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7 Ways to Improve Your Chances of Winning Landscape Design Tenders

Posted on by Kathryn Johansen

Have you been trying to win new landscape design tenders but not seeing results? Let us help!

When it comes to winning landscape design tenders, you may think you know how to write a winning response. But if you find yourself not getting the results you want, then you may need to rethink your tender processes.

We have gathered our six top tips on what you need to know to take your bid to the next level. Keep reading to find out more…

7 ways to improve your bid proposal when bidding for your next landscape design tender

Want to improve your chances of winning landscape design tenders? Then here are six tips to consider when writing your tender response: 

  1. Check you are eligible

Before you even begin to bid on a tender, you need to ensure you are in fact eligible. You don’t want to get half-way or all of the way through the process and find you can’t actually bid on the tender. Read through all of the tender documents carefully beforehand. Look for what the buyer is asking and if you can deliver this. Are there any accreditations you need? Is the buyer seeking something specific that is not included in your services? Is there a geographical range limit? Etc. Once you have read through everything carefully and have determined you are eligible, then start on your bid proposal.

  1. Understand your potential customer

When bidding on new landscape design tenders, the buyer will lay out the specification within the tender documents. Use this to your advantage. Go through the tender specifications thoroughly to fully understand what they are looking for. You need to know exactly what they require, down to the last detail. This includes:

  • Design details
  • Pricing
  • Deadlines
  • Material supply.

You will then be able to cater your answers accordingly, highlighting points that will stand out to the buyer.

  1. Create your proposal with design in mind

Once you have understood the buyer’s needs, the next step is to create your proposal.

When bidding for landscape design tenders, buyers will expect to see designs submitted as part of your proposal. These could be small, detailed drawings that will give insight into what the bigger design will look like. But potentially, they could ask for larger designs to be included also. They will want to see detailed specifications for each design. But also remember to design your whole proposal too. You are selling your landscape design services. Therefore, your design abilities should shine throughout your proposal. Unless stated otherwise, (i.e., a set bid design for submission) make your proposal look good to stand out.

  1. Prove your expertise

You want to show the buyers what you are capable of. Having a good design proposal needs to be backed up by case studies. You can’t just tell the buyer that you’re good at landscape design, you need to show them. Try to include at least two to three case studies and a portfolio of your work. This will show them your worth. It is also good to include any certifications/accreditations at this point that will also work in your favour.

  1. Site visits

What better way to understand the project specifications than with a site visit? With some landscape design tenders, the buyer may provide the opportunity to visit the site. Not only will this improve your knowledge of the specifications and the landscaping work. It also shows the buyer that you are a serious supplier to deal with. Showcasing that you know what you are talking about. Allowing you to assess the work effectively, to give a more accurate response on how you will deliver the project.

  1. Quotes from suppliers & subcontractors

If you are a company that uses subcontractors to deliver the work, then ensure you have accurate information. You need to be able to include their costs within your proposed budget. But you also need to ensure they will deliver what you are asking. Promising the buyer work and not being able to deliver due to your contractors/subcontractors not delivering will reflect badly.

  1. Check and check again

You should conduct final checks of your full tender submission. You don’t want to submit a bid proposal with typos, inaccurate information or incomplete designs. Be thorough with your proofing. It might even help to outsource bid support for this step, as a fresh pair of eyes can always help. You also need to ensure you are submitting your bid on time. Not meeting the submission deadline could show the buyer you’re unable to meet deadlines, which is not what you want.

Summary

If you’re looking to source new landscape design tenders, here are six tips to help you improve your bid response:

  • Check your eligibility
  • Understand your customer
  • Create your proposal with design in mind
  • Prove your expertise
  • Ask for a site visit
  • Ensure you get quotes from suppliers & subcontractors
  • Proofread your proposal thoroughly, then proof it again!

Need assistance when writing your next landscape design tender?

Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, has over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. We offer four bid writing support services that can help you win more landscape design tenders.  Whether you’ve never tendered before or need your response proofread before you submit – we can help.

