Minimising the Cost of the Procurement Process for Suppliers Florence Gregg figpc ltd E:

Tendering costs money! Don’t use “scattergun” approach Don’t submit a tender because you think you should ‘show interest’ Do pick the opportunities that you can win © figpc ltd May 2010

Preparation work: Have templates and documents ready  Health and Safety  Environmental  Equality and Diversity  Insurance certificates - current In full and in summary Make sure they’re signed and up-to-date © figpc ltd May 2010

At the beginning: Identify opportunities that you could win Read the documents  Look for key words Must, shall, evidence, demonstrate, similar  Look for key dates Identify tasks - who doing what © figpc ltd May 2010

Understand: What is required How the tender will be evaluated The completion instructions  “Not more than 3 A4 pages”  “Using Arial 11”  “3 projects completed within the last 3 years”  “Similar scope, complexity” © figpc ltd May 2010

Drafting responses Aim to complete at least a week before submission date Make it read as/look like a single document Read and answer the questions asked  Personalise your response Make it relevant to the client Beware of ‘cut and paste’ © figpc ltd May 2010

Tender submission Have time to check and re-check docs Make them look professional Don’t leave your submission to the last moment Don’t stuff that’s not asked for! E-tendering – double check before clicking on ‘Submit’ © figpc ltd May 2010

Presentations Make sure you’ve read the submission! Take the team  Let them all speak Don’t argue with the panel Follow the instructions  10 minute presentation means 10 minutes Understand their purpose © figpc ltd May 2010

Afterwards Read the standstill notification  You’ve ‘won’ – wait to celebrate!  You’ve lost – read the standstill letter New – relative advantages and characteristics  Decide what you want to do Seek a ‘traditional’ debrief  Understand how to do better next time © figpc ltd May 2010

Any Questions? © figpc ltd May 2010