FAQ – Tender and Bid Writing Services
I need help to write a tender to the Government. Are you able to assist?
Yes. We have extensive experience helping businesses in New Zealand write tenders to government as well as the private sector. Our team are experienced in a range of industries, and apply our tender writing knowledge to whatever contract you are bidding for. We are able to provide assistance with your bid from start to finish, review your bid and provide feedback, or answer specific questions. We will guide you through the regulatory environment and assist with supporting documentation (Government tenders typically request large amounts of supporting documentation) as required.
I need a tender writing service to help me write a proposal. Will you help me write a tender from start to finish?
Most definitely. That’s what we do. Our consultancy can help you write your proposal from start to finish. We will also assist you in designing graphics if you require so the proposal is well presented. We will of course require some technical information off you on the way, and once you send it to us, we’ll review, amend and finalise it to ensure you submit a compelling response.
I want to hire a bid writer in Auckland to review our existing bids. Can you assist and do you provide training also?
Yes we can assist. We provide a tender review service where we go through your existing or previous tender and provide feedback. We will go through it line by line as well as take a high level look at what you are doing. We then provide detailed suggestions and examples as required, on what you can do to improve. The idea is that our knowledge and experience is relayed to you and that is what we will deliver. This also applies to training where we take the time to review your existing documentation, then tailor a training program for your personnel.
How much does it cost to get help with a tender, bid or proposal to win a government contract?
It depends on the level of detail in the tender. We’re happy to review any tender and proovide a fee proposal, so the best course of action is for you to sent your RFP through to us at enquiries@tsaksconsulting.co.nz and we’ll review it and provide a quote. To give you a rough idea, a small government tender response can cost from $1800. Depending on the complexity of the tender, our fees increase. It also depends on the extent of your existing documentation. If you have previous tender responses that already have content, we can repurpose and tailor that content and as a result, our fees will decrease.
How can you help me win more tenders and bids and government contracts?
We add value to the tenders and bids process through the:
- Ensuring you comprehensively respond to each question.
- Adopting best practice writing techniques including readability techniques.
- Adding graphics and infographics where appropriate.
- Expanding on case studies and previous experience to ensure your bid is compelling.
- Implementing a bid / no bid strategy.
- Project managing the tender response process from start to finish.
Do you provide assistance with construction and trades bids and tenders for government contracts?
Yes. We have extensive experience assisting with construction and also engineering bids and tenders. This extends to large engineering tenders including major PPP proejcts, as well as small trades tenders. So whether you are a concreting company looking to secure a small government contract in Auckland, or a Tier-1 construction company bidding for a major project, we have the capability to assist.
Our consultants understand the process for not only putting forward project experience, but also writing construction methodologies that are compelling. Government tenders and bids are often highly complex, and we have the processes in place to ensure we proactively project manage your tender or bid to ensure it is not only delivered on time, but to an exemplary standard.
Can you help me find tender and bid opportunities for government contracts?
Yes. We have a tender notification service in place where we can identify and notify your business of tender and bid opportunities. We are able to provide a notification service based on regions, so regardless of if you are based in North Island, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, South Island or anywhere in between, we will provide opportunities that are in the geographic regions you service.
I need to hire a tender writer. How can you help?
Yes. We’re a team of tender consultants who are able to assist with any tender. In addition, we provide a recruitment service focused on bid and tender writers in order to provide a long term in house solution. Give us a call to discuss.
I have a must-win bid that is a major government project. We need five tender writers for a period of two months. Are you able to assist?
Possibly. We won’t say Yes unless we are sure we can. It depends on what bids we are working on at the time. It’s best to contact us first, and then we will discuss your requirements with you and see if we are a good fit. We won’t promise anything if we can’t deliver and we’ve generally got a good network of writers who are able to assist.
We are a small business looking for a consultant to assist us with a tender. Do you help with small private and government tenders?
