Write a technical bid that gets through

The technical bid shows you know how to do what the buyer asks and have the means to do it. A committee does not read your bid the way a client reads a brochure. It compares it, point by point, with a grid. Your goal is not to write fine prose, but to make it easy for the committee to give you each point or declare you compliant.

The grid first

Before writing a line, open the tender file and find the section on evaluation. There are two cases:

• Compliant or not. Common for works and supplies. Every requirement is checked, and one serious gap can eliminate the bid.
• A score. Common for consulting, and sometimes for other contracts. Each criterion earns points, generally with a minimum score to reach.

In both cases the rule is the same:

• Answer in the grid's order. If it starts with experience, your bid starts with experience. Your standard outline does not matter here.
• Reuse its words. If the file says "similar contracts", do not write "achievements". A scorer reading many bids is looking for their own words.
• Give each part its weight. A heavily weighted criterion deserves more work than a minor one.
• Read what eliminates. Disqualifying criteria come before everything. A fine methodology does not make up for a missing reference.

The compliance matrix

This is the most useful table in your preparation. List each requirement in the file, where you answer it and with what proof. It is first an internal check: an empty line is a hole in the bid. If the file does not forbid it, also place it at the start of the bid, because it helps the scorer.

Here is a fictional example:

File's requirement	Where in the bid	Proof attached	Status
Two similar contracts	Section 2, page 8	Certificates of good performance	Ready
Experienced works manager	Section 3, page 14	Signed CV and diploma	Diploma to copy
Dump truck	Section 4, page 18	Rental agreement	To sign
Schedule within the required time	Section 5, page 21	Schedule attached	Ready

References

What counts as "similar". The file defines it, generally by nature, amount and sometimes period or complexity. Read that definition word for word. A small contract is not similar to one ten times larger, even in the same trade. An old reference may fall outside the period asked for.

What proves a reference. A line in your list proves nothing. The committee expects a document from the client:

• The certificate of good performance (attestation de bonne exécution), signed by the client, saying what was done, when, for what amount and with what result. This is the strongest proof.
• The acceptance record (procès-verbal de réception), which proves the work was accepted.
• The contract or purchase order, which proves the commitment but not the delivery. It serves as a complement, and rarely alone, unless the file accepts it.

Present each reference the same way: client and contact, subject, amount, dates, your role and your share if you were in a joint venture. A committee may call the client. The contact must answer, and must remember you.

If you have few references. Pick fewer but the closest, and prove them well. Use private contracts with a client's certificate, and your subcontracts with a certificate from the main contractor, if the file accepts them. Be careful with the manager's experience gained at a former employer: it shows competence on their CV, but it is not a reference for the firm. Ask for a certificate at the end of every contract, even a small one: six months later the signatory may have moved on.

Staff and equipment

Staff. Fill in the file's CV template if there is one. Have the person sign and date it, and attach the diplomas requested. The committee compares training, years of experience and similar posts with the profile asked for. It also notices when the same person appears on another site on the same dates, or when a CV contradicts a diploma. Only propose people who have agreed and will be available. Someone listed without their consent and absent at the start can cost you the contract.

Equipment. The file often separates what you own from what you rent. Attach proof: registration papers, purchase invoices, rental agreements, or promises to rent where accepted. Check the papers are in your name or your partner's, and that the dates hold up. Many committees will not accept a bare list without proof.

Method and schedule

Method. Show you read this contract and not another. Talk about the site, the difficulties you spotted and how you deal with them. Say who does what, in what order, with what quality checks, and how you handle safety and the environment if the file scores them.

Schedule. It must fit within the file's time limit, starting from the start order or whichever starting point it states. It must also agree with the rest of the bid: equipment present when needed, staff available, supply times, rainy season, customs. A schedule that runs past the required period can be enough to eliminate the bid, and a committee is also wary of one too perfect to be true.

The quality of the file

A bid that is hard to read loses points, and it hides proof the scorer cannot find.

• Contents and tabs. Follow the order the file asks for. Add a table of contents and dividers.
• Page numbers. Number every page, including appendices. If the file requires a particular numbering, follow it.
• Signatures and initials. Sign where the file requires, and initial each page if asked. The signatory must have authority to bind the firm: attach a power of attorney if it is not the manager.
• Forms as given. Use the file's templates. Change neither their structure nor their wording. Fill in every box and write "not applicable" rather than leaving a blank.
• Original and copies. Make sure they are identical. The file generally says which prevails.

Variants

A variant is a technical solution other than the one asked for. Only offer one if the file's data sheet allows it, and in the form provided. In that case you nearly always have to submit the base bid as well. At best, an unauthorised variant is ignored. At worst, it gets the bid rejected.

Generic text

Part of your text will recur from one bid to the next, and that is normal. The problem is text that does not talk about this contract. Scorers spot it quickly, and a general methodology note earns little. The worst is a badly checked copy and paste: another buyer's name, another site, another time limit. It casts doubt on everything else. Before submitting, search the file for the names of your past contracts.

Do not use another firm's text either. Two bids with identical passages can raise suspicion of collusion.

If your firm is small or young

A limited history is not always the end. There are three honest ways to make up for it:

• A joint venture. Team up with a firm that brings the references or turnover you lack. You gain capacity, and a shared reference for later. Each member carries liability: see Joint ventures and subcontracting.
• A specialist subcontractor. For a specialised part, a declared subcontractor can bring the know-how. The file says whether its experience counts, and how far.
• A smaller lot. Aim for lots or contracts where your references are truly similar. A strong bid on a small lot is better than a fragile one on a large lot, and it earns you one more certificate.

What next

The technical bid says what you will do. The financial bid says at what price: see Price your financial bid. Before you submit, reread The mistakes that eliminate you.