aria
When competing in procurement processes, especially in structured environments such as NSW government tenders, the clarity and precision of your submission can make the difference between winning and losing. One of the most common misconceptions that I see is that a proposal has to contain more information in order to be a strong bid. The fact is, evaluators are pressed for time, and they want to see clear, relevant answers that directly address the evaluation criteria. Superfluous information that does not help you prove your ability or compliance only irritates assessors and hurts your score.
Why Brevity Matters in Tender Writing
Procurement panels review dozens, sometimes hundreds, of submissions for open tenders. Their job is to measure your capability, compliance and value against specific criteria. The more irrelevant content there is, the more difficult it is for them to find the evidence they are looking for. This means that there is a greater chance that your key strengths will be missed.
By reducing irrelevant content, you:
- Help evaluators find the key answers they are looking for quickly and easily
- Send a message that you are professional and disciplined
- Prevent your key strengths from being buried in or diluted by generic text
- Increase the readability of your submission
Information You Should Exclude
- Irrelevant Company History
While context is important, many businesses include lengthy histories dating back decades. Unless the history directly relates to the buyer’s needs or demonstrates relevant experience, it is wasted space. Focus instead on recent, comparable projects and achievements.
- Unrequested Attachments
Procurement rules are strict. If the request for tender (RFT) or tender document template does not specifically ask for brochures, technical sheets, or promotional flyers, leave them out. Unsolicited documents can appear as though you are trying to bypass word limits or distract evaluators.
- Irrelevant Generic Marketing Material
Avoid using generic marketing statements that don’t directly address the buyer’s needs. Sentences such as “we are the industry leader” or “we deliver excellence” without proof or context will not persuade the buyer. They want to see the facts, the data, and the examples, not your marketing fluff.
- Unnecessarily Technical or Specialised Language
Unless the tender is highly specialised and specifically requires it, avoid using jargon and technical language that may not be easily understood by all evaluation panel members. As mentioned above, evaluation panels often include non-technical personnel. Therefore, if your submission is filled with impenetrable jargon that the average reader will not be able to understand, then it will not serve your case well.
- Unsubstantiated Claims
Make sure that any claims that you make in your submission are backed up with data, certifications, or references. If you include a claim like “we guarantee the lowest cost” or “we are the safest provider” but do not have any proof, then it will likely raise doubts about your credibility. Keep your claims measurable and verifiable.
- Irrelevant Personal Opinions or Anecdotes
Keep your submissions professional and factual. Do not include personal opinions, irrelevant side stories, or detailed descriptions of other projects that are not requested by the buyer and do not directly relate to their requirements.
- Confidential Client Information
If you include case studies in your submission, make sure that you are not breaching any client confidentiality agreements or including any information that the client would not want made public. This not only risks damaging your relationship with the client but also raises serious questions about your professionalism.
Following the Submission Outline
The majority of tenders are defined by strict question and answer formats, word and page limits, and presentation guidelines. In most cases, the introduction of unrequested information, or the reordering of information requested under a different criterion, can be very damaging to the overall evaluation of the submission. Evaluators are trained and advised to ‘only award marks against what has been asked’, so if the information has not been provided in the correct format, there is a high risk it will be overlooked completely, or even discounted as non-compliant.
To best assist the evaluation team in completing their evaluation process, follow the tender instructions. If it says:
- Experience, then provide examples for specific projects.
- Capability, then outline the resource, staff and systems you will utilise.
- Compliance, then refer to the applicable standards, certifications and policies you have in place.
Do not introduce a cover letter, letter of intent, or other sections just because you think it will make your submission ‘look more complete’. The most successful tenderers are the ones who understand how to best utilise the framework provided to them by the client, without missing the opportunity to add a little flair to their content.
Balancing Detail and Relevance
Volume does not always equal quality. A short, succinct, laser-focused answer to all of the criteria will always score higher than a long-winded, half-qualified response to some of the criteria, padded out with comments and commentary.
For example:
- Instead of providing a list of every single project your company has ever completed, add only the three most relevant, with their respective scope, outcome and client benefit.
- Instead of a 5-page summary of your safety policies, processes and procedures, list the most important safety processes you will have in place and attach only the certificates they have requested.
- Instead of a description of every member of your staff, provide an introduction to only the people who will be working on the project.
The Risks of Including Useless Information
Respondents may think that adding more content is an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, experience and expertise, but it can often have the opposite effect. Some of the risks of including unnecessary content include:
Evaluator overwhelm – too much content causes evaluators to skim content, and important points may be missed.
Score reduction – answers that do not directly answer the question can be scored as such.
Non-compliance – the inclusion of unrequested content can be against tender instructions, and may not be accepted.
Lost credibility – long submissions that read like a brochure or commercial, come across as unprofessional.
It is not about who can write the longest tender document. The best tenders are those that provide the most value to the evaluator by using words that best answer their questions. By trimming the fat and sticking to the requested structure, you will show the client you respect the procurement process and give them the opportunity to see the true value you will deliver.
Whether you are responding to NSW government tenders or competing in open tenders for private contracts, the same rule applies: make your submission lean, targeted, and evidence-based. Every word should work hard to prove why you are the best choice.