How to buy bid writing services

Whilst searching the internet for tender writing help on how to write winning bids and tenders you will note there is no shortage of bid and tender writing services claiming to be the -

" world's best bid writer ",

" award winning bid writing service " 
​
​" the UK's leading tender consultants "

​With over 50 bid writing companies and bid writing services to choose from in the UK, how do you know which is the best bid writing company and tender writing service? 

You may choose to take these claims at face value or like me, you may prefer to dig a little deeper into how to find the right bid writer.   

Who are the best tender writers for my sector? 

Do I need bid writing consultants or is there a lower cost alternative?

​Can I find a freelance bid writer instead? 

Bid Writing Consultants

Naomi Clews Consultancy are procurement tender experts. We share our own experience of buying services in our FREE ultimate procurement guide on how to buy bid writing services that includes:
​

• where to find professional bid writers and where to find bid writing companies,
• the key questions to ask a bid writer or bid writing company, and
• how much a bid writing service costs.​

This guide will not tell you how to write a tender. You will need to contact us for that. 

​How do you separate the professional tender writers and tender writing companies from the cow boys?

Read our ultimate guide on how to buy bid writing services to find out. 

How to buy bid writing services   
​

Table Of Contents 

1. Introduction
2. ​What is bid writing?
3. ​What is a bid writer? 
4. Is bid writing difficult? 
5. Why should I hire a bid writer?
6. Where can I find a bid writer?
7. What is a bid consultant? 
8. What are the top 5 questions to ask a bid writer?
9. ​What qualifcations do bid writers need?
10. ​What are the UK Tax Implications of hiring a bid writer? 
11. ​How do I confirm if the bid writing company is any good?
12. ​What does “We write bids for all Industries” mean?​
13. What does “We’ll work with you to figure it out” mean? 
14. What does “We guarantee we will win the bid for you” mean? ​
15. What does “We have a secret to our bid writing success!” mean? 
16. What does “We are the cheapest bid writing service on the market!” mean? ​
17. What does “We have a bid writer for every tender" mean?
18. Should I meet my bid writer? 
19. Do beauty parades work?
20. Is the use of bid writers breaking procurement rules? ​
21. Can bid writers guarantee a bid will win? 
22. ​Will winning a place on a Framework Agreement or DPS guarantee Government business? 
23. ​How long does bid writing take? ​
24. ​How much do bid writers charge? 
25. ​Is there a no win, no fee money back guarantee?
26. What is a success payment? 
27. ​What do bid writers need from me?
28. ​How do I agree and confirm what I am buying? 
29. ​​Is the bid writing industry growing? 
30. ​Summary ​

1. Introduction

 

​​In 2020/21 the UK Government spent £357 billion as a direct result of a public sector procurement process, with UK health procurement spend up by £43 billion in 20/21. 

The procurement tender process provides you with one chance to make a GREAT first impression. 

​It's therefore essential to know how to communicate effectively on paper with buyers and commissioners. ​​

Hiring a professional bid writer can help you achieve this. 

 

2. What is bid writing? 
​

Bid writing is the term used to describe the process of writing a response to a procurement tender process. 

​Buyers use tender processes to create competition in a marketplace, as a tool to achieve cost savings. 

For example, procurement tender documents include: 

• European Standard Procurement Document (ESPD)
• Standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ)
• Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)
• Invitation To Tender (ITT) 
• Request For Information (RFI)
• Request For Proposal (RFP) 
• Request For Tender (RFT)
• Request For Quote (RFQ) 
• Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)
• Mini Competition 
• Further Competition

​

Bid writing is a competitive business, with winners and losers, requiring tactics, strategy and skill. Writing an effective and concise, tender response is tricky. There is a fine line between hyperbole and a compelling read. Knowing, how much, is too much and when to stop, are the keys to award winning bid writing. 

The words 'bid writing' and 'tender writing' are often used interchangeably.

Procurement define 'tender writing' as the activities associated with producing the public procurement tender documents and procurement define 'bid writing' as the activities associated with responding to the tender questions. 

However, you will often see bid writing companies using the term 'tender writing' to describe the activities associated with responding to the tender questions ('bid writing'). 

To understand the meaning of 'bid writing' and 'tender writing' you need only refer to the terms used in the public procurement documents. 