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect tender for your business, why not send it over to us? Our Bid Writers can take care of it all for you. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is perfect for those who have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to make sure you have everything you need in place to tender successfully. The 4-week programme offers your business:

  • A 12-month subscription to Facilities Tenders
  • Access to our Global Bid Director and Senior Bid Writers
  • An organisation-wide Bid Library, including three case studies, 5 CVs and 8 policies.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing the results you want, our Tender Improvement package can help. The Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents, working with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to Facilities Tenders and additional tendering development services.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your tender response and need someone to double-check it for errors, Tender Mentor can help. Our Bid Team will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar, or spelling mistakes. They’ll also ensure that it’s in line with the specification before you submit it.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

Looking to source new landscape design tenders?

Then look no further than Facilities Tenders!

By signing up to Facilities Tenders, you will get:

  • Access to all exclusive, public, and private sector opportunities within your industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager is available to answer any questions you may have about landscape design tenders. They can help you understand the procurement process and answer any questions you have about the tendering process in general.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new, sector-specific opportunities are uploaded.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes of free consultancy with one of our Bid Consultants each month.

Here are just five past landscaping design tenders we have sourced on Facilities Tenders:

Design for Improvement, Supply & Fit – 4x Play Areas

Essex County Council – South East – Budget: £90,000

Urban Design (RIBA 3-5) Tender Forest Road Corridor E17 – Farnan Ave – Shernhall St

London Borough of Waltham Forest – London – Budget: £50,000

Landscape Design for AMIDS Core Site (Netherton Campus), Paisley

Renfrewshire Council – Scotland – Budget: £250,000

Southern Windermere Trail Section 2

Lake District National Park – North West – Budget: Undisclosed

Fellfoot Forward: Sharing Our Stories: Scheduled Monuments & Village Histories

Durham County Council – North East – Budget: Undisclosed

Why not save even more time with Discover Elite?

Upgrading to Discover Elite allows you to identify tender opportunities – even when you’re busy. Our two upgraded packages can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. Each can help save you even more time when searching for new landscaping design tenders.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Facilities and Transport, for example.
  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid strategy.
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities.

Contact us for further help and support to grow your business.

Join Facilities Tenders

We track opportunities for the following sub-sectors:

Book a free live demo today to see how you can grow your business and find new landscaping design tenders today!

How to win security contracts for tender

Posted on by Kathryn Johansen

Security Contracts for Tender: A Guide for Sourcing & Winning

Security contracts for tender are a staple in most contracting portals. From bodyguards to retail stores, there’ll always be a need for security services. With this in mind, we’ll look through some avenues for sourcing security contracts for tender. Alongside this, we’ll provide some tips to help you win your bids.

Where can I source security contracts for tender?

Of course, there’s contract finder, and numerous other websites to search through…

But there’s a better option.

Facilities Tenders is a straightforward portal that focuses on providing the best leads and tenders from the facility industries. We don’t use CPV codes, which can result in missed opportunities. Our Opportunity Trackers tirelessly source and upload tenders from hundreds of websites. Due to this, the tendering process is more streamlined for our users.

The portal allows you to:

  • Search all public and private sector opportunities as well as exclusive tenders that can only be found on our portal
  • Filter the results by keyword, location, budget and more.

This leads to a streamlined search for security contracts for tender.

The security tenders on our portal include:

  • Events security
  • Manned guarding
  • Access control
  • Car park attendants
  • CCTV
  • Intruder alarms.

Here are a few examples of security tenders we have previously sourced:

Security Services

Whitecross Road Citizen – West Midlands – Budget: Undisclosed

Security Services

Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office – London – Budget: £600k

Provision of Guarding Services

Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office – International – Budget: £600k

Security Contract

Bedford Borough Council – Eastern – Budget: £3.1 million

Security Services

NEUPC Ltd – Yorkshire and Humber – Budget: £14 million

We also track opportunities for the following sub-sectors:

Book a free live demo today to learn how we can grow your business!

5 tips to help you win security contracts for tender

The importance of a site visit

It goes without saying, but site visits are a must in writing your bid. Without one, you can’t possibly hope to detail the services you’ll provide to the buyer. Most, if not all, security contracts for tender will offer this option. It’s the best method for determining your costs and, without it, you’ll hinder your bidding efforts.