Most definitely. Actually – we enjoy it. It’s always intersting and fun (in a professional way) to assist a small business especially when it’s their first tender and especially when we are able to help them win it. We help organisations large and small and are generally quite approachable.
Are you able to write capability statements as well? Do you use InDesign? Are you able to work with you graphic designer?
Yes – graphics are key especially with capability statements. We work in InDesign, Microsoft Word or Powerpoint. We can coordinate with your graphic designer or use our own. Whichever you prefer. In addition, we help companies develop capability statements quite often – amongst our team we call them mini-tenders!
How can your professional bid writing services benefit my company’s tender success rates?
We can benefit your tender success rates by:
- Ensuring your bids and tenders are presented professionally.
- Proof reading to ensure there are no errors.
- Reviewing your responses and expanding on them to ensure you submit comprehensive responses and score well.
- Giving you a better understanding of the quality required to win to help boost your win rates and understand why you are not winning and what you need to improve.
What sets your international tender writing assistance apart from competitors?
We are responsive and comprehensive in our approach. We have experience helping companies from around the world bid for a win New Zealand government contracts. We also help in brokering JV arrangements to facilitate your entry into the market.
Why should I consider outsourcing my bid and proposal writing and who is the best bid writer in New Zealand?
Organisations outsource their bid and tender writing to our team here at Tsaks Consulting for many reasons. Some are looking to gain access to some of the best bid writers in New Zealand who work in our team whilst other companies are simply at capacity and need our assistance.
When outsourcing to us, you can rely on the fact that we will help you deliver a quality tender, bid or proposal to give you the best chance of success.
Do you specialise in any specific industries for government contract bids?
Our skillset is transferable and we work in any and every industry. In terms of a specialisation, our team members are experienced writing bids and tenders from different industries and have different industry focuses. For example, one of our writers spends 60% of her time helping our medical and pharmaceutical clients. Our founder, Jason Cooney, is an expert in professional services bids as well as construction bids.
We generally take on any tender from any industry. Where highly technical input is required, we work with your SMEs to deliver highly technical solutions in an easy to understand manner.
Who can help New Zealand businesses like mine with government contract proposals?
Yes. We specialise in helping New Zealand business write winning government contract proposals. We also help businesses expand internationally by identifying international bids and tenders.
What is the typical process for working with your tender writing experts?
Although no two tenders work out exactly the same, our process generally entails:
- Initial Meeting and Bid/No Bid discussion
- Develop checklist of information required.
- Proceed to initial draft and communicate with SMEs and internal stakeholders.
- Collaborate on initial draft and gather input.
- Progress to second draft and commence drafting infographics.
- Develop final draft and coordinate submission.
How do you tailor bid proposals to match specific contract requirements?
When writing tenders and bids we tailor a specific response to each question. If you have existing content from a bid library, we will work with that content to tailor it to the response and will cross-check it against the contract requirements.
What strategies can you offer to improve our chances of winning tenders?
We employ a range of strategies to help you to improve your chances of winning tenders and bids including:
- Creating professional graphics and infographics.
- Structuring your responses to ensure they align with each individual question.
- Gathering evidence and testimonials to ensure your response is backed up with facts and figures.
- Developing win themes to interweave into your response.
We have many more strategies we employ to help you win. Give us a call and chat about how we can assist.
Do you have a track record of successful government contract wins?
Yes. We have a successful track record writing bids and tenders to government clients. Get in touch with us and let us know your industry so that we can provide you with case studies that demonstrate our track record in detail.
What is the cost structure for your bid writing services?
Information on our bid writing services is provided on our fee page. We work off hourly rates or fixed fees.
Do you assist with international tender submissions from New Zealand and do you help with any particular regions?
Yes. We are part of the Tsaks Consulting Group – a multination bid, tenders and professional services consultancy. We help our New Zealand based clients bid for work internationally. Our experience extends to bidding for contracts in the EU, Asia Pacific and Middle East. We do not have any experience helping clients bid for work in America and recommend you find a local bid writing consultant for that.
