Winning Tenders - A Practical Guide for Small Business

This practical workshop is designed to help small and regional businesses understand, assess and prepare competitive tender submissions. It focuses on the key differences between grants and tenders, how to determine whether to bid, and how to develop compliant, commercially sound responses that demonstrate capability, value for money and risk awareness.

Participants will gain a clear understanding of the tender process and leave with a structured approach they can apply to future opportunities.

Main Sections Covered

1. Understanding the Tender Environment
   • Types of tenders (RFT, RFQ, RFP, EOI)
   • Government and private sector procurement
   • How tenders are evaluated
2. Bid / No Bid Decision Making
   • Assessing eligibility and mandatory requirements
   • Evaluating capability, capacity and competitiveness
3. Interpreting the Specification and Evaluation Criteria
   • Breaking down scope of works
   • Responding to weighted criteria
   • Writing for assessors
4. Compliance and Risk
   • Mandatory criteria and pass/fail requirements
   • Insurance, financial and governance requirements
   • Common reasons submissions are excluded
5. Pricing and Commercial Considerations
   • Costing structure and margin
   • Risk allowances
   • Cash flow and contract sustainability
6. Demonstrating Capability and Capacity
   • Presenting experience and case studies
   • Key personnel and subcontractors
   • Risk management and quality assurance
7. Writing a Competitive Submission
   • Clear structure and evidence-based responses
   • Avoiding common mistakes
   • Internal review processes
8. Post-Submission and Continuous Improvement
   • Debriefs and feedback
   • Building a tender library
   • Strengthening future submissions