List of figures
Preface to the fifth edition
01 Bidding to succeed
About this book
Guidelines to set you on course
Developing skills in bid writing
Market research and intelligence
02 Bidding for public sector contracts
The EU procurement framework
Key aspects of the procurement regulations
Outline of the procurement process
Priorities for the public sector
Bidding for project funding
03 Tendering for the private sector
Equal concern for value of money
04 Bidding for research funding
Tendering for EU-funded research
Essential do's and don'ts
Research council and government funding
Bidding for Lottery research funding
05 Tendering for international development contracts
World Bank
United Nations
06 Pre-qualifying for tender opportunities
Pre-qualification information
Guidance to get you ahead
07 Deciding whether or not to bid
Issues to consider
Risk assessment
08 Analysing the tender documents
Points for checklists
09 Managing the bid
Planning and coordination
Document management and version control
Programming production and delivery
Checking bid quality
Bringing together resources and inputs
Using a bid development worksheet
Maintaining bid records
10 Talking to the client
11 Bidding in partnership
Guidelines for association
Overseas bids: teaming up with local associates
12 Thinking the work through
Get the measure of the work
Match technical content and price
Recognize and manage risk
Reduce the risk of contract failure
13 Developing and writing the bid
Structuring the bid
Thinking different
Commenting on the tender documents
Bid letters
Summarizing the bid
Response matrix
Bid development timeline
Creating the text
Editing the bid
14 Explaining approach and method
Writing method statements
Structuring the work plan
15 Focusing on contract management
Team management and resources
Management interface
Quality management
16 Defining outcomes and deliverables
Contract deliverables
17 Communicating added value
18 Presenting CVs
Management of CVs
Standardizing CV format and structure
Basic structure for CVs
Résumé
19 Describing professional experience
Client references
Project summaries and case studies
Bringing experience to life
20 Making good use of graphics
Types of bid graphics
Guidelines for effective graphics
Design software
The bid cover
Bid design and page layout
21 Stating your price
Components of price information
Cost assumptions
Payment
Separate financial proposals
Best practice in dealing with price
Financial information in research bids
22 Electronic and hard-copy submission
Electronic submission
The submission process
Hard-copy production
Packaging and delivery
23 Understanding how clients evaluate tenders
Evaluation criteria in public sector procurement
Methods of evaluating bids
Questions clients ask
Learning from success and failure
Evaluation of research proposals
24 Presentations to clients
Planning and making the presentation
Visual aids
Pitfalls to avoid
25 True stories
And the moral of these stories?
Postscript: Tough talk from clients
Index