We also have a comprehensive network of translators who we work with.
What level of involvement is required from our company during the process?
We will require your input for content, pricing and technical information. The level of input required generally depends on the nature of the tender. For a large construction tender, we generally require your input on the pricing, program, methodology and other content. For smaller tenders where you have a comprehensive bid library, we generally require less input.
Where you have new employees, we generally require updated CVs and will coordinate with your WHS and HR personnel for other key supporting documentation.
How do you ensure confidentiality and security of our bid information?
We ensure confidentiality and security of your bid information by:
- Signing, and having all our personnel sign NDAs.
- Storing all of our content on local servers.
- Deleting key content after submission.
- Having a robust conflict of interest policy in place.
- Compartmentalising the content we work on.
Do you provide post-submission support or revisions if needed?
Yes we do. We provide review services where we attend your feedback meeting and review your bid to provide a comprehensive list of requirements to improve your future bids.
We also provide tender revision services where we review your bid and provide detailed feedback prior to post submission on how to improve it.
What types of contracts have your services helped secure?
We have helped secure a range of contracts for clients including appointment to three and five year government panels for services, head contractor for major infrastructure and other projects, and the exclusive provider and distributor for a range of medical and pharmaceutical contracts.
We have also helped clients secure service contract for regional and metropolitan areas across New Zealand.
What is the average turnaround time for a bid or tender proposal?
This varies greatly. For smaller competitive bids, the turnaround time be as little as seven days. Most of the tenders we work on have a deadline of three or four weeks. Having said that, sometimes the bidding process can take up to three months for large, complex bids and tenders.
Is your consultancy up to date with the constantly changing government procurement guidelines?
We have our finger on the pulse of government procurement guidelines. These are generally provided with each RFP and can differ from department to department.
Where there are wholesale changes to procurement guidelines, we monitor these and incorporate these into our processes.
Will you help us create a tailored bid strategy for our industry?
As part of each bid response, we develop win themes and a bid winning strategy that drives how we approach and respond to the bid. This will not only be tailored to your industry, but also the specific contract you are looking to secure.
What information do you require to start the bid writing process?
This differs from bid to bid as well as the extent of your existing content. We generally require any previous bids and tenders, your company information, as well as input such as cases studies, CVs and any proposed program or methodology.
Is your consultancy familiar with the New Zealand government’s tendering procedures?
Yes. We tender to the New Zealand government and private sector on a weekly basis. It’s our core business. We are across all the relevant government tender procedures and can guide your business through the process.
Do you provide guidance on pricing strategies and general pricing and fees in government tenders?
Yes – we do. We can assist you in terms of interpreting and understanding the pricing questions as well as the bid management of your tender. Many of our clients find the pricing process challenging especially with prescriptive pricing tables provided in excel. We are able to guide you on how to respond to these, however, we do not know your business or industry well enough to advise you on what price to propose.
Can you help us with the technical aspects of bid submissions?
We are generally not experts in your industry and business and therefore will work closely with your SMEs to write the technical aspects of your bid.
Do you offer any guarantees or assurances for bid success?
No – we are unable to. But we certainly do our best.
Are you able to handle urgent or time-sensitive tender requests?
Yes. If you have an urgent tender, please get in touch as soon as possible with us. If you need help with an urgent tender, we will generally review the RFP or RFT docs immediately and let you know if we have capacity to assist.
Our team works weekends if required to deliver your bid.
I need assistance with local content and sustainability requirements for a bid.
We are certainly able to assist. We have written local content plans and environmental and sustainability plans and procedures for hundreds of tenders over the years.
Local content is critical to winning any bid or tender, particularly local Council tenders and we not only write the responses, but will also brainstorm strategies with you about how you can put forward a compelling bid and response to those questions.
How can your consultancy help businesses in the medical industry win tenders?
