{"id":1630,"date":"2018-01-17T07:00:49","date_gmt":"2018-01-17T12:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projectcalls.com\/?p=1630"},"modified":"2018-01-16T10:22:50","modified_gmt":"2018-01-16T15:22:50","slug":"3-key-reasons-why-your-submissions-fail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/3-key-reasons-why-your-submissions-fail\/","title":{"rendered":"3 key reasons why your tender submissions fail"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Responding to tenders and project opportunities is part of the life of being a consultant or contractor of goods or services. Preparing submissions can take considerable time and effort to complete, and it can be disheartening if \u2013 at the very least \u2013 that effort is not rewarded with favourable consideration.<\/p>\n<p>Although it goes without saying that this independent worker space has become increasingly competitive \u2013 even in the Caribbean \u2013 and so you cannot win all opportunities you bid on, a short survey of firms that regularly invite and review submissions has revealed that many submissions tend to get rejected early in the review process. Here, we outline the top three observations, which may be the reason why your submissions do not make the cut.<\/p>\n<h3>1.\u00a0 Instructions are not followed<\/h3>\n<p>Although most tender requests include phrases such as, \u201c<strong><em>Please follow the instructions provided<\/em><\/strong>\u201d, all too often, the instructions are not followed. As a result, and for example,<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Referral letters or letters of recommendatiion are not included<\/li>\n<li>Warranties and guarantees are not included<\/li>\n<li>Technical and financial proposals are not placed in separate envelopes<\/li>\n<li>Submissions are not labelled as instructed, e.g. copies of submissions have not been identified, and envelopes are not addressed as specified, or<\/li>\n<li>The required copies of the submissions are not provided.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If the tender is especially competitive and a number of bids have been received, the bid evaluators may be inclined to be more stringent in ensuring that the specified requirements have been met, and use them as a way of thinning down the submissions that will be subject to a more detailed review.<\/p>\n<p>To a considerable degree, these issues are simple fixes through more careful preparation of the submission. In that regard, it may be useful to create a checklist of all the information and documents that must be supplied. Such an approach is especially useful when there are lots of instructions, and\/or preparation of the submission is quite involved.<\/p>\n<h3>2.\u00a0 Submissions are poorly prepared<\/h3>\n<p>No matter how capable you (and your team) might be, if that capability is not clearly presented, the chances are slim that you will win the contract. The surveyed firms complained of poor quality proposals, noting that they tend to be poorly prepared, with poorly organized content.<\/p>\n<p>A simple remedy that is frequently overlooked, is the inclusion of a table of contents, especially for lengthy submissions. Further, and noting that through your proposals you are presenting a first impression of yourself, your team and\/or your business, do take the time to organize the material that is being presented, to make it easy to read and evaluate.<\/p>\n<h3>3.\u00a0 The core requirements are\u00a0not satisfied<\/h3>\n<p>Depending on the project requirements, core and secondary requirements may be specified, either explicitly, or can be inferred from the scores or weights assigned to each criterion.\u00a0 Although those requirements might appear to be an impossible wish list, and thus a suggestion of the desired skills and capabilities, they should not be ignored.<\/p>\n<p>When reviewing a tender to decide whether to respond, carefully consider the extent to which you and\/or your team satisfy the project requirements, especially the key ones. Further, and should the process allow, that would also be the time to determine whether to partner with others, to build a stronger team, and consequently, a more winning submission.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>(Photo:\u00a0\u00a0<a class=\"owner-name truncate\" title=\"Go to Ryan Lane's photostream\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/futileboy\/\" data-track=\"attributionNameClick\" data-rapid_p=\"30\">Ryan Lane<\/a>\u00a0\/ flickr)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Responding to tenders and project opportunities is part of the life of being a consultant or contractor of goods or services. Preparing submissions can take considerable time and effort to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":2222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[175],"tags":[128,131,133,130,132,113],"class_list":["post-1630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tips","tag-bids","tag-expressions-of-interest","tag-lists","tag-proposals","tag-quotations","tag-tenders"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Rejected-stamp-Ryan-Lane-flickr.jpg?fit=612%2C401&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6u9Qa-qi","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4350,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/5-reasons-to-make-attending-a-pre-bid-meeting-a-priority\/","url_meta":{"origin":1630,"position":0},"title":"5 reasons to make attending a pre-bid meeting a priority","author":"Michele Marius","date":"February 7, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It does not happen every time, but depending on the project, prospective bidders will be invited to a pre-bid meeting. This meeting, which might also be called a site visit or pre-proposal meeting, is usually scheduled a week or two after the initial request for bids or proposals has been\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Tips&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Tips","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/tips\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Invitation-card-diapicard-Pixabay.jpg?fit=960%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Invitation-card-diapicard-Pixabay.jpg?fit=960%2C768&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Invitation-card-diapicard-Pixabay.jpg?fit=960%2C768&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Invitation-card-diapicard-Pixabay.jpg?fit=960%2C768&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18782,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/rda-to-host-procurement-workshop-to-solicit-stronger-tender-submissions\/","url_meta":{"origin":1630,"position":1},"title":"RDA To Host Procurement