Proofreading and grammar

It doesn’t matter whether it’s security contracts for tender or any other contract, it’s imperative that your grammar is top-notch. The buyer won’t be impressed if they find that your grammar isn’t up to scratch. So, to avoid this, look over your work multiple times. Get a colleague to have a look. If the contract is important enough, outsource your proofreading to a Bid Writer to ensure a grammatical standard. We actually provide this service through ‘tender mentor’.

Qualifications and accreditations

Considering the high-risk factor within the security industry, qualifications are a must. Keeping and attaining relevant policies and regulations is simply vital.

This could include:

The importance of evidence

The last thing the buyer wants is a security company with no experience. This is where your case studies come into action. Testimonials are too important to exclude, as they can showcase your suitability. Experience that relates well to the tender is more helpful. If the buyer can see that you’ve handled high-risk situations in the past, then you’ll be thought of more favourably. For buyers, evidence is a priority, so it’s important that you get this sorted. On average, the buyer will want to see two or three case studies over the last three to five years.

Social Value

This aspect of bid writing is often an undervalued one and recognising its importance is vital. Ultimately, buyers want to see you advancing specific causes such as:

  • Supporting COVID-19 recovery
  • Reducing waste
  • Encouraging recycling
  • Creating new jobs or skills to tackle economic inequality
  • Supporting equality and diversity
  • The environmental considerations you have in place.

You may think that security contracts for tender wouldn’t include this, but it’s something buyers are looking for in suppliers. In fact, public sector buyers actually place a 10% weighting on social value, so it’s imperative that you’re prepared.

In summary

So, we’ve reached the conclusion of our blog on winning security contracts for tender. For those who need it, here’s a recap of everything we went through:

  • Methods for sourcing security contracts for tender- Some sources for finding security contracts
  • Some tips to help win security contracts- Points that’ll help you in writing good bids
  • Site Visits- An integral part of the bidding process that shouldn’t be avoided
  • Taking time to get proofreading and grammar right- One of, if not the most important aspect of writing your bid
  • Qualifications & accreditations- Without these, you simply won’t be able to appeal to the buyer’s needs
  • The importance of evidence- A solid bank of evidence can help secure a bid
  • Recognising the importance of social value- This is an important yet undervalued part of winning security contracts.

Need assistance when writing your next security tender?

We know how busy you are when running your own business. Buyers will always expect and look for a high-quality written response when they release a tender. Sometimes you just don’t have the time or resources in house to write a winning response. Outsourcing your next bid to tender writing experts can help you secure a pipeline of work for your business.

Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, has over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. We offer four bid writing support services that can help you win more security contracts. Whether you’ve never tendered before or need your response proofread before you submit – we can help.

Tender Writing

Once you’ve found the perfect tender for your business, why not send it over to us? Our Bid Writers can take care of it all for you. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full Tender Writing breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is perfect for those who have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to make sure you have everything you need in place to tender successfully. The 4-week programme offers your business:

  • A 12-month subscription to Facilities Tenders
  • Access to our Global Bid Director and Senior Bid Writers
  • An organisation-wide Bid Library, including 3 case studies, 5 CVs and 8 policies.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing the results you want, our Tender Improvement package can help. The Bid Team will assess your previous responses and tender documents, working with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to Facilities Tenders and additional tendering development services.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your tender response and need someone to double-check it for errors, Tender Mentor can help. Our Bid Team will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar or spelling mistakes. They’ll also ensure that it’s in line with the specification before you submit it.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

How to Bid on HVAC Service Contracts: 5 things to consider

Posted on by Kathryn Johansen

Everything you need to know about how to bid on HVAC Service Contracts

 Do you need some help with how to bid for HVAC service contracts?

 What should I include in my HVAC service contract?

 If you’re learning how to bid on HVAC Service contracts, you’ll be wondering what to include in your response.  Here’s what the buyer is looking for:

  • Business details
  • Service definitions
  • Pricing
  • Service modifications
  • Governance
  • Date and signature

5 things to consider

Now we can look at what you need to remember when it comes to bidding for HVAC service contracts. Here are 5 things to consider when bidding for HVAC contracts:

Certifications

The first point of contact you make with the buyer will be the bid. Demonstrate as many signs of credibility as possible. List all the certifications and accreditations you have gained. The more qualifications you have, the more reputable and experienced you will appear to the buyer.

