Written by Ryan May, Tender Specialist, Perth

Meetings are integral to the success of a tender. Whether it’s a kick-off, a stand-up, or even a short one-on-one follow up, it is pivotal that the correct information is recorded to ensure that you can help keep the tender proceeding smoothly and successfully. No one enjoys finishing a meeting only to realise minutes, hours or days later that they forgot to ask an important question or note down a key detail. These blanks can cause delays and increase the potential for mistakes to occur.

So, what kind of information should you be listening out for?

1.      Due dates

Perhaps an obvious one, but that’s why it’s sitting here at the top. In particular you’ll want to be familiar with the:

• Submission date: Perhaps the most important date to note down. While you’ll find yourself working toward review dates for the majority of the tender, these are informed by the overall submission date, as are all other due dates.

• Review dates: These are important, particularly if you’re involved in tender writing or coordination. Knowing when documents need to be ready for review will help you (or others) keep to deadlines, preventing delays and maintaining the tender’s momentum.

Don’t forget that these dates can change! Keep on top of these changes and communicate them to others in the team if they aren’t aware.

2.      Document leads and other important figures

Record the names of document leads and pair them with schedules or activities as they are allocated. Depending on your role you may need to enter these into a tender writing plan, so it’s essential you have this information.

Include the names of tender managers and other important figures within your business / client’s business hierarchy here as well. These are the people who will be discussing and confirming changes to the submission should major alterations be required, so it pays to know who they are now to ease the transfer of this knowledge later.

3.      Planned complications

No tender is immune to complications, and if you’re lucky those you’re working with will be aware and forthcoming with information regarding topics such as documents that won’t be accessible until a certain date or leave granted to key figures on the tender. Make a note of who, when, and the plan in place to accommodate these events.

4.      Submission details

Ensure you are aware of how each schedule is being addressed, particularly if your business / client is looking to do things differently than what the tender asks for in an effort to provide greater value and increase their chances of winning. It will be your job to connect this vision with what is required for the tender and to inform your business / client if what they are looking to do is not going to meet the tender requirements.

5.      Actions

What is being done for each schedule? Are appendices being used? Are attachments required? Do document leads know this? Meetings are a great place to determine all of these things. Keep across what is happening in each schedule and you will be well placed to help resolve any issues that come up, protecting the integrity of the tender.

This can be a lot to keep track of. It may take a few meetings before you find your groove – I recommend updating the tender writing plan during meetings or keeping a notebook on hand so that you can jot down details quickly. Practice identifying these five key details and ask questions if you think something has been missed! Not only will you prove your competency, providing comfort in the knowledge that you can do what is being asked, you will ensure you aren’t caught off-guard by avoidable issues later down the track.

If you found this advice helpful you should consider taking a look at some of our other blogs, which contain tips and tricks for all things tender-related. If you’re interested in finding out more about how we can assist your business with tender writing, tender strategy, tender management and more, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to hear from you.