7 top tips for tender CVs
Laura Moylan, Tender Specialist (Perth)
We all know that if you don’t have a resume or curriculum vitae (CV), it’s going to be pretty difficult to apply for a new job. A CV’s job is to let your potential employer get a snapshot of who you are and how suited you are to the role that you’re applying for. Usually this will include details about your qualifications and education, working history, and interests.
In comparison, Tender CVs are more strategic in their content and how the information is presented on the page. While there may be some transferrable details from the CV that is supplied to HR, the content included in a Tender CV is specifically tailored to the project that is being tendered for.
Including the name of the person is an obvious no-brainer, so let’s move on to the parts of a Tender CV you might not already know about.
1. Position or role (on the project)
This usually follows directly below the name of the person on the Tender CV.
What to include:
Where a role title is specified in the tender request, use this exact title for the person’s role on the Tender CV, even if it differs from their position within the organisation, so evaluators can easily identify where a requested role has been covered
If no role is specified, use either an appropriate role relevant to the project scope of work or their position within the organisation
TOP TIP: Double check that the roles on the Tender CVs and Organisational Chart match!
Why it’s important:
Clients want to be assured that you have nominated all the roles required to confidently complete the work – so it’s important to highlight who is nominated for each role.
2. Professional headshot
Often placed in a corner at the top of the first page, the photo may sit adjacent to or above the name and role details.
What to include:
A professional, high resolution photo (cropped from the chest up) – ideally with a white or neutral, out of focus background
TOP TIP: Don’t worry if you don’t have a professional headshot to use – instead, focus on creating consistency within all the Tender CVs by simply removing the background of all personnel headshots.
Why it’s important: Putting a face to a name instantly humanises the person, making them more than a name on a page. This is a quick and easy way to connect with clients and is helpful when it comes time to meet face to face.
3. Qualifications and Training
This information is usually presented in bulleted lists.
What to include:
Qualification or course title
Education institution
Year of completion
TOP TIP: It’s important to check that each person’s qualifications meet the minimum or requested requirements for the role they will be performing.
Why it’s important: This is the section where you can demonstrate that the person has achieved the right qualifications for them to do the role they are nominated for. It’s also an opportunity to highlight additional professional upskilling the person might have undertaken across their career that make them suited to be part of the project.
4. Skills and Attributes (role related skills / qualities)
This bulleted list is often featured near the Qualifications section but can also be incorporated into the Bio content.
What to include:
Technical or professional skills that the person has which can be directly applied to the project
Why it’s important:
This is an excellent opportunity to reinforce the person’s expertise and capability within the team.
5. Bio
This is a quarter-page summary that provides a background on the person and explains why they have been nominated for the project.
What to include:
Years of industry experience
Relevant working history / progression
Any notable professional achievements
The skills and attributes they bring to the project
Details of what their role will be on the project
Why it’s important:
If evaluators read nothing else on the page, this section is capable of convincing them that the person is qualified, skilled and experienced – making them the right fit for the project.
6. Project or Relevant Experience
Details of 3-5 projects that demonstrate capability and experience relevant to the tender project.
What to include:
Project name
Client name
Either the start and commencement dates, or the overall duration of the project
Value of the project
Contract type
Location, usually suburb and state or state only
The person’s role on the project
A brief scope and background of the project, including numerical or value data where appropriate – This is to understand the scale, complexity and features of the project
The person’s involvement on the project – Try to align this with the tender scope for the comparable role
Relevance to the tender project – Highlight any similarities in scope, size and complexity between the projects
Why it’s important:
As the true heart of a Tender CV, use this section to convince clients that past project involvement has provided valuable information, insights and competency that directly benefit their project. Clients can trust that the person will to the job well because they’ve proven that they’ve done it before.
7. References
While this is not always required, especially where space is limited, referees are usually included towards the end of the document. Often limited to 2-3 referees, they should be linked to the projects that were previously nominated so clients have context for the projects.
What to include:
Name of the referee
Position of the referee within their organisation
Name of the client organisation
Name of the project that the person and referee worked on together
Contact details, usually an email address and mobile / phone number - If this is international, remember to include country codes!
TOP TIP: Don’t forget to get permission from the referees for them to be contacted and give them some context of the tender (if that is an option) so that they are ready and able to provide a great reference!
Why it’s important:
Having an independent party verify the person’s skills, involvement and quality of work adds significant credibility to their level of experience.
Tricks-of-the-trade that Tender Consultants often use themselves
Trick 1 – Best practice for document length
If not otherwise specified in a tender, the average length of a Tender CV is usually 2 (or maximum 3) pages. As people continue to add to their project experience, this can become challenging to fit into 2-3 pages. A good option is to keep a master document that includes everything in your content library so you can make a copy to cull back and customise for each tender submission. It’s much quicker to cut out than create from scratch!
Trick 2 – The difference between capacity, capability and availability
Availability: The actual time, or percentage of time, a person has free of other work to commit to the project.
Capacity: Closely related to availability, this is a person ability to do the work. This is a demonstration of the time, or percentage of time, allocated to current and future commitments, involvement on the project and remaining availability. In tenders submissions, this is usually represented in a histogram spanning the lifecycle of the project.
Capability: This is all about how skilled, experienced and qualified a person is to do the work. Most project roles require a certain level of competence, gained through education and/or on the job training, to be able to perform the work.
Trick 3 – Use imagery to strengthen readability
Graphics and images are hugely effective tools that not only encourage evaluators to want to read on but also help them to retain the information they’ve just read. Support written content and break up large sections of text by adding in photos, graphics and icons.
Trick 4 – Summarise information in tables or matrices
Where you have a lot of information to communicate and/or a lack of space, it sometimes makes sense to summarise parts of the Tender CV into a table or matrix. This works well for presenting a snapshot of project experience or relevance to the project that is being tendered on.
Trick 5 – When someone doesn’t have project experience
For some types of roles, usually executive management and corporate positions, it may not be possible to demonstrate the person’s project-specific experience. Instead, consider developing a Career CV, which replaces project details with employment history to demonstrate experience performing the same role and responsibilities across other organisations. Reinforce why they are suitable for the project by highlighting their relevant achievements within these roles.
At the end of the day, the people you nominate are the ones who will be actually doing the work, so leverage their expertise and experience to help sell your submission!
Do you need help creating Tender CVs? Tender Plus can help. From our offices in Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, we provide national tender consulting services, including tender support, tender writing and tender coaching. Contact our team today to find out how we can make your CVs stand out!
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