Our consultancy has strong experience in healthcare bids and medical tenders. We can help you win medical industry tenders by:
- Helping you select the most appropriate contract to bid for and win. There’s no use wasting valuable resources on a potential contract in which you can’t satisfy the mandatory requirements.
- Helping you identify win themes from the market perspective (as opposed to your own perspective). These bids will be intertwined within your bid.
- Writing, editing and professionally designing the bid for you. This will include writing the content, liaising with your SMEs, creating technical and other supporting documentation and project managing the bid process.
What are the key elements of a successful construction bid?
This really depends on the nature of the bid. However, in our experience, some key elements of a successful construction bid include:
- Relevant experience and capabilities. You need to show how your previous experience and expertise relate to the proposed project. Go into detail and talk about location, project size, any challenges, how they were overcome and safety performance. Talk about the demands of the project and how they may be similar to the project you are bidding for.
- A robust and detailed methodology. Along with the pricing, this is usually a dealbreaker when it comes to winning construction bids. You need to take the time to write a detailed methodology. This will give the reader confidence that you will deliver the project successfully.
- Unfortunately, we aren’t able to assist with pricing.
- Safety, environmental, key personnel, and other elements of a construction bid are also critical.
Can you assist with tender writing for biotech research and development projects?
Yes. Biotech projects and other biotech and medical industry bids and tenders are usually handled by our grant writing department. They have extensive experience helping Universities and other organisations to write grant applications and funding applications to the government and private sector and are best placed to assist with biotech research and development projects.
In addition, our European office has experience writing funding applications to various EU programs.
What’s the process for engaging your proposal writing services in New Zealand?
The usual process entails:
- You contact our team via phone or email with a request. It may be a tender that has just come in which you require assistance with, or a general review and development of your bid library.
- We will talk with you about your requirements, gain an initial understanding of your business and ask you to send through the tender documentation as well as any previous bids you may have with general information (so we can see the current state of your content and price accordingly).
- We then provide you with a quote in writing detailing our proposed fee, payment terms and previous experience.
- You respond to engage our services.
What industries do you specialize in when it comes to writing bids and proposals?
We are generalists and have a transferable skillset. We do not specialise in any specific industry. We do have extensive experience in certain industries due to the sheer volume of tenders we complete in them. These include construction, professional services, health and medical and defence. We also have a focus on government tenders.
How do you tailor proposals for different industries, such as construction or healthcare?
Yes of course. Not only for different industries, we tailor each proposal for each specific opportunity or project.
Can you provide examples of successful tender or bid proposals you’ve written?
Yes we can. We can also provide referees if you require. Many of our clients ask for the bids and tenders we create for them to be confidential. However, over the years we have gained permission from some clients to share their work.
What sets your consultancy apart from other proposal writing services in New Zealand?
We acknowledge some of our competitors are professionals and like us, provide a quality bid writing services. We would like to think that our level of responsiveness, impressive win rate and ability to quickly understand your business and key win themes set us apart.
How do you ensure confidentiality when handling sensitive bid information?
This is a great question and one that is often asked by our prospective clients. Firstly, all of or information is stored in servers in NZ. We use the Microsoft 365 system from document storage – and are happy to work off our clients systems if required. We sign confidentiality agreements with you. We also have confidentiality built into our employment contracts. In addition, we have Chinese walls erected within our teams at all times (regardless of if there is any potential conflict of interest or not). Our simple rule is that you only have access to a bid if you are working on that bid. In addition, you only have access to the component of the bid you are working on unless prior approval is granted. Finally, all content is deleted post submission unless you have instructed us otherwise.
Do you have experience working with government tenders in New Zealand?
Yes we do. 75% of the bids we work on are government tenders. This experience includes nearly all government departments. We understand how the New Zealand government procurement process works and what they expectations are.
How long does it take to prepare a tender or bid proposal with your assistance?