A 'tenderor' is the buying organisation who issues the tender and a 'bidder' is the supplying organisation who submits an offer ('bid') in response to the tender.  

However, we expect 'bid writer' and 'tender writer' will continue to be used interchangeably to describe 'bid writing' in the same way PQQ is still used to describe the SQ.  

 

3. What is a bid writer?
​

​​A  bid writer is a person who is skilled in writing responses to proposals and tenders. A professional bid writer should make the bid writing process easier, saving you time and money. 

​Bid writers are experienced in responding to tender questions in accordance with procurement rules. The bid writer must communicate why your products or services are better than your competitors, in a concise and succinct way.

Buyers make judgements (about your business) based on your written communications. This could be your business literature, proposals, bid response and policies (or lack of policies).

​Customers will determine if they can trust you to do a good job and deliver on time based on this information.

If your business content fails to succeed in conveying professionalism, experience and quality, your potential customers will continue to look elsewhere. 

A professional bid writer can help you to ensure this does not happen.  

 

4. Is bid writing difficult? 
​

If you know the answers to the questions, it's easy. ​Writing a bid is a high pressure activity. Public procurement tender instructions are often complicated, vague and open to interpretation. The no personal contact approach to public procurement processes (yes, this existed even before Covid-19) results in all communications with the buyer being submitted via an electronic tender portal. 
 
Questions often receive a generic response, referring bidders back to a clause in the tender documents. There are so many rules and regulations surrounding public procurement, it is a minefield waiting to trip you up!

​Failing to win a tender often has nothing to do with how intelligent you are, or how qualified you are. Prior knowledge and extensive experience of the procurement tendering process is often what really counts.

​As the buyer, it is critical to determine what 'your' needs are. Take the time to make a list of all the things you need assistance with for example:

• What part of the bid writing process are you good at?
• What do you need help with?
• How much help do you need?

Next, how involved in the bid writing process do you want to be? 
​

• Do you want the whole bid taken off your hands?
• Do you want pointers on how your bid can be improved?
• Do you want reassurance on how to answer tricky tender questions?

 
Once you know WHAT you need help with, you are in a much stronger position to articulate your requirements to a bid writer or bid writing company. 

 

5. Why should I hire a bid writer? 
​

​

A good bid writer should quickly establish who you are, what you do and help you make a great first impression.

​Words are powerful, they create trust, authority, inspire change and open doors. The skill of writing original, concise, compelling, content can determine your ongoing business success and increase the actual value of your business.​ 

​Sourcing additional help can make the tender process less daunting by reducing the overwhelming enormity of facing the tender process alone.

​​The top 5 reasons to hire a professional bid writer are:
​

1. Lack of public procurement tender experience. 
2. No time or resource available to write a bid.
3. It is a must win tender. 
4. You are unsure why you keep losing tenders.
5. Your competitor is using a professional bid writer.

If the only reason not to bid is a lack of time or resource, it makes great business sense to invest your money in specialist knowledge and experience. 
​ ​
If a proofreader is all you need, a person with an English degree (BA) can provide this service for a fraction of the price. Unless grammar and/or spelling is allocated a specific weighting in the tender documents, awarding a lower score (due to grammatical or spelling mistakes) is unlawful and may be subject to challenge.

​If organisation is what you lack, a project manager may be more beneficial. If you want a complete overhaul of your competitor strategy, your ideal person may have a Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

Whoever you choose, they should provide confidence that they have a specific understanding of your industry, providing examples of winning similar bids and be exclusively committed to the success of your business and your business alone.

However, you should never ask a bid writer to misrepresent you in a bid.

​This is a serious breach of procurement law and YOU may be banned from ALL government tender processes for up to 5 years.  

 

6. Where can I find a bid writer?

You can start your search to find a professional bid writing service, freelance bid writer or bid writing company in the following ways, ranked in order of associated risk, 1 = lowest risk and 8 = highest risk:

1. Recommendation from a trusted contact.
2. Word of mouth referrals from a trusted industry association, trade body and/or network.  
3. Industry publications (editorial articles, not paid non-paid advertisements).
4. Industry specific networking events / training events. 
5. Internet Search*  
6. Social Media Search*
7. Job Boards*
8. Unsolicited letter, emails, texts and instant messages*

* Follow these up with a conversation, consultation, additional checks (see below**). 

 

7. What is a bid consultant?
​ 

A bid consultant has the same meaning as recruitment consultant, which is a sales role.

