The competitive imperative

When writing a bid document, every sentence of every paragraph must stress your competitive positioning. And that means answering the all-important ‘so what?’ question.

The purpose of a bid document is to communicate a set of clear, compelling and competitive bid messages to a group of decision makers. In just the first few paragraphs of the executive summary, bid writers must tell the decision makers why they should choose their bid over any competitors.

So how can you be sure that you are getting across your competitive points?

Take, for example, the following statement from a bid response we were asked to assess:

“Over the last three years 70% of Company Y’s £x million annual turnover has been in construction, all delivered within the energy industry. It is our core business that is supported and enhanced by our Consultancy Division which offers a one-stop solution for natural and renewable energy projects.”

There are several points in here that could be seen as competitive. But it’s not clear if they are or not. To determine if a point is competitive or not, you need to ask yourself ‘so what’? It’s almost guaranteed that your prospect will be asking that same question.

Competitive or not?

Information needs context. Asking yourself how a statement compares with something your competitors might say is a good way to decide whether you can make it more credible, compelling and competitive.

• 70% of Company Y’s turnover has been in construction in the energy industry
  Is that a larger figure than your competitors?
• Company Y has a turnover of £x million per year
  Where does that rank Company Y in its marketplace?
  
• This is our core business
  Is this a good thing? And is this not the case with your competitors?
• Enhanced by our Consultancy Division
  Do your competitors have a consultancy division, or is this something unique to Company Y?
• Our Consultancy Division offers a one-stop solution for natural and renewable energy projects 
  Again, is a one-stop solution a good thing? And is it not the case with your competitors?

Asking these questions might enable you to rewrite the section above along the following lines, making it much more competitive:

The benefit to you: lowering the risk of your project

Whether building on a greenfield site or adding to an existing energy plant, the most fundamental requirement is that the management team understands how a renewable energy site operates. This ensures that any issues are overcome, and – critically – that any existing service delivery is uninterrupted.

Over the last three years, x% of Company Y’s annual £xm turnover has been gained through construction projects specifically within the renewable energy industry. Furthermore, the majority of our senior managers have worked with Company Y for more than 10 years, giving them the technical knowledge and hands-on experience they need to be fully accountable. The skills and experience this gives us sets Company Y apart from other, non-specialist construction firms, enabling us to design, manage and deliver end-to-end energy construction projects at the lowest risk to our customers.