Tips on finding and winning government business

• Register on the Tenders website and regularly check the tender advertisements.
• If you are a consultant or contractor in the building construction or roads and bridges industry, apply for registration and/or a registration upgrade if your qualifications change.
• Develop a personal relationship with government buyers. The better the buyers know what goods or services you provide, the more likely you are to be invited to quote.
• Get a foot in the door by approaching buyers for lower value contract opportunities.
• Keep in regular contact with government buyers to confirm that they are still in that role. If not, find out whom you should approach.
• Build a competitive niche, such as a reputation for quality and service, or experience in relevant Government sectors.
• Don't assume that you will be given business just because you are "local". You must market your business to the buyers, and be competitive, in order to win business.
• Provide buyers with details of your business, such as backup, warranty, time in business, references.
• Don't be afraid to be innovative.
• Request a debriefing if your bid is unsuccessful. Find out why your bid was unsuccessful so that you can be more competitive in the future.

Prequalification Tips

• Read the relevant guidelines before you start writing your application.
• Make sure you address all the issues and answer all the questions in your response.
• Make sure that you provide documentation that supports your application to be registered in the category you are requesting. Delay in providing information may affect the time taken to process your application, which may, in turn, impact on your ability to participate in a relevant tender process.
• Provide all relevant information so that a fully informed assessment can be made.
• Make one person the contact point for your registration application.

Sub-contracting Tips

• Build a relationship with primary contractors so that they know what you do and the quality of your work.
• Building construction sub-contractors and sub-consultants should prequalify and regularly review the Tenders website to identify work where potential head contractors and consultants may be looking to sub-contract.

Tips for addressing evaluation criteria

Contracting agencies are looking for a tenderer who distinguishes itself from the competition, is innovative, customer focused and provides value added services.

When addressing each criterion you should:

• ensure you have read the criterion carefully - break the criterion into the key points you need to address;
• list each criterion as a heading in your response;
• provide examples of how, when and how often your company has demonstrated the ability to meet the criterion.  How well did you do it?  What was the result/outcome;
• ensure your claims against each criterion are strong, clear and concise;
• think about how you would evaluate your tender against the evaluation criteria if you were assessing your response; and
• aim to set yourself apart from your competitors by emphasising areas where you exceed the requirements and where you feel you can add value for the agency.

Examples:

A poor response to an evaluation criterion on "providing analysis" might be: "The company had the ability to provide detailed analysis of the survey's results."  This statement does not provide any supporting evidence.

A better response might start with: "The company's ability to provide thorough and detailed analysis from raw data is demonstrated through..." then go on to provide specific examples of your company's ability to analyse data.

Policy and Principle Tips

• Make sure you understand the principles behind government purchasing processes, such as value for money, and open and effective competition, so that when bidding for a project you can be sure that you understand how the purchasing decision will be made. Note: value for money does not necessarily mean the lowest price. See principles for further information.
• Don't confuse creating opportunities for local businesses with giving preference to local suppliers. Government purchasers cannot give you preference over companies from other Australian states, territories, New Zealand, or countries with whom we have procurement agreements. 
• Be familiar with the Government's purchasing policies so that you can make sure your bid complies.

Quoting Tips

When completing your quotation:

• Prepare a checklist to identify what you have to do and make sure you review it on completion prior to submitting your quote;
• Read any quotation documentation carefully and highlight the important issues and requirements;
• Request more information if you feel that you need it in order to prepare your quote;
• Ask questions if you don't understand something or require clarification;
• Check the Conditions of Quotation and the anticipated Conditions of Contract.  Do not assume that they are the same for each procurement;
• Make sure you address all the issues, each of the specification requirements and answer all the question;
• Use plain English and avoid jargon or overly technical language;
• Make one person the contact point for your bid as this makes it easier for the government buyer and means that you have one central information point.  This person should be fully versed on your bid; and
• Plan to finish your quotation before the closing date and deliver it at least one day before it is due.

For further information and resources relating to these points see How to Quote / Tender.

Tendering Tips

Plan

• Prepare a checklist to identify what you have to do and make sure you review it on completion prior to submitting your tender.
• Ensure you have registered your interest with the contracting agency if you have obtained the tender document through third parties (to ensure you get any updates as they are issued).
• Read any documentation carefully and highlight the important issues and requirements.
• Note the closing date and time for the tender and identify how to respond, ie by hard copy or electronic submission, and where you are required to lodge your response.
• Ensure that you can comply with any conditions for participation that are listed in the tender document.
• Read the contract terms and conditions and make sure you are able to comply with them.
• Make sure you understand what is required – do you need to ask more questions?  Are you required to attend a pre-tender briefing session?

Prepare

Contracting agencies are looking for a tenderer who distinguishes itself from the competition, is innovative, customer focused and provides value-added services.  Keep the following points in mind when preparing your tender response:

• Know how your tender will be evaluated and maximise your compliance with the specification requirements and any other relevant conditions.
• Present your response in the format requested by the agency. If no specific format is required, then keep it simple. Use plain English and avoid jargon or overly technical language.
• Demonstrate (not just assert) your ability to meet the requirements.
• Complete the price or cost schedule – include all the items you are tendering and check whether prices should include or exclude GST. Ensure you pitch competitively.
• Provide additional information if appropriate.

Submit

• Plan to finish your tender response well before the closing date and try to ensure it will be received it at least one day before it is due.

For further information and resources relating to these points see How to Quote / Tender.

Contract Tips

• As a supplier, you will sometimes be required to sign a formal agreement and these are usually based on standard Conditions of Contract prepared by the Crown Solicitor. If you are not sure if a formal agreement will be required, check with the agency contact. Also, the majority of purchases of computer hardware, software and other IT services will require you to be a signatory to the Government Information Technology Contract.

• Make sure you fully understand the terms and conditions of the contract before signing.

• Make sure you understand the milestones and performance measures as set out in your contract, as payment can be determined by meeting these deliverables.