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Festival RFPs – The Ultimate Guide

Posted on by wpengine

Learn all you need to know about festival RFPs

Festival RFPs represent a milestone in our recovery from the pandemic. With the summer coming up, and restrictions lifted there are viable opportunities for festival RFPs. This is where we come in. In this blog, we’ll walk you through where to find these RFPs, and how to win them. By the end, you’ll be ready to respond to festival RFPs.

Where can I source festival RFPs?

When most businesses begin their search for festival RFPs, they’ll likely use a search engine. For example, they’ll use Google to find countless websites that may have opportunities available.

They will then have to scour each of these websites individually for contracts that are suitable. Remember, Google will also pull up anything that mentions the words ‘festival RFPs’.

This can take hours and a lot of the time the opportunities may not be relevant. Or the deadline date may be very close and so you won’t have time to complete the bid. This tedious practice can quickly become frustrating. Thankfully, there are solutions available…

Via our Creative RFPs portal, you can easily find live festival RFPs. You can use filters to narrow down your search for festival RFPs. This way, you can select a budget, location, and keywords to locate the right contract for you.

Our portals are updated daily by our Opportunity Trackers. They manually search for opportunities to upload to the portal. They don’t use CPV codes to find contracts either. This means that there’s no risk of missing opportunities that are listed incorrectly with the wrong code.

Examples of festival RFPs we have previously sourced on our portal include:

Provision of a Professional Conference Organiser for the Delivery of One Young World, Belfast 2023
Belfast City Council – Northern Ireland – Budget: £250,000

Grimsby Creates: Festival Director – ‘Grimsby Festival of the Sea 2021’

North East Lincolnshire Council – East Midlands – Budget: £10,000

Specialist Curator for The Good Business Festival

Liverpool City Council – North West – Budget: £20,000

Halal Food Festival

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council – Yorkshire and Humber – Budget: £24,999

The Provision of Infrastructure & Services for a Summer Festival Event

Tamworth Borough Council – West Midlands – Budget: £140,000

Kew Summer Festival 2023 – 2025

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW – London – Budget: £1,500,000

3 tips for securing festival contracts

1.    Researching the event!

Festival RFPs can run rather tight with sharp margins, so ensuring that you’re running a tight ship is highly important. How many people are expected at the festival?

Calling the local licensing office can put you in good stead for figuring out the average attendance. What if you’re providing a service, such as catering? For example, the event has 5,000 attendants… how many hot food units are there? Let’s say it has 10…that provides your potential share to be around 500 people.

If you don’t know how much competition you’ll have on the day, how can you make an informed RFP response?

2.    Zeroing in on the target audience

Your buyer will have a specific target audience in mind, and in your RFP, you need to recognise this. Your product/service needs to fit the buyer’s needs.

Let’s say you’re selling food/drink. Can you quantify how many breaks the crowd might have between acts? The closer your equation is to reality, the better your grasp on the potential profit will be. You can then utilise your potential profit to create a good pricing strategy.

The target audience will have different spending patterns, so the sooner you recognise this, the better. Ultimately, a competitive price will pique the buyer’s attention in your festival RFPs.

3.    Qualifications, accreditations & experience

Depending on the contract, festival RFPs require a fair number of qualifications. If you don’t scope out the requirements, it can be incredibly difficult to succeed.

With that in mind, check out the requirements. What if they need specific lighting operation qualifications? Do they need a minimum number of years of experience in filming live events?

Some of these requirements can weigh heavily in the buyer’s evaluation criteria. The sooner you know and are confident in meeting the requirements, the higher your chance of success.

Summary

So here we are, at the end of this blog on winning festival RFPs…What if you need a summary? Creative RFPs has your back.

Where can I source festival RFPs? – How to find festival RFPs in your geographical remit on Creative RFPs.

3 tips for securing your festival RFPs

  1. Researching the event – Checking in the local registry to research the average attendance. Spending time structuring your bid around this. If you’re providing a service, looking into the potential competition.
  2. Zeroing in on the target audience – Understanding the demographic’s spending patterns. Ensuring that your bid suits the buyer. Ensuring you closely fit the buyer’s needs.
  3. Qualifications, accreditations & experience – What do the buyers require? Is there a minimum limit for experience? The sooner you’re confident in meeting them, the better.