​The bid consultant acts as an intermediary to connect a client with an individual seeking a temporary bid writing assignment.

​The bid consultant is responsible for searching a data base of names and contact details (collected from various sources) about individuals who are a perfect match and may be interested in a temporary bid writing assignment or fixed term bid writing assignment. 

HMRC define an employment intermediary as a person or business who makes arrangements for someone to work for a third person. They are also often known as an ‘agency’ or ‘employment business’. 

​You’re an employment intermediary if you supply workers to work for an end client or another employment intermediary, and the client then pays you or someone connected to you for the worker’s services.

​The end client is the one whom the worker does the work for. If you use an intermediary for bid writing services you may need to consider if the new off payroll working rules (that came into place on the 6th April 2021) affect you. ​​

 

8. What are the top 5 questions to ask a bid writer? 
​

Once you have determined a bid writer, bid writing company is genuine, you need to establish how good they really are.

​It is important to establish (as with any service) who will be undertaking the bid writing work, prior to entering into an agreement. It is the people who will provide the bid writing services that really matter.

​Priority should be given to finding individuals with extensive knowledge and experience of writing bids for your industry and/or your sector. 

​It is a commonly known sales tactic for companies to use their best people to win the sales pitch, before substituting them with weaker personnel who complete the actual work!

Also see " Do beauty parades work?"   

​It therefore pays to speak directly to the bid writer and ask them the following 5 questions: ​

​​1.  Are you available? 
2.  What relevant previous experience do you have? 
3.  What is your success rate? 
4.  Have you written bids for my competitors? 
5.  How much do YOU charge? 

 
​As you can see from the above questions, one cannot simply rely on a bid writing companies 'success rate or 'win rate' as an indication of bid writing skill. For example, a client may have lost a bid due to their price, not the quality of their written response. 

A good evaluation of bid writing competency needs to take a range of factors into account before making a decision to proceed.​

 

9. What qualifications do bid writers need?
​

This is a tricky question to answer as people come to bid writing from all walks of life and at different stages in their lives. 

The qualifications bid writers hold will vary, depending on their age, where they were born and various other factors. 

How do you become a successful bid writer? 

Some people are naturals at bid writing and have their own unique style of writing. 

Other people prefer to be trained in a specific style of bid writing. For example, the bid writing methodology taught by the Association for proposal Management Professionals (APMP). 

Bid writers may also have: 

• English language and literature qualifications, 
• sales and marketing qualifications, 
• journalist qualifications,
• business qualifications, 
• relevant industry qualifications and experience. 

Some people just love writing and are great at it, they don't need any qualifications. 

10. What are the UK Tax Implications of hiring a bid writer? 

 

A bid writing company does not need to employ their own bid writers to provide bid writing services. Many Neutral Vendors rely on freelance bid writers and sole traders to deliver bid writing services on their behalf. 

Changes to off pay role working rules (IR35) impacted on the private sector in April 2021. This means additional due diligence should be undertaken on a bid writing companies supply chain, to protect from future financial risk and penalties. 

 

11. How do I confirm if the bid writer or bid writing company is any good?
​

You have your shortlist of bid writers and bid writing companies, now what?

It is time to vet them. Vetting involves speaking to the bid writer or bid writing company directly to discuss your needs and how they propose to solve them.
 
Ultimately, you are looking for a bid writer or bid writing company you can trust.

​A bid writing company should be exclusively committed to the success of your business and your business alone, if you have any hope of winning the bid. 

You may ask all the right questions but how can you be sure the answers received are genuine? How can you determine if the bid writing company will win the contract for you?

​The best way to start is by organising a face to face video call with the bid writer or bid writing company. If they refuse to do this, alarm bells should be ringing.

This way you can be sure the person you are speaking to is not reading from a sales script and/or being coached during the call, on how to sound like an expert when answering the questions.  
 
It is useful (prior to speaking to a bid writer/bid writing company) to understand some common phrases used by bid writing companies, during their initial sales pitch and what these statements actually mean.

 

12. What Does “We Write Bids for All Industries” Mean? 
​​

Bid writing companies are happy to write bids in any field. By simplifying their business model in this way, they act as a master vendor in the hope it will open up more opportunities for them. 