It depends on the size and scope of the bid. Most of the times, tenders take approximately three weeks. However, they can range from one week for small and quick bids to over three months and even longer for tenders for large infrastructure projects.
Can you guide businesses through the submission process for their proposals?
Yes of course. Many of our clients aren’t confident submitting their bids and tenders, particularly for online submissions. We are able to take care of this for you – you simply need to provide us the login details and final documentation. We will also need to upload your pricing documentation and can sign a confidentiality agreement if required. We also have the capability to do a good old fashioned print submission. We can coordinate printing and binding as required as well as the physical submission.
What is the cost structure for your proposal writing services?
We work off an hourly rate, day rate or fixed price. We are happy to offer either pricing option to our clients. If you would like us to work off hourly rates – we can do so and provide you with a report based on every thirty minutes work completed. Alternatively, if you would like a fixed price that is also possible. We will review the tender documentation as well as your existing content and provide you with a fixed quote.
How can businesses benefit from outsourcing their proposal writing needs?
By outsourcing your tender and proposal writing needs to us you will benefit through:
- Freeing up time to focus on your core business / day job.
- Engage an expert to give you the best chance of winning.
- Drive best practice and review your existing practices.
- Gain access to our depth of resources to take and bids even when your team are at capacity.
I need consultation and guidance on proposal evaluation and scoring and a better understanding of how the government marks and scores tenders. Can you assist with that?
Yes. We can assist in two ways. Firstly, our team offers consultant and guidance on proposal evaluation and scoring. Having attended hundreds of tender debriefs, we have understand what evaluation criteria really mean and the process they use to score tenders. The interpretation of key words in the questions is critical. The government generally works off a weighted criteria when scoring bids and tenders and it is important to answer each question comprehensively. We will consider this as part of our review service.
Secondly, we offer a consulting service to clients who are procuring goods or services and need assistance with developing an evaluation criteria. We leverage on our experience in procurement and tenders to help you develop a comprehensive and detailed scoring system for tender responses that reflects your core needs.
Do your require and specific information and materials from us (clients) before starting a proposal?
This depends one the specific nature of the tender. However, generally speaking, prior to starting on a proposal for you we require:
- A copy of any previous tenders or bids.
- Access to your bid library if you have one.
- A list of key contacts in your organisation.
- CVs of your key personnel if available.
- Access to any supporting or precedent documentation you have.
Are you able to assist with international tenders and bids for New Zealand-based companies?
Yes we can. We have offices in Australia, Europe and London. We can assist internationally with identifying and applying for tender opportunities and also funding applications. We have experience in the middle east. We do not have any experience or expertise in America.
We can assist you in the entire international tender and bid process from identifying opportunities to introducing you to potential joint venture partners. Where you require translation for the bid writing process, we are able to coordinate with local translators depending on which country you are operating in.
What is your success rate and what success rate do your clients typically achieve in winning tenders?
This depends on the pricing of the bid and also the position our clients are in. However, here is a general guideline.
- Our overall success rate for 2022 was 66%.
- Our success rate for incumbent tenders in 2022 was 100%.
- Our success rate for tenders with existing relationships in place was 80%.
- Our success rate for speculative tenders with no existing relationship in place was 23%.
Our clients average success rates are 35%. The level of bid/no bid analysis and how stringent your qualification process is generally governs your success rate. That is why we recommend clients only bid for opportunities which they have a reasonable chance of success. Where you have a conducted a thorough bid/no bid assessment, you will generally see a success rate of 66% and above.
Other key factors are:
- Conformance with mandatory criteria.
- Relevance of your experience and expertise to the opportunity.
- Proposed pricing.
- Depth of resources.
- Quality of supporting documentation.
What’s the role of research and data analysis in your proposal writing process?
We undertake research and analyse data when we need to incorporate proof and evidence into bids. In addition, data analysis and research is also relevant when developing your pricing response.
How can my business New Zealand business get started with your consultancy for proposal writing?
