Could you sell more to the public sector?
The public sector has a growing remit to buy from SMEs and perceive that there are many advantages to doing so. SMEs tend to be more innovative, less hampered by non-value adding overhead and more agile than larger corporates. Furthermore, public sector buyers are increasingly required to break down tenders into smaller “lots” so that SMEs can participate
If you can offer great value in an area required by the public sector and can prove that you can deliver reliably, with examples, case studies and testimonials, then you should seriously consider bidding for the work.
However, to succeed, you will need to establish an ability to bid and you can assess your organisation based on the following table:
Note that to be good, you also need to have the adequate factors in place.
| Factor | Improvement necessary | Adequate | Good |
| Score | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Bid review | Untargeted or random selection of bids
No clear ownership or objective | Bid/ No Bid Process
| Proactive and structured review of Bid Portals
Clear written guidance on opportunity types
Allocated resource |
| Understanding the bid | Questions answered as they occur
Requirements missed | Compliance table produced to analyse all document components | Professional buyer assigned to correlate the requirements and interpret what the buyer wants |
| Answering the bid | Left to one or two individuals
Missing useful content which is within the organisation | Best person assigned to answer specific sections | Team co-ordinated to produce first draft; then refined to ensure consistency and flow; then reviewed for quality |
| Language and content | Use of un-proven generalisations and assertions | Clear, well-structured and fact based | Supported by credibility building material/ evidence |
| Differentiation | Unclear proposition | Executive summary explains why they should choose your offer, plus diagrams | Consistent focus on how the offer adds unique value in easily digestible format |
| Bid Library | Not established | Established | Regularly reviewed and updated |
| Project management | Left to the last minute
Evidence of missed deadlines | Project plans exists
Manager assigned | Organisation fully supports the plan and achieves deadlines |
| Process | No written process | Written bid process exists | Everyone knows what is expected of them |
Add up your scores and compare your total against the table below:
| Score | Guidance |
| 0 in any factor | By scoring a 0 in any factor you are dramatically harming your likelihood of success and exposing your business to a risk of wasted effort |
| 0 – 8 | You are not ready to bid, so seek help to improve before you do so. |
| 8 – 10 | You would benefit from additional help and capability in specific areas and the cost of the help would be easily justified through improved performance. |
| 10 – 16 | This is a good level of capability. You may still benefit from some improvements albeit, assuming you have a good value proposition, you should be achieving success |
To find out more we have produced a white paper which you can request by emailing mark.blunden@www.augmentasgroup.com