A master vendor is a single bid writing agency assuming full responsibility for supplying bid writers. The bid writing company attempt to supply bid writers themselves and when they cannot fulfil requirements, they will release the opportunity to a tier 2 or even tier 3 competitor bid writing company.

Alternatively, the bid writing company can act as a neutral vendor, an unbiased provider of freelance bid writers, instead of filling bid writer requirements directly themselves. They control and manage supply chains of freelance bid writers. 

 

13. What does “We’ll Work With You To Figure It Out” Mean?
​ ​

This vague, non-committal answer should immediately raise alarm bells. Does your bid writer or bid writing company have any clue as to how to write your bid? 

‘We’ll work with you’ or ‘We’ll figure it out as we go’ are red flags.

These responses indicate that the bid writer or bid writing company has absolutely no plan as to where they will even begin. They may also be expecting YOU to do all the work (which defeats the object of bid writing services). 

If you are in any doubt (after receiving a response like this) you may want to ask the bid writing company what services you can expect them to deliver, on your behalf. Also see " How to know what you are buying", below. 
​
A bid writing professional will look over the tender and say ‘yes, this all seems achievable’ and be confident and competent enough to talk you through how the bid writing process will work for your tender, from the outset.

 

14. What does “We Guarantee We Will Win The Bid For You” Mean? 

​

Either there is something unlawful going on, or this is an empty promise. 

A guarantee sounds fantastic:

Yes! we are going to win this bid if we go with this bid writer or bid writing company!

No! That’s not a reality at all.

Even the most experienced bid writer or bid writing companies could never guarantee a 100% success rate.

​Should you trust a bid writer or bid writing company who expresses such a claim? Also see "can bid writers guarantee a bid will win?" 

A legitimate bid writer or bid writing company should prove they are the best fit for you by demonstrating their experience, knowledge and skills.

​The only guarantee offered should be their dedication to do their very best for you, the client and that's as far as the guarantee should go. ​

 

15. What Does “We Have A Secret To Our Bid Writing Success!” Mean? 

​​

Your bid writer or bid writing company should have a proven record of competence within their specialist field.

​They should demonstrate their bid writing knowledge in your industry and/or sector from the outset, through their responses to your initial questions. 

​Successful bid writing requires:

• skill,
• experience,
• determination,
• hard work,
• patience,
• diligence and
• an element of luck! 

It is no secret that some bid writers or bid writing companies have better success than others, because they have specialised training, knowledge and extensive experience in their field. This should always be transparent. 

It pays to always invest your money with a bid writer or bid writing company who is proud of their achievements, and not one who wants to keep them a secret.

 

16.What Does “We Are The Cheapest Bid Writing Service On The Market!” Mean? 

​​

The bid writer or bid writing company may think you are price motivated. This may be because the first question you asked was

" how much do you charge for bid writing? "

Instead, the first question you should have asked is

" do you think I can win? "

Where bid writing is concerned, you really do get what you pay for. 

A bid writer who has a desire to win (not a delusion) versus a bid writer who just wants to get paid, is often reflected in the fees they charge.

If you want to increase your chances of winning tenders, pay for a professional bid writing service, committed to 'your' business and 'your' bid, rather than a bid writer who is committed to making a quick buck as a side hustle.

​Always pay a bid writer or bid writing company in relation to what you are happy to pay and what winning the contract is worth to you.

Expecting to win a lucrative UK Government contract by employing the cheapest bid writer or bid writing company around, is the definition of false economy.

The cost of bid writing services is tiny in comparison to the value that Government contracts award.

​On the flip side, over paying for bid writing services is madness!!

It is therefore prudent for YOU to have your budget in mind before contacting a bid writing company or bid writer, and share your budget expectations with them from the outset.

​This will save you both the wasted time and effort of discussing a bid when your price expectations are not aligned.  

17. What Does “We Have A Bid Writer For Every Tender" Mean?

 

This statement may mean "we are a master vendor or neutral vendor and we have a database of bid writers or bid writing companies, we will approach with 'your' job”.  

​As all bid writing services are an investment in business development and could make the difference between business success and business failure, it is important to establish 'who' is actually writing your bid, rather than who is 'responsible' for your bid.

​Will it be the person you spoke to on the phone, another colleague, another bid writing company or a computer? 

It pays to establish how good 'your' bid writer is:

• Do you have the best bid writer?
• Does your competitor have the best bid writer?
• Do you have the same bid writer as your competitor?