The first step is to drop us an email or give us a call. We can discuss your needs and if there is a specific bid or contract you want to win. If not, we can talk about how to find suitable opportunities.
How do you approach tenders for plumbing projects, considering factors like water pressure, drainage systems, and compliance with building codes?
We will work with your internal engineers and personnel to write the bid response. Where there is a technical component, we will work with you to make sure your technical solution is presented in an easy to understand manner.
Our team of bid writers will also ensure your bid tells a positive story and that we review the specification to ensure that any requirements which are beyond the building codes and part of the bid are adhered to.
What strategies do you employ for electrical tenders to help electricians win government and private sector contracts?
We employ all the usual tender and bid writing techniques to help you win.’ For example, we will showcase your electrical expertise and skills, write detailed case studies that are aligned to the respective requirements and will ensure you have the right depth of resources and put a quality team forward.
Another strategy which is critical is that we will localise your bid. This ensures that throughout your bid there is a local flavour and a convincing local procurement plan.
Have you written any HVAC tenders and how often do you win them?
Yes – our team has written bids for HVAC services for many government bids. This year so far, we have been successful in 65% of HVAC bids we have helped write. We know the terminology in HVAC and are experienced in writing bids to private builders as well as the public and government sector.
How can tender and bid writing services benefit my business and is there a tender or bid writing service that can write my tender for me?
Yes of course. Our team here at Tsaks Consulting can write your bid or tender for you and help you win. We will work closely with you to gather the necessary information and write a compelling bid. The benefits of using Tsaks Consulting to write your bid are:
- We will free up your time to focus on your day to day business.
- We will deliver you an exemplary bid that aligns with industry best practice.
- We are efficient and have an in-house graphics team.
- We will ensure you comply with the tender requirements.
There are many other tender and bid writing benefits you will get from engaging with us for your next bid in New Zealand or internationally.
What is the difference between a tender and a bid?
When it comes to defining a tender vs bid they are generally the same thing. It involves winning works or contracts based on a competitive process such as an RFP, RFT or RFI.
Do you offer training or workshops on tender and bid writing?
Yes – our team of writing consultants here at Tsaks Consulting run tender and bid writing training workshops. We love a good old fashioned face to face presentation or workshops – and can visit your offices across New Zealand to up-skill your internal bid writing teams.
Alternatively, we can conduct online training for you which is tailored to your organisations needs and are happy to conduct training for multiple personnel at once.
I need help with a complex tender and complex bid to the Government. Is there a consultancy that can help?
Yes – we can certainly assist. We are the go-to bid writing consultancy for Tier-1 construction and other companies who bid to government to deliver complex and large-scale infrastructure projects and other projects. Our experience writing complex proposals extends to other industries including IT.
What does it cost to get a tender writing consultancy to write my tender?
Our tender and bid writing pricing is relatively simple. We work off an hourly rate and our pricing is derived on the total hours required. If you are completing a small to medium tender, for example for a local Council contract or the like, we are also able to provide you with a fixed quote. This provides cost certainty to you so that you know exactly what the tender will cost.
Do you offer any type of guarantee?
Many of our clients across the North and South island ask for a success guarantee. Unfortunately the result of the tender is somewhat out of our control especially when it comes to pricing. We can’t offer a tender and bid writing guarantee to our clients, but we can assure you that we will definitely do our best to help you win your next bid.
What is the typical turnaround time for your services and for a tender or bid?
We will work to deadlines and we always do. The turnaround times for bids and tenders varies from 2 weeks to sometimes 3 or 4 months depending on the size and complexity of the bid. In terms of our turnaround times, we respond to all enquiries and write content quickly and efficiently and pride ourselves on meeting any / most deadlines.
Do you specialise in Government tender and how do you stay updated with government tendering requirements?
Yes – 70% of the bids or tenders we write are government bids. We constantly stay updated with government tendering requirements and monitor government templates and websites for updates on procurement protocols and tender compliance.