How to Write a Tender Proposal with Cover Letter & Template

A tender is another name forbid that helps a business in getting a new business opportunity. Unlike bids, tenders are usually on the buyer’s side. Some people also consider tender as a proposal because they make an offer to buy some products or services from them.

What is a tender proposal?

A tender proposal is always written in response to the request for proposal (RFP) by a company. In this proposal, the buyer generally expresses his interest in expanding his business by working with you.

Who writes the tender proposal?

Entrepreneurs who are interested in expanding their business usually draft a proposal to gain more clients and exposure to the market. Whether you are a small business owner or run a big enterprise, you might want to expand your business in years to come. To meet your goals of expanding your business, you will be required to reach more clients. In some parts of the world, a tender proposal is a tool that advertises a business.

Writing a tender proposal:

When you are ready to write the first tender proposal of your life, you might be confused as to how to draft the one that not only persuades the reader but also helps you succeed. You are required to know the ins and outs of the offer you make and the format to be followed. To write a winning proposal, the following are some key points to be kept in mind:

Know your sector:

It is important to note that the format and the content of every proposal vary from sector to sector. You should know in which industry you are running your business and from which segment of that society you belong to. When you are aware of the industry, you will be able to search for the tender in a better way. Tenders are marketed via newspaper and other media sources, and you will be required to end up finding that one tender that will be suitable for them.

Know your budget:

Before you start writing a winning proposal, it is important to know how much you can afford to invest. You should consider the revenue stream of your business and then determine how much you are ready to spend. You will be required to let the recipient know about the amount you can spend on the particular tender.

Make sure that you don’t rely on estimates only as real figures might be different from estimates and you will put yourself in hot water by committing to pay what you cannot. So, determine your affordability.

Give the overview of your company:

The tender proposal is always written to convince the reader, and this can be achieved if you don’t miss out on any important information. The most significant part of the tender proposal is the overview of the company targeting the particular tender. This will enable the recipient to decide whether you are relevant to the tender and whether your proposal should be approved or not.

Mention how you meet the client’s requirements:

In the next section, you should write a proper response to the request made by the client. The client might have asked all those people to put forward a tender proposal who think they are capable of meeting the needs of that particular tender. So, you must provide the details of how you think your business can meet the needs of the client and what potential benefits can be brought to the business of the client.

Don’t deviate from the format:

There is generally a format that most of the proposal writers have to follow. The proposal makes it easy for the client to understand the proposal and read it. When the client receives multiple proposals, he compares all of them with each other section by section. When there is a format, the comparison becomes easy and if you have something good to offer, your proposal will stand out.

Add appendix section:

When you have attached supporting documents with the proposal, bring them up in the appendix section so that the reader can find them easily.

Tender proposal template for Word

File: Word (.docx) 2007
Size 22 KB