So what sorts of strategies can you put in place to maximise your chances with a tender? In this article I relay a real case study of a tender we prepared for a client and the tactics we put in place to be successful.


In this situation our client, a non profit organisation on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, became aware of a tender opportunity relating to the provision of housing/accommodation for people with disabilities. At that stage my client had no thoughts about delivering accommodation services and was primarily solely a provider of support services for those with a disability in the local area of Nambour. This posed a tremendous issue in my mind given the client had no real experience in building purpose built accommodation for people with a disability nor in managing such a facility. I was concerned that given the tender was open to commercial and non profit entities that developers in the area would have more extensive budgets and maybe more experience in constructing accommodation facilities while probably lacking in experience in the disability space.
My client was keen to develop a proposal where they proposed a plan to build accommodation for those with a physical disability, however they did not have any land on which to build the facility so essentially were working from scratch. Through my extensive grant and tender writing experience I immediately identified the need for the client to have an appropriate parcel of land which they could at worst show was able to be quickly acquired on which to build the accommodation facility. I encouraged the client to make overtures to a few residents in an area close to their existing service hub and offer each resident a price in excess of market value and get in principal agreement from the residents to sell their properties should the client win the tender.

This was achieved surprisingly very quickly with written in principal agreements being received. This "proved" that the client had the land to build on. I then strongly suggested to the client that they should build purpose built accommodation for those with a mental and physical disability or health issue as opposed to purely physical disabilities. I undertook research to prove that mental illness is a significant issue in those who are homeless and was able to garner some significant and impressive statistics supporting this contention. I then undertook research to identify how accommodation could be built to meet the needs of people with a physical disability and/or those with a mental illness. The client then took this research and was able to get an architect to draw up some plans which depicted the style of building and how different units in the complex would be constructed differently built to meet the specific needs of the proposed residents.
I was also able to get the client to have graphic designs included giving the reader a real insight into how the rooms might actually "look". To me this would give us a unique chance at winning the tender by enabling the reader to visualise how the facility would look and feel while also pitching that the accommodation would encompass the needs of all people with a disability - physical and mental. I was convinced that our competitors for the tender would only just develop a proposal for those with a physical disability.
The last hurdle I believed was that the client had no real experience in proving they could manage an accommodation facility once built. To overcome this I encouraged the client to find an experienced manager of such facilities and offer them the position of manager should the tender be successful and again get in principal written confirmation that this person would join the team. Again the client was able to find someone highly experienced in this area.

We then prepared a comprehensive response we believed which would at least give us a chance at getting through Stage 1 given this was a two stage process. We were amazed to find that we were offered $4.9 million after the review of all applications in the first stage and we were told our submission was so outstanding that they were not going to stage 2 - our proposal was that good.
This success was completely a result of our strategic approach in identifying our weaknesses and addressing those but also ensuring our proposal was very very different to our competitors.
The skilled tender writer will have a strategy - they will have a plan and they will maximise their chances in the tender writing process.
Our skills are not just in our abilities to write great tenders but also to come up with the strategies and pitch to stand our client apart. Tender writing is far far more than just filling out a form!

Tradeshow Giveaways That Show Your Clients You Care

How many pens have you gotten over the years at trade shows? Do you remember any of them? Did you keep them or did they get lost in the bottom of your trade show bag?
The Pitfalls of Common Giveaways


Common giveaways like that don't get your business remembered. They don't send the message to your customer that you put any thought into their needs. And if you can't be bothered to think about them when you are trying to earn their business, then how are they going to be convinced that you will take their needs into consideration at any other point in your business relationship?
Giving your customers and clients thoughtful, custom branded giveaways sends the message that you actually do consider their needs. And if you consider their needs for something as small as a memorable giveaway at a trade show, then you will likely consider their needs when they come to your business. Simple as that.
Use Trade Show Giveaways to Begin the Business Relationship
Any businessperson will tell you that customer relationships are key to a thriving company. Starting that relationship with the right first impression will help you solidify trust early on, making it easier to build on from there.
The right choice for trade show giveaways can make that impression for you.
To ensure that your company is remembered, give your clients a product they can use. When you hand them a microfiber screen cleaner or USB charger, they won't just toss it into their bag never to be seen again. They will remark how cool it looks and often ask if it's reusable. Of course it is!
Once you explain how useful your giveaway is, you can start explaining how great your company is. Odds are that they will be much more willing to listen because you've broken the ice and given them a useful and unique present.
Impress your clients with a thoughtful gift, and they will think more of you and your business. Another tip would be to have a stock of promo handouts with your logo and message one there. Simply keep these on hand for your clients. If you are a sales based business take notes of clients birthdays, kids birthdays, what holiday is their favorite, anniversaries, or anything that is special to them. Send them a promo handout with your logo on it for their special day or event. This will skyrocket their appreciation for your company.

