What's the difference between a good bid and a great bid?

19 May 2025

One big difference between a good or average bid and a great bid is showing you've thought about how to help the commissioning Authority meet their goals (long and short term) and have aligned your activity and plans accordingly.

Remember - your bid isn't just about this bid. It's about creating a name for yourself and generating a positive impression of you and your organisation in the longer term.

The difference between a good bid and a great bid is therefore specific to each tender opportunity that comes along. One Local Authority might have ambitions around specific aspects of social value and place-based support. An NHS Trust might have just released their strategy around Net Zero with a real focus on making their operations carbon-neutral.

What is your contribution going to be to their agendas? Don't just think about how you meet the specified criteria. Think bigger. Think about how you realign your plans and strategies to meet the goals and ambitions of your target clients.

'Ticking the boxes' (trying to meet the bar for the specified criteria) will only get you so far. It is very easy to tell when an organisation is just trying to do the minimum to win and haven't thought about planning for the future in a way which encompasses the ambitions of the Buyer (e.g. Local Authority, government department or NHS). A lack of drive for improving the delivery of public services often also comes through in such bids. Look at the strategies and plans of your target clients and plan accordingly. Start today.

At Tender Support UK we focus on your longer-term success as well as your bid for the next tender opportunity. If you need help to think through and develop your longer terms plans and aligning these with your target clients then please get in contact!