I can’t count how many times I have uttered the words “its not a lucky dip”. You don’t get more chances of winning by entering more. Winning bids is rarely about luck. Instead a winning bid strategy comes from creating a document which communicates clarity and trust. You are always looking to show all of your best bits within the written proposal to persuade and nurture the client through to closing.

If you’ve ever submitted a proposal which you thought was perfect but it didn’t result in a win, you are not alone. You simply failed to convey your true value in the way the client was looking for. This is simply a learning experience. Lets look at all of the ways in which you can increase your chances of winning the next opportunity.

1. Know the Client Better Than Your Competitors

The most obvious first step is to always know your client as much a you can. The secret to winning is that there is no secret. Do a better job that everyone else and you’ve cracked it. Winning proposals understand the clients motivations, pressures, risks and ultimate desired outcomes. All of which is possible because the supplier took the time to research and understand the client. When this action isn’t taken, the result almost always is failure.

A client can very easily tell the difference between a well crafted proposal which understands their business, has taken the time to refine their approach. Compared to one which has just made up the answers on the spot. The answer to this is obvious, yet somehow it still needs stating.

Start with the research:

Find out as much as you can about the client
Know their needs & requirements
Analyse corporate plans, policies, news reports, podcasts, videos
Understand what success looks like in their eyes (very important)

Winning bids means translating information into clear understanding. You can’t simply answer questions as they are written, you need to interpret, explain your solution with their needs in mind.

2. Offer a Solution, Not a Description of Your Services

There is a common mistake in some organisations, where they choose to write about themselves instead of the problem they are trying to solve. Remember, clients buy outcomes not services. Make your proposal stand out from the rest, by answering some of the following questions (in your own head) clearly and early:

What problem are we solving and is it clear?
How are we going to do this?
Why would this be a good fit for the client?
Would this want them to work with us?

The proposal should always read like a partnership directory. Detailing the challenge, solution and success criteria on offer. It should not look or read like a book. Instead it should be easy to read. Clearly set out. And communicate effectively. This means active use of visuals, diagrams, tables and more. Use as many ways as possible to demonstrate the information you want to convey to the greatest effect.

3. Provide Proof, Not Promises

Clients are risk-averse. There will need to be some convincing before they say yes. Long before you are awarded the work, they want to see evidence and proof in difference ways before they say yes. Some of the easiest and most powerful forms of proof include:

Measurable results from similar projects
Testimonials or client endorsements
Case studies with clear outcomes
Independent certifications, accreditations, or awards
Repeat client relationships
Quantifiable improvements which are accurate (e.g., “reduced downtime by 14%”)

Vague claims aren’t going to cut it. “We’re the best in our field” - that’s nice but I don’t believe you. Instead go in with a statement such as “We completed Project X two weeks ahead of schedule, achieving a 97% satisfaction score”. Show them the evidence if you want to win the work. But equally make sure it is rooted in fact and you can prove it.

An image of a detective holding a magnifying glass in the top image with a cork board detailing clues, and questions in the second image.

4. Make Your Proposal Easy to Read

This is such an obvious requirement which I touched upon earlier, but also one which needs repeating. It is not always the bid which hits every point in the evaluation criteria which wins the work. Often it is the one which is the easiest to read. Because this is a game of clarity after all.

The buyer and evaluator are always looking for structure and ease. They will have reviewed hundreds of bids (if not more) and be quite experienced in spotting the winners from the losers. They can spot the fluff and waffle from a mile off. If you don’t know the answer, admit it instead of trying to fudge the fact.

Make it easy on yourself and the evaluator:

Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to break up text.
Keep paragraphs short and purposeful.
Use consistent formatting throughout.
Include a clear executive summary that covers your best bits.

Your bid is a little bit like a user-guide to a new product which your client has never used before. Make it as easy as possible to learn everything they need to make a decision about you. It is in your best interest after all. Readability is a strategy in itself.

5. Risk Compliance Should Be Obvious

All projects have some element of risk. The problem comes when the client has to search for the detail. In this case, it won’t end well for you. The client expects this area of the proposal to be clear and simple. State any risks up front, it shows you are aware of them and have already anticipated the risks to the contract. It shows the client you are many things but mostly informed and responsible.