Need help writing your next RFP?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to RFP, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

RFP Ready

Our RFP readiness program is designed for those who have never RFP before. This 4-week program works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

RFP Improvement

RFP Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next tenders.

RFP Mentor

If you’ve written a tender and need someone to proofread it – RFP Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

RFP Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and tendering opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

Book a free live demo with Creative Tenders to see how we can help your business grow.

Marketing RFP Opportunities: How to Find Them and 6 Secrets for Winning!

Posted on by John Hudson

Here’s how you can find marketing RFP opportunities and 6 tips from Bid Writers to help you win!

Are you looking for marketing RFP opportunities? Here at Creative RFPs, we have a whole host of contracts available on our portal. In this blog, we will share with you how to instantly find marketing RFP opportunities. Plus, we will have 6 tips from expert Bid Writers on how to win! Keep reading to learn more about how we can help you and your business…

Where can you find marketing RFP opportunities?

When most businesses begin their search for marketing RFP opportunities, they’ll likely use a search engine. For example, they’ll use Google to find countless websites that may have opportunities available. They will then have to scour each of these websites individually for contracts that are suitable.

This can take hours and a lot of the time the opportunities will not be suitable. They also may not display key details. So, you’ll have to read lengthy RFP documents to decipher whether you’re eligible for that contract. Or the deadline date may be very close and so you won’t have time to complete the bid. This tedious practice can quickly become frustrating. Thankfully, there are solutions available…

Hudson Discover’s 11 sector-specific portals were built to streamline the process of finding RFPs. Via the Creative RFPs portal, you can easily find marketing RFP opportunities. Our portals display key information on each RFP such as location, deadline date, and budget. This way, you can clearly see whether a RFP is right for you.

You can use filters to narrow down your search for marketing RFP opportunities. This way, you can select a budget, location, and keywords to locate the right contract for you. Our portals are updated daily by our Opportunity trackers. They manually search for opportunities to upload to the portal. They don’t use CPV codes to find contracts either. This means that there’s no risk of missing opportunities that are listed incorrectly with the wrong code. Government sites will use CPV codes and so they can be less accurate.

Discover Elite

If you want to streamline the process even further, you can sign up to Discover Elite. With this service, a dedicated Account Manager will find live bids on your behalf. They’ll speak with you weekly to discuss opportunities that may interest you. This is especially helpful for those with little time to spare due to busy schedules. Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portalsof your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and RFP opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Examples of the RFPs we house on our portal:

Editorial Services – North West – £55k

Organisation seeking a supplier to provide editorial services, including copywriting and proofreading.

Campaign Services – South East – £100k

Council seeking a suitably experienced and qualified supplier to produce a marketing campaign.

Media Monitoring – London – Budget: Undisclosed

RFP submissions required for the provision of media monitoring services.

Crisis Media Marketing – Scotland – £50K – 19-04-2022

Company is seeking a provider of crisis media management and associated support.

Marketing Services – Republic of Ireland – Budget: Undisclosed

Contract for the provision of marketing services to promote brand awareness and increase website traffic.

Here’s how to win marketing RFP opportunities

Have you found marketing RFP opportunities and are now ready to RFP for work? Here are a few top tips from the expert Bid Writers at Hudson Succeed:

  1. Stick to the word count – If you can’t follow instructions, you leave a bad impression.
  2. Don’t use technical jargon – You don’t want to confuse the buyer when they read your proposal.
  3. Make sure your bid responses are clear and concise – Making it easier to read will keep the buyer engaged. They will also be able to clearly understand your ideas.
  4. Proofread and edit your bid before submission – Mistakes in your bid will make you look unprofessional.
  5. Use bid management tactics to stay organised – This will drastically decrease stress and make the process easier.
  6. Turn to a Bid Writer to handle the entire process for you – They have the experience and know what it takes to win!

Summary

Here’s a summary of everything we covered in our blog on marketing RFP opportunities.

Creative RFPs is one of Hudson Discover’s 11 sector-specific portals that hosts RFP opportunities. These portals streamline the process of locating a RFP suitable for your business. This is done by the use of selecting filters such as location, budget, and keywords. They’re updated daily and our team don’t use CPV codes, so there’s no risk of missing opportunities.