​
As with any lucrative market place, neutral vendors and master vendors have sought to control the bid writing market place through bricks and mortar businesses and online marketplaces.
 
Modern Slavery is defined as one person owned as property by another. This is a modern day problem in neutral vendor and master vendor supply chains.

When engaging with master vendors and neutral vendors, it is important to vet them and their sub-contractors' first, second and third tier supply chains.

Remember, the more intermediaries involved in the bid writing supply chain, the higher the risk of exploitation. Furthermore, a 'cheap' quote for bid writing services should be investigated fully to ensure the people involved in writing the bid are not being exploited and ARE receiving FAIR payment for their work. 

18. Should I meet my bid writer? 
​

Yes, absolutely you should expect to meet your bid writer but this does not need to be in person.

​It is perfectly acceptable to meet and interview your bid writer via a video conference call. 

 

​19. Do beauty parades work?

A 'beauty parade' (as a procurement term) is when a number of suppliers are invited to present to a customer panel, one immediately after the other.

​Each supplier is provided with the same brief and must 'pitch' to the customer panel for a set amount of time.

The customer panel then scores each 'supplier pitch' to determine the winner. In the same way that men would judge women on their attractiveness in the 1970's, buyers judge suppliers on the attractiveness of their pitch.  

My previous experience of the 'beauty parade' approach helped me to identify 5 possible drawbacks to 'beauty parades' when vetting suppliers:

• Firstly, 'beauty parades' are time consuming and costly for suppliers. This deters participation.

 

• Secondly, in my experience, suppliers repeat the same information over and over because there is only one answer to the question asked.

 

• Thirdly, the supplier who 'pitches' first, may have an advantage over all other suppliers. This is because they have the customer panels full attention, which subsequent suppliers may not. 

 

• Fourthly, beauty parades are often repetitive and boring for the customer panel. This is due to hearing the same (or similar) information, over and over again. 

​

• Finally, a great 'pitch' is no guarantee of a 'great' bid writing service. Many  introverts make the best writers. Introverts are unlikely to enjoy participating or perform poorly, in a 'beauty parade'.

The winner of the 'beauty parade' is often the person who performs best on the day, not overall.

This is why the process is known as a 'beauty parade' and is not taught as a credible strategic sourcing technique.

It is important to note that a 'beauty parade' should not be confused with a 'demonstration' which is a credible strategic sourcing technique. 

​An interview process is often more successful at gaining full participation from interested suppliers and helps buyers to test their assumptions about what they actually need from a bid writer or bid writing company (also see what qualifications does a bid writer need).    

 

20. Is the use of bid writers breaking procurement rules? 
​

No, using a bid writer is no different in theory to asking your accountant or lawyer for help to complete a bid IF the bid writer:
​ 

1. Is NOT employed (or working on a temporary basis) for the Contracting Authority.
2. Has had NO prior involvement in the tender process and/or the drafting of the tender documentation. 
3. Has NO influence over the evaluation scoring or the tender award decision. 

Contracting Authorities must effectively prevent, identify and remedy conflicts of interest arising in the conduct of procurement processes to ensure equal treatment of all bidders.

Procurement law states that:

"the concept of conflicts of interest shall at least cover any situation where relevant staff members ​(meaning staff members of the Contracting Authority, or of a procurement service provider (meaning a public or private body which offers ancillary purchasing activities to the market) acting on behalf of the contracting authority, who are involved in the conduct of the procurement procedure or may influence the outcome of that procedure), directly or indirectly, a financial, economic or other personal interest which might be perceived to compromise their impartiality and independence in the context of the procurement procedure" .

The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) Code of Conduct defines behaviours and actions which CIPS members must commit to maintain. They include: 
​

• Rejecting any business practice which might reasonably be deemed improper.
• Never using procurements authority or position for one's own financial gain.
• Not allowing offers of hospitality or those with vested interests to influence, or be perceived to influence, procurements business decisions.
• Declaring any personal interest that might affect, or be seen by others to affect, procurements impartiality in decision making.
• Never breaching the confidentiality of information received in a professional capacity.
• Striving for genuine, fair and transparent competition. 
• Responsibly managing any business relationships where unethical practices may come to light and take appropriate action to report and remedy them.

