TENDERS.7 common mistakes Contractors make

when tendering for jobs.

“Assisting

contractors to

secure local jobs"

CONTENTS

1

2

3

4

Checklists

Quotation forms

Submission covers part of job requirements

Contact & Company Information

CONTENTS

5

6

7

8

Equipment & Insurance

Support Documentation

Submitting the final document

Where to now?

2015 will be the year of infrastructure

spending. Is your business positioned to take

advantage of this?

Too many Contractors' tenders are eliminated

before being considered.

Despite many Councils & business adopting a

"Buy Local" policy, Contractors still lose out on

jobs because of incorrect tender submissions.

So what are the most common mistakes?

INTRO

Local government and bureaucrats are risk adverse.

They want to ensure the contractor they select has all

the appropriate documentation.

Stand in their shoes - with all the corruption

investigations, local council needs to be careful about

following published rules of submission.

Because of this, without the correct documentation,

your application is rejected before it is even

considered. Make sure you answer all the questions

requested.

Usually a checklist is provided for documentation -

including insurance certificates, trading entity

(company, sole trader etc), equipment list. Make sure

you leave no detail out of the submission.

Mistake 1:Checklists

A tender is not a standard private quotation and

should be approached differently.

Government can provide ongoing contracts and

reliable payments - so it is worth putting in the extra

effort/cost associated with a winning tender.

Too often I have seen local contractors submit their

standard quotation form without the supplementary

documentation. Whilst this may save time and be

convenient - this will immediately eliminate your

business from consideration.

Pricing needs to be competive, but also needs to

factor in compliance costs (insurances etc). Be

realistic. Decisions are not always based on price -

they are also based on capacity to deliver.

Mistake 2:QuotationForms

If your business is not large enough to cover the full

tender requirements, look to partnering with other

contractors to submit a complete tender. You will

need to sort out who the lead contractor is, for

communication and payments, along with

insurances etc.

Formalise the arrangement with a simple agreement

between contractors to ensure everyone is clear

about communication, accountability and

equipment.

Be transparent in the application about the

arrangement. Lack of transparency will eliminate

your application.

Mistake 3:Part Submission

To ensure your business is not eliminated from the

outset, make sure all contact and corporate details

are correctly provided.

This is tedious and time consuming - however it can

make the difference between landing the contract and

being eliminated.

Tender administrators will check your ABN or your

ACN - so if you have made a mistake with this

reference, your tender submission will be eliminated.

Make sure all the contact information for your

business is listed correctly and that you are easily

contactable!

Mistake 4:Contact Info

Full disclosure and images of equipment should be

included in the submission.

Don't expect the assessors of the tender to know the

equipment / machinery by name.

Equipment to be used as part of the tender needs to

be fully insured. You will also need public liability and

worker's compensation insurance, and possibly

professional indemnity - this will be outlined in the

tender documents.

Make sure you submit certificates as part of the

application process.

Mistake 5:Equipment&Insurance

Local government and bureaucrats are risk adverse.

A capacity statement about your business with clear

statements outlining safe work methods as sourced

from WorkCover - goes a long way. See the OHSE

Subby Pack and other Work Cover guides here.

Tender administrators want to be sure you have the

required management processes in place for

employing sub-contractors and dealing with

workplace issues.

Your website and social media profiles should align

with the information you are communicating in the

tender.....the tender administrators will check your

online profile.

Mistake 6:Support Document-ation

Don't submit an application with typos. Get someone

else to read it. Attention to detail reflects your ability

to deliver the details of the job being tendered for.

Provide references of jobs done, with full contact

details along with case study examples (with

pictures) to confirm your business' capacity to deliver

the required job.

The document should be well presented & complete.

And last - a deadline is a deadline. 5pm on a

specified date is just that. Late submissions will be

eliminated - even if you request an extension. In this

era of anti-corruption, an extension request could be

interpreted as favouritism by your competition.

Mistake 7:Submissionof finaldocument

Contractors need to make sure your business is

registered with the range of authorities in your area so

that you can receive upcoming tender opportunity

notifications.

You may need to submit an Expression of Interest to

be considered for future tenders.

“Affordable &

accessible support

for small business.

Initial consultation

FREE"KATE INGHAMPitchWise

info@pitchwise.com.au

www.pitchwise.com.au