  1. Stick to the word count
  2. Don’t use technical jargon
  3. Make sure your bid responses are clear and concise
  4. Proofread and edit your bid before submission
  5. Use bid managementtactics to stay organised
  6. Turn to a Bid Writerto handle the entire process for you.

If you still have questions about marketing RFP opportunities, why not contact us? Our team are always happy to help!

Need help writing your next RFP?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to RFP, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

RFP Ready

Our RFP Ready programme is designed for those who have never prepared RFP before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

RFP Improvement

RFP Improvement can help if you’re already prepare RFP but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next RFP.

RFP Mentor

If you’ve written a RFP and need someone to proofread it – RFP Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

RFP Writing

If you’ve found the perfect RFP but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

Book a free live demo with Creative Tenders to see how we can help your business grow.

Contact us for more information.

Check out some of our other blogs:

4 Golden Tips for Securing Graphic Design Contracts

Posted on by John Hudson

Everything you need to know when it comes to winning graphic design contracts

Winning graphic design contracts through RFP is a great way for freelancers and agencies to grow their businesses. RFPs offer creative businesses amazing opportunities for expansion. Luckily for you, you’ve found us, and we’ve got some great experience with RFP for graphic design contracts. This blog will walk you through the sources for finding these RFPs, and how to win them.

Where can I find opportunities to win graphic design contracts?

Manually searching for graphic design contracts can be exhaustive.

Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Enter…Creative RFPs.

Creative RFPs is an easy-to-navigate, centralised portal hosting live RFP opportunities from across the UK, including graphic design RFPs. It’s dedicated specifically to the UK’s creative sector, making RFP tracking quicker and more efficient.

Below are 5 examples of RFPs for graphic design contracts that we have previously sourced on our portal:

Branding & Marketing Support

QA Flooring Solutions Ltd – North West – Budget: £6,000

Graphic Design Specialist Aden Country Park
Aberdeenshire Council – Scotland – Budget: £32,800

Love & Nature Exhibition Design Team

Horniman Museum & Gardens – London – Budget: £192,000

Branding and graphic design

Dudley College of Technology – West Midlands – Budget: Undisclosed

DOF – SEUPB – Graphic Design & Print Management Services
CPD – Supplies & Services Division- Northern Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

A subscription to Creative RFPs can offer your business:

 Access to all exclusive, public and private sector graphic design RFPs in the UK.

  • An on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions you may have about RFPs for design work. They can help you understand the procurement process and answer any questions you have about the RFP process in general.
  • A daily email bulletin is sent straight to your inbox when new, sector-specific opportunities are uploaded.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes of free bid management consultancy each month.

4 tips for winning your next graphic design contract

1.    Keep your portfolio, testimonials & case studies relevant!

Make sure that you’re responding to the buyer with relevant case studies. The commissioning authority will know how much you’ve invested into the bid. Simply put, an irrelevant past contract example can be a red flag. They need to see a real snapshot into the customer’s experience, so the more relevant, the better.

2.    Showcase your added value

What sets you apart from other graphic design firms? Isolate that aspect and present it in your ITT/PQQ. It will impress the buyer and make them wonder why the competition doesn’t offer this product/service/feature.

3.    Review your bid!

This is a must if you want to win a graphic design contract. Without attention to detail, you’re unlikely to be successful. Reviewing your own RFP documents with a critical eye, not unlike the buyer is highly important. Consider whether you would award the contract, viewing the document objectively. Ask colleagues to do the same.

4.    Boilerplate responses

Boilerplate responses are fantastic for reducing writing times for a graphic design RFP, freeing up your time. However, they can easily throw the bidder off if the response isn’t relevant. As stated above, the buyer simply knows if you’ve rushed the bid. So, make sure that your responses flow naturally even when using boilerplate responses, by avoiding irrelevant terms and jargon.

In summary

So, we’ve hit the finish line on this blog on winning graphic design contracts! What if you’re in need of a recap? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered;

Where can I source graphic design RFPs? – Join hundreds of creative professionals using Creative RFPs to save time and track opportunities. 

4 tips for winning your next graphic design RFP

  1. Relevant case studies – Keep your portfolio and case studies in line with the bid.
  2. Showcase your added value – What separates you from the competition? Use this element to great effect in your bid, highlighting your uniqueness to the buyer.
  3. Review your work – Would you award yourself the contract? Maintain a critical eye over the document. Get colleagues to do the same.
  4. Boilerplate responses – Ensure your bid responses are relevant if you’re using boilerplate responses to save time.