​Where a bidder has advised a Contracting Authority, or has otherwise been involved in the preparation of the procurement procedure, the Contracting Authority must take appropriate measures to ensure that competition is not distorted by the participation of that bidder in the procurement process.

​This may include: 

• sharing all relevant information in the preparation of the procurement procedure with all bidders,
• providing adequate time limits for the receipt of tenders,
• excluding the bidder if there are no other means to ensure compliance with the duty to treat all bidders equally.

In circumstances where it is proven that attempts were made to influence decision-makers (by offering benefits other than what can be legitimately offered as part of the tendering process), the matter may be referred to the police as a breach of the Bribery Act 2010.

​If an individual is found guilty of such offence, penalties include prison terms of up to 10 years. ​

 

21. Can bid writers guarantee a bid will win? 
​

There is no ethical way a bid writer or a bid writing company can guarantee a bid will win. 

​Why is this?

​Procurement Law states that a tender process must be fair and transparent with all bidders treated equally.

Equal treatment and transparency are fundamental principles of public procurement. Meaning, to go to tender with a preconceived idea of who the winning bidder will be, is unlawful. 

​You may therefore want to perform additional due diligence if you are guaranteed your bid will win. 

22. Will winning a place on a Framework Agreement or DPS guarantee Government business? 

 

No, winning a place on a multi supplier framework agreement or a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) is not a guarantee of Government business. This is always clearly stated in the tender documents.
 
The purpose of bids and tenders or Request for Proposals (RFP) is to create competition in the marketplace for goods or services at the required quantity, quality and price that the buyer wants to procure. They are intended to either reduce the price or to secure supply by offering commitment to a reduced number of suppliers. It's as simple as that.

There is no commitment offered under a framework agreement or a DPS, they are effectively a catalogue of supplier’s maximum prices.

​The catalogue is presented to the public sector customers (named in the tender documents), to then pick and choose which supplier they will contract with.

However, a sole supplier framework agreement is often guaranteed business. 

 

23. How long does bid writing take? 
​

​Your bid writer should allow plenty of time to complete the bid. An initial, quick flick through the tender documents should be all they need to determine how complex the tender is and how much time is required to compile a winning tender response.
​
On average, it took up to 60 hours to complete the requirements of a government procurement tender process. This does not include clients reviews and reflection, which is critical. However, every tender process is different, the 60 hours was only an average.  Post Covid-19 tender requirements (for social value plans and business continuity plans) have increased substantially and this has impacted upon bid response writing times and bid writing costs. 

The time taken to write your bid will depend on the complexity of the tender and the skills, knowledge and subject matter expertise of the person writing your bid. It can also depend on the number of changes the buyer makes (to the tender documents) throughout the tender process.

​For example, the number of clarification questions and the number of changes made (by the buyer) to the tender response documents (during the tender process), can impact on the amount of time it takes to complete your bid.

If the buyer makes changes to the word counts, mid-way through the tender process, this will impact on the time it takes to write the bid (as the existing response will need to be amended accordingly). 
 
It may be prudent to agree a fixed price with the bid writer or bid writing company rather than a daily or hourly rate or price per number of words. Otherwise, any re-work may cost you additional money.

 

24. How much do bid writers charge?  

How much does bid writing Cost?

The good news is, there is a bid writer for every budget. You can expect to pay anywhere in the region of £550 and £1,200 a day for a reputable UK based industry bid writing professional to write​ your bid.

​Based on 60 hours professional bid writing work this will cost between £4,400 and £9,600. 

A freelance writer may charge by the hour, with prices as low as £50 per hour. Writers may also use the traditional method of selling copy, charging by the word or the page. ​

Alternatively, bid writing companies (with a large in-house multi-disciplinary team) may charge a blended rate to reflect the different levels of skill, experience and activities undertaken by the team of people who work on your bid. 

​For example, a newly qualified graduate may write the majority of the bid with input from a subject matter expert or industry professional. This provides a cost effective method of training new recruits whilst they earn revenue for the bid writing company.
​​
The following examples of associated bid services may be required and offered for an additional fee:
​

• bid management,
• proof reading,
• selection questionnaires,
• project plans,
• organigram,
• tables and graphics,
• case studies,
• references,
• policies and procedures.

With a clear idea of what your bid writing requirements are, you can avoid paying for unnecessary bid writing services.

If you are unsure as to what you need, you could ask the bid writing company to break the total bid writing charge into its component parts.