You can see for yourself how convenient and useful our microfiber screen cleaners are, and experience what your customers will experience when you give them a thoughtful gift at your next trade show.

Key Elements Of A Valid Contract

To ensure that a contact is legally binding, it must be executed properly. It must contain all the necessary elements so it will be considered as valid.


What Makes A Contract Valid
Offer & Acceptance - These are the 2 basic elements a valid contract must have. One party makes an offer while the other party accepts the offer's terms. Bear in mind that acceptance may take time, whereby the negotiation process will happen until both parties reach an agreement.
Legal Object - The agreement's subject matter should be legal and both parties must agree to the terms, be mentally capable to carry out the agreement, and be over the age of consent.
Consideration - The element of consideration exchanged in the contract is very crucial. This is not just limited to money. In fact, it can include an interest, a right, or a benefit.
Verbal & Written - There are certain oral agreements that can actually be enforced; however, there are some also that are invalid unless they are put into writing. Those involving a real property, a huge amount of consideration or debts, or contracts that can't be carried out for some time must always be in written form.
In other words, a contract is considered valid when the agreement is legal, consensual, backed up with a promise of consideration, and is executed by 2 parties of legal age and sound mind.
Why Contracts Becomes Invalid
An invalid contract can't be enforced under laws. Be aware that a void contract is null from the time it was created and neither part is bound by the terms. Usually, it does not contain all the necessary elements; hence, the court doesn't recognize it.
Some of the reasons why a contract becomes invalid will include impossible terms involved, a party was under the age of consent, the terms are illegal, a party does not have sound mind, and the contract is restricting the rights of a party.
How To Properly Execute A Contract

• Read it very carefully - It is very crucial for you to read through the document completely if you enter into an agreement with someone. This is a must, most especially when the documents are lengthy and include plenty of complex clauses. You can avoid missing any significant information if you take some time to review its contents.
• State the offer clearly
• Fully understand what you are agreeing to by everything you don't comprehend
• Write it down - Written documents are the best way of proving that an agreement was made
• Accept or deny the offer before it expires
• Know who you are dealing with - Always confirm the identity of the other part prior to signing anything to ensure that they are who they say they are.

It is very crucial for you to know the difference between a valid and void contract so you can protect yourself prior to entering into an agreement.

Business Article

How Wide Is Your View?

When you're working in your business (as opposed to working "on"), you're mired deeply, head down, focused on the minute details and plans. It's as if you're looking through a microscope.
And that level of attention and focus is good and definitely needed at times. The problem can be when you stay in that mode and feel you have to do everything to the nth degree, or do everything to the nth degree yourself.


Imagine what that actually looks like... you're sitting at your desk in front of your computer or on your couch with your laptop. Your eyes are metaphorically inches from the screen. You're working a pretty intricate plan with dates and details and to-do's. You never look up.
How much can you see what's going on around you?
Not much, and that can cause problems.
If something needs to change, can you even step back far enough to see how that change needs to be integrated into the existing plan? Without panicking, that is?
That's why it's necessary to step back regularly and widen your view. Sometimes, you're looking at things with just your eyes. Other times, you need binoculars or a telescope to see a little farther.
Here are four different views you need to run your business.
Microscope View: This is the lens you need when you're creating or launching something. Think of this is as the rubber-meets-the-road. You have to plan the launch, the dates you send out the promotional emails, what those promotional emails will say, how you'll deliver the program or product. It's the nitty-gritty, get-stuff-done part of your business.
Normal View: This is the lens where you're planning more short-term, like when you plan out the week on Monday. You know what you need to do for the week, and you have somewhat of an idea of how your tasks this week fits with your bigger goals. An example is planning out your editorial calendar to integrate with your promotional calendar so that you're writing articles that fit into your product/program launch.
Binocular View: This is when you're looking ahead with a much more long-term vision. This comes into play when you plan out the next eight to twelve months. Maybe there's a program you run two or three times a year, or an annual retreat or live event you hold.
Telescope View: This big cahuna is your five- or ten-year plan. This might include merging, acquisition, hiring, expanding, selling, incorporating, going public, getting investors, starting a foundation. It's far enough away that you can't reach it yet, but you know you're going in that direction.
Many entrepreneurs stay in Microscope View most of the time. That means they're usually reacting instead of being proactive. Or if they do decide to do some long-term planning, "long-term" usually ends up being two months away, and then everything feels immediate and "must be done now" because there's been no planning about how it all fits together.
Pick your head up from your desk and look around. What do you see? And if you extend that viewpoint, what needs to change?
Don't be afraid... that bigger view can actually be exciting and full of potential. Don't automatically pull back in. Stay in that bigger view for a while and see what comes up.
It might just be magical.