Need help writing your next RFP?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to RFP, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

RFP Ready

Our RFP Ready programme is designed for those who have never RFP before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to RFP successfully.

RFP Improvement

RFP Improvement can help if you’re already RFP but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next graphic design contract.

RFP Mentor

If you’ve written a RFP and need someone to proofread it – RFP Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

RFP Writing

If you’ve found the perfect RFP but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a RFP opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid decisions.
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and RFP opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Contact us for more information.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

Book a free live demo with Creative RFPs to see how we can help your business grow.

Contact us for more information.

Check out some of our other blogs:

Acing Your Website Design RFPs – What You Need to Know

Posted on by John Hudson

Learn what it takes to win website design RFPs

Website design RFPs represent a core cog in the wheel of creative procurement. In our modern life, a website’s design is highly important to digital footfall, so there’s no shortage of demand. So, what does this mean for you? Well, it means serious financial potential. There’s a wealth of profitable website design opportunities through RFPs. In this blog, we’ll walk you through where to find RFPs, and tips to skyrocket your RFP success.

Where can I source website design RFPs?

Running your own business takes up a lot of your time. The last thing you want to be doing is trawling hundreds of websites, searching for website design RFPs. Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Enter…Creative RFPs.

Creative RFPs is an easy-to-navigate, centralised portal hosting live creative RFP opportunities from across the UK.

Below are 5 past examples of website design RFPs sourced on our portal:

Website Designer/Developer Aden Country Park
Aberdeenshire Council – Scotland – Budget: £7,500

Website Design
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust & Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: £90,000

PQQ Website Replacement

Dublin Bus / Bus Atha Cliath – Republic of Ireland – Budget: £500,000

Development of a Standardised Website Within the South West Region GP Practice Estate
NHS South Central West SCU – South West Budget: Undisclosed

Invest South Tyneside Web Design/Development
South Tyneside Council – North East- Budget: Undisclosed

A subscription to Creative RFPs can offer your business:

Access to all exclusive, public and private sector website RFPs in the US.

  • An on-hand Account Manager is available to answer any questions you may have about RFPs for website design work. They can help you understand the procurement process and answer any questions you have about the RFP process in general.
  • A daily email bulletin is sent straight to your inbox when new, sector-specific opportunities are uploaded.
  • Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
  • 20-minutes of free consultancy with one of our Bid Consultants each month.

3 tips to help you succeed with website design RFPs

1.  Read all the questions!

We’ve seen too many suppliers rush through an Invitation To Tender (ITT) without fully digesting the material…and it costs. Simply put the buyer knows how much you’ve invested into a bid, and irrelevant answers can be a red flag. So, when you’re working on documents, make sure that you’re reading through the documents properly. Your response will be more relevant, and you’ll convey professionalism. Like most RFPs, website design RFPs deserve a close eye.

2.  Organise your crack RFP team!

This should be a no-brainer, but a team’s organisation can spell life or death in bid management. A disorganised team can fall behind on deadlines, and in the worst-case scenario, even submit a bid after the deadline. So, make sure that you’ve got internal deadlines to keep everyone sharp. This also aids team morale, as everyone is aware of how their input is helping the project progress. This advice also applies if you’re a one-man team, as applying internal deadlines can achieve increased efficiency.

3.  Stick to the formatting requirements

Buyers can be rather strict when it comes to formatting. If you blatantly ignore instructions, it will reflect poorly on you and your business. Make sure before you submit that the font and font size is what is stated in the guidance document.

Moreover, you should stick to the word/character counts. If a buyer is wanting a longer response, they will include an additional text box.

So, it’s best if you’re writing your response in Word, for example, to check your character count with spaces. You don’t want to be writing a detailed 1000-word response to then have to cut it down.

 

In summary

So, we’ve reached the finish line on this blog for website design RFPs. We’re sure that you’re focused on winning the next RFP. How about a recap?

Where can I find Website design RFPs? – A thorough look into the only sensible option when it comes to sourcing creative RFPs.