This way you can quickly determine which activities to outsource to a bid writer or bid writing company and which activities you want to keep in-house.  

It is therefore important to establish what method of charges the bid writing quote is based on.

Examples of charging mechanisms include:

• Fixed rate 
• Day rate 

• Blended rate 

• Hourly rate 
• Number of words
• Number of pages   
• Success Payment

​The method of charging can also impact on the total cost of bid writing services and the quality of the bid.

​For example, if you agree to pay by the word and the buyer decides to increase the word count (part way through the tender process), the total cost of bid writing may increase as a consequence.

It may also be in the interest of the bid writer to lobby the buyer to increase the word count, as they will earn more money.  

In contrast, a fixed rate (used to incentivise a bid writer to work quickly to complete the bid writing work within a defined budget) may not result in a winning bid if the fixed rate is lower than existing market rates.  

It is important to remember (when buying professional bid writing services) that it may not be possible for your bid writer to provide an accurate quote (prior to viewing the tender documentation).

There may also be a smaller pool of bid writers to pick from at busy times, with more bad bid writers available than good. This is because when you find a good bid writer you hold onto them so they can't write bids for anyone else. 

One way to achieve this is to pay your bid writer a retainer to secure a percentage of their bid writing time to you each month. 

Good bid writers will charge more for their bid writing services. This is why, it is a non-starter to try to negotiate down a good bid writers' rate.

Tenders are like buses, and a good bid writer will have multiple clients, knowing another tender will be along in a minute.  

Most bid writers know their worth and when you find the right bid writer for YOU and YOUR business it is worth its weight in gold. 

However, offering a bid writer a retainer does provide you with some leverage and greater bargaining power. 

You have a budget BUT, choosing the cheapest bid writer or bid writing service now (rather than the best bid writers), may lead to a more costly business mistake in the future. 

 

25. Is there a no win, no fee money back guarantee?
​

There are NO guarantees in the tender process.

​Buyers can cancel tender processes without reason or they can choose simply not to award the contract.

​This is perfectly acceptable under procurement law and is clearly stated in the tender documents.
 
In our experience the majority of bid writers and bid writing companies are unlikely to offer a 'no win, no fee' guarantee as they have provided the time and resources to complete the bid writing work.

​The 'no win, no fee' concept was introduced by legal firms for trip and fall claims.

Would you demand a refund if money spent on advertising did not result in increased revenue? No, you would try somebody new.

​Bid writing services are the same. You may have to work with a few bid writing companies before you find a bid writer you like.
 
If the 'no win, no fee' is a deal breaker for you (and you can convince a bid writing company you are the ultimate winner of the contract), maybe you can get a bid writing company to agree to your terms.

​However, do not be surprised if (in the long run) you pay more for this privilege as there is a cost associated with writing the bid.

 

26. What is a success payment? 

​

A 'success payment' is a bonus or an additional payment the buyer makes to the bid writer or bid writing company, if their bid wins.

​A 'success payment' is a tangible guarantee that the bid writer will do everything (within the law) to help you win the bid. 

How does it work?

​You pay an agreed amount for the bid writing service now and if the bid wins, you pay an additional agreed amount or a percentage to the bid writer or bid writing company, later. 

In theory, 'success payments' sound like a great deal but there are things to consider:

Firstly, what is the total cost, for both the bid writing service and the 'success payment'?  

Secondly, how confident are you about winning the bid? 

Thirdly, is the total cost (bid writing service + 'success payment') value for money? 

Below are 3 worked examples illustrating how the 'success payment' works and how to determine value for money. 

Worked example 1:

Supplier A: charges £5000 Total Cost = £5000
Supplier B: charges £5000 plus £5000 'success payment' Total Cost = £10,000

In worked example 1, Supplier A provides best value for money if a place on a Government framework is guaranteed.

If a bid is for sole supply, this would be a commercial decision based on the merits of Supplier A and Supplier B in terms of the bid writing services offered, experience and skill. 

Worked example 2: 

Supplier A: charges £5000 Total Cost = £5000
Supplier B: charges £3500 plus £1500 'success payment' Total Cost = £5,000

In worked example 2, as both total costs are the same, Supplier B is perceived to offer best value for money as the initial cost is lower than Supplier A and the remaining payment is deferred to a later date. 