A good way to show expertise in this area is to offer detailed documentation as part of the supporting documents This might include:

Mitigation strategies
Contingency plans
Risk Assessments and Method Statements

Showing that you have already spotted potential issues and have solutions in place, reduces any perceived risk the buyer may have, enhancing the scoring potential within this area.

6. Value Matters

Value and price are very different. All suppliers should always be looking to demonstrate value in their problem solving. Too many people still think price and technical win a bid, and even cherry pick in this regard, focusing on these areas over others, almost exclusively. When these kind of high-value opportunities have long been won on the basis of quality - does the buyer believe you, has trust been established - for example.

Many opportunities are now won on Best Value which is rarely about the financial cost and concerns other factors such as:

Quality
Innovation
Efficiency
Reduced risk
Sustainability
Social value

If you are not the cheapest, you need to justify your value confidently. Demonstrate the cost from not choosing your organisation as the preferred supplier. This can be actioned through the value you demonstrate at various points of the proposal. The client will always pay more for a confident certainty in the information provided, due to the higher confidence which comes as a result.

7. No Copy & Paste But Do Tailor

It is always a hard no to copy & paste but do re-use previous information to tailor to the needs of every opportunity. So how does this differ? When it is a straight up copy and paste job there is no tailoring to the bespoke questions of the proposal. Instead there is just writing what you think they want to receive, based on what you have written previously. Which really isn’t the point. Clients will always know the difference. Generic text is very obvious, a winning proposal is always custom made.

Key areas to focus upon include: tone, evidence, examples, team dynamics, compliance, risk management, outcomes. Templates can be a good idea, but a tailored approach to a winning proposal is always the best plan.

8. Evaluation Criteria Rules

There is often some disagreement between adhering to the evaluation criteria and the development of bid themes/drivers. My own approach is one of the scoring matrix being the instruction manual which determines the base level information which is needed. The evaluation criteria is where I start. The bid win themes and drivers are where the proposal is really developed.

For each criteria, I am always looking to consider:

What the client wants to see as an ideal answer
Matching the answers directly to the criteria
Mirroring the language used by the client
Hitting all criteria set - truly understanding what is asked

Good writing is great, but high-scoring writing will win you business. There is a difference.

9. Executive Summary Drives Results

The executive summary is often overlooked or seen as something of an after thought. When realistically it should be your lead document. Often it is the only part of the proposal which will be read in full. This should be the one which shows your best bits. All the things about your business which you want to shout from the rooftops, should be present here. Usually a 1 page document which demonstrates what can be found in more detail throughout the main proposal document. When this is done well, the wins come much more easily. Ultimately, it needs to set the tone, give a great first impression and show the evaluators the overall picture before diving in to uncover the detail.

The focus much like the entire proposal should focus on: client need and challenges, highlighting key outcomes, showing them what success looks like from their perspective as well as demonstrating how your organisation is the obvious choice. If this is the only page the evaluator reads - what do you want it to say?

Cat holding a purple speaker phone wearing purple glasses. Demonstrating the idea that we should be shouting from the rooftops about how great our business is in the executive summary, if we want to deliver a winning proposal.

10. Review And Refine

No proposal is ever written on the first draft. For myself I probably edit and refine 10-20 times on average. I know a proposal is ready to send when I know that no improvements can be made. The review stage should always include checks relating to clarity, accuracy, consistency, compliance, formatting and crucially evidence.

I always like to have someone in the organisation to fact check and review the final document. Usually this is someone outside the business development function and often a stickler for detail. You need someone who is not afraid to speak their mind, and point out failings. When you have this element of good quality control you turn a good proposal into a great one.

What Next?

Winning your next bid or proposal for high-value work you will need to follow steps 1 to 10 as described above. There is unfortunately no magic formula. Every opportunity is different. Crucially it is about understanding the needs and challenges of the client, knowing how your solution aligns in order to fix the problem, which communicates well with the evaluator in mind. A winning bid should always be strategic, clear, confident, credible and client-centred. If you stick to these guiding principles, you will soon see an uplift in your bid performance.

HOW CAN I WIN MY NEXT BID?