Writing Winning Tenders and Proposals

The ability to write winning tenders and proposals combines strategic thinking with tactical decision making and the ability to write clear, concise and compelling documents. Many tenders or grants are lost because the bidder did not understand how to play The Tender Game – what the assessment panel is looking for, how to position yourself to best advantage, and how to write so that the funder wants to move to the next stage, either awarding you the bid or at least saying “we need to talk to these people”. Whether you are in the public, private or not for profit sector – at some point you may need to submit a proposal for a tender or grant. This practical workshop will use your own documents and examples to improve your skills, clarify your thinking and give you an increased ability to write winning tenders and proposals.

The following topics will be covered:

• establishing your strategy: how to decide whether to go for a tender or proposal
• the difference between tenders, proposals and expressions of interest
• getting yourself into a better position to win tenders
• reading the tender and understanding what the assessment panel is looking for
• using templates – and moving beyond them
• techniques for making your writing clear and compelling
• using visual material to make an impact
• positioning your company and offerings for maximum impact
• negotiating the parameters of the project
• balancing certainty and flexibility
• designing timelines and milestones
• demonstrating better value for money.

On completing this course you will:

• have a better understanding of what it means to play the tender game
• understand what assessment panels are looking for
• be able to position yourselves to win more tenders or grants
• be able to use a variety of techniques to write winning tenders and proposals for grants.