Chamber event equips businesses with Bid writing expertise

Top tips for efficient and effective Bid writing were divulged in a Chamber event this week.

The online event was part of the ongoing Festival of Business campaign across the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) throughout the month of June.

The 'Introduction to Bid Writing and Winning Work ' event was held by the Burton and Cannock Chase Chambers and was sponsored by the series' headline sponsor, Aston University.

Leading attendees in the workshop was Charles Grosstephan (pictured), head of Bid & Tender Training at Thornton & Lowe, formed in 2009 to support organisations to bid and tender for contracts.

Having delivered over 240 bid training courses to over 3350 people, Charles was keen to share his experience and educate attendees on the tricks of the trade, as well as the common downfalls, when it comes to writing Bid contracts.

He said: "In our industry, we hear a lot about persuasive writing, but what we don't hear about is how to do it.

"When a Bid is written, you have to remember that your buyers are not experts in every sector, so you have the responsibility to educate and lead on it for them.

“Bids are really important for sustaining and growing a business. Therefore, we need to make it easy and engaging for people to read.

“A common mistake I 've noticed is people making silly errors by rushing a piece of writing. This can cause big mistakes and can really impact your compliance. A non-compliant Bid makes the suppliers ' job easy, because it allows them to easily discard it. ”

As a way of avoiding these potentially damaging mistakes, Charles explained the essentials steps that have made it to his 'Bid Compliance Checklist '.

He said: “What's useful is using a template and creating what is called a 'pilot checklist '

“Something that should be on there is making sure that everything you write down is always backed up by evidence. Of course there will be case study examples, but when you're making claims such as having a reputation for something or being environmentally conscious, you need to be able to prove it.

“When it comes to structuring your piece, it 's also crucial that we are using day-to-day language. One of my pet hates is people substituting the word 'utilise ' for 'use ', which is making something quite simple too complex.

“Sentences between 30-40 words in length are difficult to read, so a rule of 20-25 words is much better as it allows more concise communication and helps the reader digest. ”

Concluding on the importance of evaluating the way Bid writing is being done successfully elsewhere, Charles encouraged businesses to do sufficient competitor research.

“Remember that any element of competitor research is always useful ” he said, “Especially when you 're looking at how you can counter their offering.

“If you 're weighing up the strengths and weakness of your Bid 's versus your competitor that should prove incredibly useful to you going forwards. ”

For more information on upcoming Festival of Business events, click here