3 tips to help you succeed with website design RFPs

  1. Read all the questions! – Ensure that you digest the information when it comes to the RFP documents.
  2. Organise your crack team! Make sure that you’re working on your deadlines, setting internal deadlines and progress meetings.
  3. Stick to the formatting questions – Follow the buyer’s instructions for formatting such as word count, font etc.

What if you’re still unsure about writing the RFP? Our sister company Hudson Succeed is here to help.

Need help writing your next RFP?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to RFP, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

RFP Ready

Our RFP Ready programme is designed for those who have never RFP before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

RFP Improvement

RFP Improvement can help if you’re already RFP but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next website design RFP.

RFP Mentor

If you’ve written a RFP and need someone to proofread it – RFP Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

RFP Writing

If you’ve found the perfect RFP but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a RFP opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
  • Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid decisions.
  • Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and RFP opportunities.
  • Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Contact us for more information.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

Book a free live demo with Creative RFPs to see how we can help your business grow.

Contact us for more information.

Check out some of our other blogs:

RFPS & BUYER PRESENTATIONS – TOP 3 BENEFITS OF ATTENDING A SITE VISIT

Posted on by John Hudson

RFPs & BUYER PRESENTATIONS – TOP 3 BENEFITS OF ATTENDING A SITE VISIT

It’s an obvious analogy: The bigger RFPs are – the more effort that is required from both the supplier and buyer!

We’ve been to hundreds of site visits and buyer presentations to know that this is a crucial part of RFPs and how they are developed.

Buyer presentations are delivered usually halfway through the RFP exercise and they provide all RFPs/suppliers the opportunity to get to know the buyer’s environment and culture, as well as a more detailed outlook on the requirements at hand.

This is usually for large-scale public-sector contracts. 

The buyer invites all suppliers to a site visit, which may include a group tour or a group presentation. This is to provide suppliers with a better opportunity to comprehend what’s expected of them during delivery and with developing their RFP.

We’ve provided our top 3 benefits in attending a buyer presentation/site visit.

  1. To comprehend – sometimes it takes more than a specification document to truly understand what’s expected – especially in a large, multi-million-pound contract that spans multiple regions. As you can expect, with undergoing these types of visits, online clarification questions are often decreased as all aspects will be clarified on the day. Yes – the buyer should make this public to all RFP, but we’ve found that you’ll tend to grasp more out of the day rather than on a paper-reflected document. Whole conversations aren’t recorded and provided, so there will always be something (possibly crucial) that may be missed on paper, but clear on the day.

♦

  1. To introduce yourself – by getting your face in front of the buyer[s] – this not only introduces yourself to them but if you display strong professionalism, knowledge and decorum – this will also stick in their minds. If you send your administrator on the day who’s clueless about your operations – and this is clearly projected – the buyer will consider your organisation less committed to the project and you don’t want to be remembered for that. Choose your most knowledgeable staff to attend who you know will act professionally and come back with a steered view of how better to develop your  RFP and leave a lasting impression on the buyer.

♦

  1. To stay ahead of your competitors – now we aren’t one for shaming our competitors – no matter how subtle. However, if you attend grouped discussions you’ll see exactly who your competition is. This provides in many ways a more competitive RFP process as you should be trying to enhance your response based on advantages over your counterparts. For example: If Company X is present and they deliver a certain way – you can always state how your delivery model provides much more added value to the buyer. Don’t go naming and shaming in your response – keep it classy and always have the buyer’s needs in mind!

♦

These are just some of the things that make attendance at a site visit crucial when developing your RFP.

If you require any support at all with the development of your RFPs – please get in touch with our RFP Consultants who’ll be happy to assist you in your efforts.

CLICK HERE for a FREE Consultation.

We’re here to help you succeed!

The importance of RELEVANT Case Studies!

Posted on by John Hudson

The importance of RELEVANT Case Studies!

RFPs these days (especially in the Public sector) are extremely structured in that they all feature the same legality clauses and requests, based upon EU legislation and procurement law. One other majorly structured trait to a RFP and something the buyer definitely wants to know is how you’ve delivered your services in the past!

The age-old question of – “Please provide 3 examples which demonstrate your technical capability in the market” – is now something of common-request in national RFPs. And rightly so! Of course, buyers want to know who you currently work with, how much work you’ve done and what great results your company boasts.

