting all budget items in the interests of your company or organisation and in fairness to the assessor

Negotiation

• presenting and protecting the interests, integrity and credibility of your company or organisation and yourself

Networking                         

• keeping in touch with what’s going on in your industry or sector, including locating quoting/tendering opportunities, monitoring initiatives among competitors – and establishing formal linkages, networks and strategic alliances with reliable collaborators

 Organisational analysis and review           

• knowing and understanding your company’s or organisation’s ability, maturity, capability and willingness to fulfil or achieve the specified outputs and outcomes

Personnel management

• getting the best out of people within and external to your company or organisation: very often this requires motivating team members to ‘go the extra mile’ by working harder and faster as the quote/tender deadline approaches

Planning and Policy Development

• positioning each quote/tender opportunity within the strategic and policy framework of your company or organisation 

Selling your Ideas

• explaining your ideas convincingly and gaining commitment to them from people who will be involved with or affected by a successful quote/tender