Worked example 3: 

Supplier B Option 1 : charges £5000 Total Cost = £5000
Supplier B Option 2 : charges £3500 plus £2500 'success payment' Total Cost = £6,000

In worked example 3, Option 2 is £1000 more expensive than Option 1. This approach factors in the risk that Supplier B is taking by allowing the buyer to delay the success payment. 

A 'success payment' is both good and bad for bid writers and bid writing companies.

The benefit of the 'success payment' approach is the customer thinks they are getting a great deal.

This is a useful tool for undercutting competitors by delaying a percentage of the customers total charges.  

However, the bid writer and bid writing companies risks associated with the 'success payment' approach are the: 

1. Contract is never awarded.
2. Customer's business is insolvent, prior to the award of the contract. 
3. Customer fails to disclose they won the contract. 
4. Tender award is significantly delayed.
5. Additional administration costs. 

Bid writers and bid writing companies may balance risk by factoring additional profit into their charges as demonstrated by Supplier B in worked example 1 and 3. 

 

27. What do bid writers need from me?
​ 

Bid writers and bid writing companies work in different ways.

Generally, if a bid writer is writing your response they will need to understand more about you and your organisation, (the goods and services you sell), to answer the tender questions fully. 

This usually includes asking questions about how your business works and requesting company literature to help the bid writer understand who you are and what differentiates you from your competitors.

This may be achieved via the dictation method. For example, the bid writer asks you how you want to answer each tender question and includes your verbal response in your bid. 

A bid writer with existing industry knowledge is preferable to a bid writer with no industry knowledge, as prior industry knowledge will save you considerable time and hopefully money.

This is because the bid writer with existing industry knowledge will already know how to answer the tender questions and will be looking to obtain those differentiators or golden nuggets of information from YOU, to include in your bid. 

By choosing the right bid writer for the job from the start, you may avoid explaining the basics to the bid writer later. Their pre-existing understanding of your industry, may mean they only need to understand what makes your organisation unique, in order to sell you to the buyer. 

 

28. How to agree and confirm what you are buying  
​

​In the UK the bid writing market place is unregulated. This means anybody can operate as a bid writer or bid writing company.

No licence, qualifications or trade body membership are required to sell bid writing services in the UK.

You may therefore need to perform your own due diligence checks to ensure the company/individual is genuine. 
​
** The management of the contract with a bid writing company or bid writer, is crucial.

Before you hand over any money for bid writing services you may want to make sure you have a signed and dated agreement (between both parties) that provides, for example: 

• full details of the service,
• who will provide the service,
• when the service will start and end,
• how much the service will cost,
• when payment(s) will be made and 
• method of payment.

​
​Also, you may want to make sure you have an address (business or personal) not a PO Box number and that this is an address in the UK. 

​Regular review meetings to discuss the progress of the service may help to swiftly rectify any issues with service delivery.

 

29. Is the bid writing industry growing? 
​

The short answer is yes. As UK Government tenders get larger and more complex, it creates greater demand for professional bid writing services. Your competitors are already using a bid writer. 

​A tender that allows a bid writer to use their knowledge, skills, passion and enthusiasm to sell their clients business, is preferable to one that is tantamount to a box ticking exercise. 

Writing the same bid response to the same bid questions, day in day out, may make the bid writers job monotonous, boring, and could lead to complacency and mistakes. 

One solution may be to automate the bid writing process. In the future, it could be a machine who writes your bid and a machine who evaluates it.  

 

30. Summary 
​

When buying bid writing services, it is important to determine the credentials of both the bid writing company and/or the person writing the bid. 

​Firstly, do they exist and are they genuine and secondly, are they any good?
 
Once you have answered these questions, your decision may come down to personal choice.
 
Don't be pressured into signing a contract or handing over money to the first person you speak to. It could be a scam. 

If you receive an email telling you about the millions of pounds the Government wants to give you, you should proceed with caution. As the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

​If you want a bid writer or bid writing company to stop contacting you, click the unsubscribe button in the email and request (in writing) that they do not contact you again.

​If they continue to use bro-marketing tactics, you may choose to report them to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) who will investigate and may administer a fine. 

We hope that you found this guide useful and you feel informed, confident and ready to secure a professional bid writing service to help you win your next government tender.

If you don't feel this way and you still haven't found the bid writing service for you, you should contact us. 

Contact Us