In January 2021 I started my professional journey as a Bid Writer when I joined the team at Complete Tenders. Graduating from University with a degree in English Language, Bid Writing felt like a natural next step. Matthew was gracious to provide me an opportunity in the peak of the pandemic, where finding a job as a graduate was difficult. Over the last 15 months I’ve enjoyed the highs of the bid writing process and had valuable experiences which I was able to learn from. Working for Complete Tenders has given me an opportunity to grow both personally and professionally, learning lessons from both our experienced team as well as our wide client base. I’ve had the chance to cover a wide range of areas over the past year – from software solutions to cleaning providers and have found success in tendering for things that I didn’t even know existed prior to joining!
Working for Complete Tenders has been a brilliant experience for me. Every member of our team has contributed to my journey as a bid writer, and every project I’ve worked on has provided me an opportunity to grow. I’ve had so many brilliant experiences over the past 15 months, and have been able to learn valuable lessons over the course of the 50+ projects I’ve worked on. I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight 3 key takeaways from my journey so far with the company – lessons I have found so much value in from both the personal and professional perspective.
Quality over Quantity
One of the most valuable lessons I have learnt over the last year is the importance of the quality of the work over the amount that is completed. Bruce Lee famously said that he fears not the man who has practiced 10000 kicks once, but the man who has practiced one kick 10000 times, and whilst there are certainly notable differences between a spinning head kick and service delivery response, the point is still valid. Both from my perspective as the writer, and the customers perspective as the client, it can be exciting to cram as much into a response as possible. However, my experience in the last year has taught me the value in refining the key points and ensuring that the information provided is relevant.
Double Check, Triple Check and Check One More Time
A lesson I’ve (unfortunately) had to learn the hard way is the importance of checking everything in the tender process. From fact checking all aspects of a response, to running through a selection questionnaire several times, the importance of checks cannot be understated. By implementing checks across my personal tender writing process I have been able to avoid a lot of unnecessary stress. It never hurts to double check something, and by checking early and often you can avoid any last minute disasters!
Never be afraid to ask questions
Taking on any new challenge is always a somewhat frightening experience. Doing anything for the first time can be daunting – In January 2021 I entered my first professional workspace with no previous experience in tendering. Over the last 15 months I’ve asked more questions than I care to remember – I like to think there’s no such thing as too many questions (although I’m sure that opinion isn’t shared by the poor souls I’m always bothering). For me, this is key to our customers as well. Every tender is someone’s first, and they can be confusing at the best of times. It’s always better to ask and sound like a fool than suffer in silence.
The three examples above are just a few of the lessons I’ve learned in my time here. If I was to list them all this blog would be more like a book. I cannot say enough about how much I’ve enjoyed my time here so far. Everyone on our team has been so helpful over the past year, and I’ve met some great people on this professional journey. Complete Tenders has offered me a brilliant chance to develop and grow, and I can’t wait to see what awaits over the next year.
To find out more about our tender writing services and how James and the team can support you create winning bids, take a look at our Tender Writing page.
