Before writing a single word of your response, invest time in understanding three things: what the buyer needs, how they will evaluate your response, and what evidence they want to see.
Read the Full Tender Pack
A tender pack typically includes:
The specification — what the buyer wants delivered
Evaluation criteria — how they will score responses
Terms and conditions — the contractual framework
Pricing schedule — how to present your costs
Quality questions — specific questions you must answer
Read everything. Twice. Many suppliers skim the specification and jump straight to writing. This leads to responses that miss key requirements or fail to address what the buyer actually cares about.
Structure Your Response Around the Questions
Never write a free-form narrative. Structure your response to directly mirror the questions asked in the tender.
For each quality question:
Restate what the buyer is asking. This shows you understand the requirement.
Describe your approach. Be specific about how you will deliver what they need.
Provide evidence. Back up your approach with relevant examples, case studies, and measurable outcomes.
Show added value. Where appropriate, highlight how your approach goes beyond the minimum requirement.
The STAR Method for Case Studies
When providing evidence, use the STAR framework:
Situation: Describe the client and context
Task: What were you asked to deliver?
Action: What did you actually do?
Result: What was the measurable outcome?
Example:
Situation: A London borough council needed to replace their legacy case management system serving 400 staff across 12 departments.
Task: We were contracted to design, build, and deploy a cloud-based replacement within 9 months, with zero downtime during migration.
Action: We assigned a dedicated team of 6 developers, ran fortnightly sprints with council stakeholders, and executed a phased migration department by department over 4 weekends.
Result: Delivered 2 weeks ahead of schedule, with zero data loss and 97% user satisfaction in the post-deployment survey. The new system reduced case processing time by 35%.
Pricing Strategy
Public sector evaluation typically weights quality and price separately. Common splits are 60/40, 70/30, or 80/20 in favour of quality.
Key principles:
Do not be the cheapest. In most evaluations, the lowest price gets maximum marks, but you only need to be competitive, not rock-bottom. Winning on quality and being second on price is often the winning combination.
Be transparent. Itemise your costs clearly. Hidden costs or vague pricing raises red flags.
Show value for money. If your price is higher, explain why — better service levels, more experienced staff, lower risk.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Exceeding word limits. Evaluators will stop reading at the limit. Edit ruthlessly.
Making unsubstantiated claims. Every claim needs evidence. If you cannot prove it, do not say it.
Ignoring social value. Many tenders now include social value criteria (typically 5-20% of the score). Do not treat this as an afterthought.
Submitting late. Even one minute late means automatic rejection. Submit 24 hours early.
Poor formatting. Use clear headings, bullet points, and tables. Make it easy for evaluators to find and score your answers.
Before You Submit
Run through this checklist:
Have you answered every question asked?
Does your response align with the evaluation criteria?
Have you included specific, measurable evidence?
Is your pricing complete and clearly presented?
Have you checked for spelling and grammar errors?
Have you complied with all formatting requirements (font size, page limits, file formats)?
Are you submitting at least 24 hours before the deadline?