Time management

 There are many deadlines throughout the duration of the tendering process. Be sure to note down deadline date or stay updated for any changes. It may affect your timings, register for notifications so you be alerted of any changes. Submitting your response or turning up to any pre-bid meetings late doesn’t look good for you. It will give the impression that you’re lazy and unprofessional and could cost you the bid.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing, you’ll need to figure to figure the following:

  • What materials will you need?
  • How long will it take to install and test the equipment?
  • Will you need to obtain any permits?
  • Will you need to meet any building inspectors at the site?

All these factors will contribute what you are planning to charge for your services. Remember, if you price too low, the buyer may question your legitimacy. Being the lowest bidder doesn’t always win you the contracts. However, if you price too high, the buyer will just opt for a cheaper bidder. Price your services just right.

Create added value

There are going to be a lot of people bidding for the same contract. Show the buyer what you can bring to the table that your competitors can’t. Make your response stand out and demonstrate why you’re the best for the job.

Your response should provide social value. This is how your service can ehance the community you’re working in such as:

  • Creating new jobs and promoting skills;
  • Encouraging economic growth;
  • Supporting COVID-19 recovery;
  • Tackling climate change, and;

Submitting the bid

The final thing to consider when it comes to how to bid for HVAC service contracts is submitting it. Be sure to follow any submission guidelines the buyer has listed. If you ignore the buyer’s instructions, you may lose marks or have your bid disqualified.

 Below are some HVAC services tenders sourced on our portal:

200048 – 031 Replacement HVAC – Expressions of Interest

Public Health England – South West – Budget: Undisclosed

COVID 19 MITIGATION FOR THE HEATING VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING (HVAC) AT HQ, SAFESIDE AND HAYMIILS FIRE STATION

West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority – West Midlands Budget: £220k

GB-Eastbourne: HVAC Controls DGH Phase 2

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust – South East Budget: £100k

GB-York: HVAC and Air Conditioning Planned Maintenance ITT

York St John University – Yorkshire and Humber Budget: £500k

HVAC Maintenance Services

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine – London Budget: £750k

Where to find HVAC Service Contracts?

A subscription to Facilities Tenders offers your business:

  • Access to all exclusive, public and private sector opportunities within the facilities management industry.
  • An on-hand Account Manager is available to answer any questions you may have about HVAC tenders. They can help you understand the procurement process and answer any questions you have about the tendering process in general.
  • A daily email bulletin sent straight to your inbox when new, sector-specific opportunities are uploaded.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes of free consultancy with one of our Bid Consultants each month.

We also track opportunities for the following sub-sectors:

Book a free live demo today to learn how we can grow your business!

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite allows you to identify tender opportunities – even when you’re busy. Our two upgraded packages can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. Each can help save you even more time when searching for utilities tenders.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Facilities and Logistics, for example.
  • A maximum of five tender breakdowns per month.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid strategy.
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable tendering opportunities

Contact us for further help and support for growing your business.

Need assistance with how to bid for HVAC service contracts?

You may not have the time or resources in house to write a winning tender response in house. Outsourcing to tender writing specialists can help you secure your next contract.

Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, provide four levels of bid writing support services. Our Bid Writers have over 60 years of collective bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. Whether you’re new to tendering or need your response proofread – we can help.

Tender Ready

Tender Ready is the perfect programme for those who are completely new to tendering. You’ll have access to an expert Bid Consultant to answer any questions that you may have. You’ll also get a year’s subscription to our Logistics Tenders portal.

Tender Improvement

If you have already been applying for tenders but aren’t seeing success our Tender Improvement package can help. Our Bid Writers will go over your previous submissions and provide feedback and guidance.

Tender Writing

Have you found the perfect courier delivery contract for your business but are struggling to start? Send it over to our Bid Writing team and they can write the whole response for you. If you use our Tender Writing service, they’ll even submit it on your behalf!

Tender Mentor  

Our Bid Writers can look over a bid response you’ve already written, checking it for errors before you submit. Sometimes you just need another pair of eyes to go over your response and our Tender Mentor service can help.