Tenders & bids top tips

Some of these tenders require a submission by pdf, others by submitting hard copies of your bid. Either way, If you have been involved in tendering for new business opportunities, you will already understand the importance of drawing together your tender documents and presenting them in such a way that your business stands out from the competition and leaves a lasting impression

At Photoline, we specialise in helping companies produce custom printed presentation documents with a wide range of hi-end print solutions, specifically for use in tenders and bid opportunities. The advancements in digital printing technology now allow bespoke, outstanding quality presentation materials to be printed in low volumes (even just one-offs) super fast and affordable. We like to think that we have learnt a thing or two about the presentation of tenders over the last 30 years in business, and hope that our top tender preparation tips help you and your business gain the competitive edge:

FIND YOUR TENDER OPPORTUNITY

There are a number of ways that you can find tenders and contracts your business can compete in. You may find using a subscription service is useful (Try Tenders Direct or B2B Quote) It may also be worth searching databases such as TED (Tenders European Daily) and Contracts Finder or local authority portals such as NEPO. There are hundreds on offer and be prepared to spend a lot of time researching the most suitable opportunities for your business size and type.

CHECK YOUR BUSINESS IS READY

Prior to making a serious commitment, be sure to understand how this tender opportunity fits within your business model and capabilities. Do you have the required business credentials? What are your business strengths & weaknesses? It is vital that you are honest with yourself at this stage. Are you ready?

PREPARE A PLAN

At the very beginning, read all the tender documentation very carefully. Create a timeline to allow enough time before the submission deadline. Decide who will do what, when? Allocate roles & responsibilities. If the bid is required as hard copy, think about how you will present the finished document right from the beginning. You want the printed presentation to reflect the quality of the content inside. Your trusted print provider will be able to advise you on how you can achieve the WOW factor for your document, print options and time frames so that you know how long you need to allow for this crucial stage of the process.

CONSIDER CUSTOM PRINTED PRESENTATION MATERIALS

If you have large volumes of information to present consider using custom printed ring binders to showcase your tender. Here at Photoline we specialise in producing bespoke printed ring binders and presentation folders for a wide range of clients across the UK.

 
These binders are made in- house from scratch and printed full colour inside and out and printed with text, logos and images of your choosing at incredible quality and superfast by our team at Photoline. These binders are also laminated with a matt or gloss finish depending on your preference and are available in a range of different spine widths and binder sizes, including landscape options. We can also produce matching custom printed tab dividers to create a tabbed index system to ensure that your tender looks tidy and is easy to navigate.

Our custom printed tab dividers are printed on 250gsm or 300gsm matt or silk environmental paper and again matt or gloss laminated, to create a professional and hi-end look.

And because we also operate a specialised small run printing service on these bespoke presentation items you can order any quantity of custom printed ring binders or tab dividers, even just one if that’s all you need! For more information please visit our custom printed binder page, custom & printed tab dividers page, or get in touch.