Tender Byte No 11: “Form Filling – Just a Question of Getting Around To It”

Invitations to Tender (or ITTs) can, at first glance, appear to be just another form to fill in.

ITTs, as well as PQQs, RFIs and all those other abbreviated documents, often arrive when you are busy (as if you are ever not busy). You probably browse through them, just so that you have a rough idea of what’s involved, and put them to one side to be dealt with when you have a little time available. All the early questions look quite straightforward; company address, registration number, directors’ information, bankers, insurance and so on – so when you look at it later it should be just a question of assimilating the detail.

Of course it often takes a little longer than expected to get around to it! However the clock is ticking (and nagging away in the back of your mind). Eventually you get around to it, and once you have answered all the straightforward, albeit time-consuming, questions, there is a dawning realisation that the bulk of the responses actually require a huge amount of creative input.

This is the moment of truth! Do you have enough time and resource available to complete the task within the deadline – and to complete it in a way that maximises your chance of success? After all, this is a competitive selling situation.

My tip is this; evaluate the task early and fully. Make sure you understand what’s involved and plan accordingly. Furthermore you should plan to complete the task ahead of schedule. You never know what you might emerge as you go through the exercise.

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