3 ways to communicate effectively in tender teams
Laura Moylan, Tender Specialist (Perth)
Why does it feel incredibly fulfilling and even enjoyable to work on one bid, then completely soul sucking on the next? I’ll let you in on the reason – your tender team is not (team)working. How effective and engaged the bid team is will directly influence how successful the tender management process will be. And, of course, the quality of the overall submission is greatly hindered when a team is not communicating well. Try these three surefire ways to communicate effectively and get the best out of your team.
1. Set expectations early (but make sure you deliver on them)
If you think back to the last time you were frustrated with someone, chances are they simply didn’t do what you expected they should do. Misaligned expectations wreak havoc within a tender team. Manage expectations from the start with these techniques:
Clarify each person’s role on the bid. Reduce ambiguity and confusion about who is responsible for what by making it clear from the beginning. You’ll reduce the likelihood of something falling through the cracks.
Assign a single lead for each returnable document. This person is solely responsible for closing out comments and providing final approval so that the document can be sent for final production. Please note the “single” part of the role – this is critical for things to run smoothly!
Agree on due dates for meetings, content development, reviews and production. Making sure everyone is on the same page for when things are due and what their level of involvement will be allows the team to manage their workload effectively and reduce undue stress.
To avoid feelings of resentment, it’s important to monitor these expectations and touch base with people who aren’t meeting them to find a resolution.
2. The quality, duration and frequency of your meetings matter
No matter the tender period duration or the complexity of the submission – you need meetings. In a bid, the types of meetings you might need to hold or attend include:
Kick off meeting: Kick things off at the start by reviewing the bid plan details, including the scope, deliverables, milestones, expectations, and any crucial information. You might also take this time to introduce the team that's been assembled.
Progress meeting: Scheduled at intervals or on dates that best match the tender requirements, these meetings are perfect for tracking progress, spotting roadblocks, and evaluating resource needs.
Strategy workshop: This meeting is important for establishing and quantifying the key win themes to influence how the submission will be structured and written.
Content development workshop: When looking to advance sections of the tender submission, content development workshops are a great way to brainstorm the structure and elements of a response or document with Subject Matter Experts directly.
Review meetings: These meetings, sometimes required with document leads, senior management, and tender writers, help wrap up the document content, getting it ready for production.
Debrief meetings (internal and client): Getting feedback on what worked, what didn't, and where to improve from both the tender team and the client is incredibly valuable. It helps the team make adjustments in future tender submissions.
It might sound obvious, but being prepared is key. When you're ready to go before you step into a meeting, you communicate better and increase the chances of a productive outcome.
To make sure your meeting is as productive as possible, try to:
Create an agenda with the discussion topics ahead of time and send it out to everyone if you’re leading the meeting. This allows your team to come ready to contribute insights and information.
Figure out what you want to achieve from the meeting. This way, you can stay focused and know when you've hit all your points. It also helps you decide if a meeting is necessary or if a quick call, email, or Teams message might do the trick instead.
Get everyone engaged by inviting each person to share their thoughts. Toward the end of the meeting, go around and ask if anyone has questions or anything to add. This approach makes everyone feel valued and gives quieter team members a chance to share their insights.
Find the perfect balance for meeting duration and frequency. By understanding your team’s availability and individual work styles, alongside tender submission milestones and requirements, you can tailor how you schedule and run meetings to be more effective.
Bonus Tip: Don’t be afraid to let the team know when a conversation has gone off track – instead, suggest a standalone meeting with the purpose of workshopping their ideas in more detail.
3. Cultivate a sense of ownership in team members
Never underestimate the power of getting your team's buy-in for a successful tender submission, which you achieve by encouraging team members to:
Collaborate in team decision making and provide input on planning and issue resolution
Tackle meaningful tasks independently, while providing the support they need
Understand how their individual role contributes to the overall success of the team, and
Help build a positive, respectful, and inclusive team culture by communicating openly and recognising great work and ideas.
On your next bid, set your team up for success by effectively managing expectations, holding productive meetings and promoting buy in from everyone involved. Whether you are working with the same team or jumping headfirst into a brand new one, taking steps to communicate effectively with your team will lead to a better submission quality and improved team satisfaction.
Do you need someone to wrangle your team of experts? Tender Plus can help. We provide tender consulting services, including tender support, tender coordination and tender bidding strategy. Contact our team today to find out how we can take the headache out of running a bid.
If you liked this, you might be interested in 5 crucial details to track during meetings to streamline your tenders and 5 tender management strategies to avoid burnout on a tender.