Self-Editing Checkpoints for Bid Writers
Jordan Kelly

Always edit your work before handing it over to the bid manager, regardless of whether or not it will be the subject of further treatment by another writer or an editor.


Here are some questions to ask yourself:


  • Is my introductory paragraph compelling?


  • Have I proceeded to the main point/s as quickly as possible?


  • Have I established credibility on behalf of my company, where this is necessary?


  • Have I answered the question – directly, and in the required amount of detail?


  • Have I provided data and any other form of proof point necessary, with regard to any claim I have made?


  • Have I been clear in terms of the key messages I intended to communicate?


  • Have I framed the material from the client’s point of interest – in all regards?


  • Have I adhered closely to the themes, content and instructions of the guiding bid strategy document?


  • Have I employed these in a manner that helps to differentiate my company and our offering from the competition’s likely proposition?


  • Have I focused on communicating benefits; not just features?


  • Are my sentences and paragraphs of a reasonable (and preferably, a varied) length?


  • Are my sentences complete?


  • Have I ended paragraphs and started new ones according to a clear progression of logic in my material?


  • Have I been clear and concise? Can I cut out any unnecessary words?


  • Have I written to express, rather than to impress? Have I avoided flowery and/or fashionable language?


  • Are all my facts relevant?


  • Have I explained any facts and observations that, from the evaluator’s perspective, require it?


  • Have I checked my copy for spelling and grammatical errors (particularly those I know I commonly make)?


  • Have I avoided the over-use of industry jargon? Have I explained any jargon, where it won’t be familiar to the evaluator?


  • Have I avoided the use of my company’s own internal-speak and other terminology that the evaluator may not fully understand, and therefore may have to guess at?


  • Have I read my copy allowed to a disinterested party, to experience the valuable phenomenon of “hearing it through another’s ears”?

50 ESSENTIAL BID-WRITING TIPS

Must-Know Standards, Methods & Insights for Writing Compelling Bids, Tenders and Proposals

Intentional successful bids are guided by a strategy that is well-researched, customer-centric / client-centric, substance-based, savvily-formulated, and documented in detail.


It is the bid writer's job to ensure that strategy (the primary – but not exclusive – role of which is to address all known selection criteria) is then articulated clearly, consistently and compellingly throughout every section of the proposal.


Available individually or as a six-pack (six books for the price of five).

THE BID WRITER'S STYLE & GRAMMAR GUIDE

This reference and tuition manual has been written both for the professional bid writer and for those subject matter experts contributing submission content.


While first and foremost a “style and grammar guide”, I have taken the opportunity to also provide tuition on many other aspects of effective bid-writing - including the basic principles of strategy, as the essential foundation of a high-quality proposal.


Exercised diligently, these core principles and practices will see you produce not only grammatically correct and highly readable, but also strategic and compelling, submissions.