Workshop To Solicit Stronger Tender Submissions","author":"Mayra Bonilla Lopez","date":"October 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"British Virgin Islands For one day only, the Recovery and Development Agency will host a procurement workshop aimed at improving contractors and supplier\u2019s capacity to effectively respond to general bidding opportunities as well as for projects financed by the Government of the Virgin Islands, and the Caribbean Development Bank. Acting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Articles&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pexels-thirdman-8469988-scaled-e1633656504339.jpg?fit=1156%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pexels-thirdman-8469988-scaled-e1633656504339.jpg?fit=1156%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pexels-thirdman-8469988-scaled-e1633656504339.jpg?fit=1156%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pexels-thirdman-8469988-scaled-e1633656504339.jpg?fit=1156%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/pexels-thirdman-8469988-scaled-e1633656504339.jpg?fit=1156%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12740,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/procurement-body-continuing-to-blacklist-contractors-over-falsified-submissions\/","url_meta":{"origin":1630,"position":2},"title":"Procurement body continuing to blacklist contractors over falsified submissions","author":"Michele Marius","date":"May 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Public Procurement Commission (PPC) is continuing to blacklist contractors over the supply of false information and it remains hopeful that the penalty will deter others bidding for state contracts from breaching public tendering regulations. \u201cThe PPC hopes that it will serve as a deterrent because it is not fair\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News\/Developments&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News\/Developments","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/newsdevelopments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Unacceptable-cross-red-blue-paper-crumpled-Gerd-Altmann-Pixabay-.jpg?fit=1024%2C724&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Unacceptable-cross-red-blue-paper-crumpled-Gerd-Altmann-Pixabay-.jpg?fit=1024%2C724&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Unacceptable-cross-red-blue-paper-crumpled-Gerd-Altmann-Pixabay-.jpg?fit=1024%2C724&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Unacceptable-cross-red-blue-paper-crumpled-Gerd-Altmann-Pixabay-.jpg?fit=1024%2C724&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5834,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/doing-business-in-belize-a-procurement-perspective\/","url_meta":{"origin":1630,"position":3},"title":"Doing Business in Belize: A Procurement Perspective","author":"Michele Marius","date":"June 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"An interesting event went unnoticed this past week. 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It was organized with the objective of sensitizing suppliers, contractors and service providers of available procurement opportunities under its Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News\/Developments&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News\/Developments","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/newsdevelopments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Procurement-in-handwriting-The-Blue-Diamond-Gallery.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Procurement-in-handwriting-The-Blue-Diamond-Gallery.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Procurement-in-handwriting-The-Blue-Diamond-Gallery.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Procurement-in-handwriting-The-Blue-Diamond-Gallery.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4913,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/pros-and-cons-of-responding-to-a-project-opportunity\/","url_meta":{"origin":1630,"position":4},"title":"Pros and cons of responding to a project opportunity","author":"Michele Marius","date":"March 21, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Consider this scenario. You have going through the latest project listings you received by email from Project Calls, and there is at least one project opportunity that has piqued your interest. You review the requirements, but you are not sure whether to prepare and submit a response. Below we have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Tips&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Tips","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/tips\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Horizontal-weights-scale-nuts-domeckopol-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Horizontal-weights-scale-nuts-domeckopol-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Horizontal-weights-scale-nuts-domeckopol-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Horizontal-weights-scale-nuts-domeckopol-Pixabay.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10631,"url":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/important-re-submission-of-tender-expressions-of-interest-service-provider\/","url_meta":{"origin":1630,"position":5},"title":"IMPORTANT: Re-Submission Of Tender\/ Expressions Of Interest \/ Service Provider","author":"Michele Marius","date":"October 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre is inviting Consultants \/ Service Providers that submitted an interest, or any related query \/ clarification, between\u00a0July 15, 2019 and September 27, 2019, in relation to any of the following specified tender opportunities, to\u00a0forward previous communication (showing the initial submission date) to the email\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News\/Developments&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News\/Developments","link":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/category\/newsdevelopments\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Notice-Marker-Hand-Nick-Youngson-Alpha-Stock-Images.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Notice-Marker-Hand-Nick-Youngson-Alpha-Stock-Images.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Notice-Marker-Hand-Nick-Youngson-Alpha-Stock-Images.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Notice-Marker-Hand-Nick-Youngson-Alpha-Stock-Images.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1630"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4158,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630\/revisions\/4158"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projectcalls.com\/dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}