They need to make sure you have undergone scopes of work, similar to what they are procuring. Experience is key to winning every contract and as part of our writing tutorials at RFP Consultants. We always state that evidence is needed to back up the majority of the responses. Usually, this evidence comes from your experience. This makes the buyer/evaluator feel at complete ease, knowing you have completed something similar before.

We are not saying that you shouldn’t bid for work you haven’t delivered before (especially if you’re a new business). You may have better tools, better ideas and more cost-effective solutions at your disposal that other businesses (with experience) lack. It’s all about assessing the relevancy of your experience and using this to benefit the contract at hand. This is where Case Studies will support your RFP efforts going forward.

A few Do’s and Don’ts to building case studies include:

  • DO – get in touch with your current clients and ask for testimonials. These can be added to support a strong case for why the buyer should choose you.
    E.g. The CEO of ‘Company X’ has stated we are “an impeccable & efficient company, who has not only delivered the most engaging content with brochures but has supported our marketing efforts overall”;
  • DON’T – just pick a client and submit ‘static’ material already developed. Always make sure you adapt your content and client to align with the specified requirements of the buyer. Ensure similar scope, nature and size is used every time, where possible.
    E.g. if you need to supply 500 brochures to a hospital, the buyer probably won’t care if you supplied 5 to a retail store previously- this is way different in size AND scope;
  • DO – use the STAR format when developing your Case Studies to clearly outline the Situation (brief context), Task (the work you faced), Action (what you’ve done) and Results (what were the results etc.).
    E.g. this helps to break down each case study. You may do this several times depending on the requirements within the RFP. However, it is a very good start to show the buyer/evaluator what needed to be done, what & how it was done, along with success rates and statistics outlining benefits/improvements to the client;

So now you’re up-to-date…

This will be one of the most important elements you use as part of your RFP submission and almost 99% of Stage 1/PQQ submissions nowadays have the experience and/or contract example requests embedded.

We encourage you to start working on your case studies as soon as your contract with a client begins. Therefore, you can at least get the basic information gathered using the STAR format and then adapt these case studies to align with future buyer’s requirements as part of RFPs!

Need further help? Get in touch and let us help you grow, develop and standout!

Creative RFPs ‘In Conversation with Jill Hudson’ – Creative RFPs Website

Posted on by John Hudson

‘In Conversation with Jill Hudson’ –  The founder of the Creative RFPs website

What is your role at Creative RFPs?

My role is quite vast, on a weekly basis I work with agencies who are struggling to see results from their RFP efforts, delivering RFP training and RFP writing services, as well as driving forward product innovation to ensure our group of businesses are constantly developing.

Why you think the Creative RFPs website was an instant success.

Creative RFPs was our flagship product and I thought about this business whist working in agencies and often thinking ‘there has got to be an easier way to get this information’.  I knew that if I had this trouble thousands of others would too, so I wrote a technical specification for a product which would make my job easier.

Because I knew the industry so well, having worked in it for over 15 years that the product instantly screamed success.  On the day we launched the ‘coming soon’ campaigns the phone literally rang off the hook.  We had 5 staff at the time and they were all on the phone taking calls.  As all phone lines were busy other agencies were messaging us on Facebook and email saying they couldn’t get through and wanted to speak about the product as soon as possible.  I knew then that this product would be a success.

Then when we launched, within minutes’ agencies were signing up.

What do you see changing in the world of procurement over the next 3 years?

Procurement is changing but slowly. With the growing use of technology and technical capabilities procurement portals will hopefully become more user friendly.  Most portals, in my opinion need simplifying to make it easier for agencies to navigate.  I think this is starting to get better for digital agencies with the use of Digital Market Place.

Brexit will play a huge role in procurement changes, even those who don’t realise it, a lot of money spent on creative RFP opportunities has come from Europe, either directly or indirectly so we won’t see any more opportunities which are funded by ERDF or ESF for example.  I believe it will take a while to steady the ship once we leave the EU, so I am hoping and praying that the transition won’t affect SMEs too much.

Lastly, the government plan on spending £1 in every £3 with an SME by 2020, they currently spend £1 in over £5 either directly or through a supply chain. It will be interesting to see the impact Brexit has on this goal.

What’s your thoughts on the current procurement practices of our government?

It’s quite clear that it isn’t 100% right, nor do I believe that the government think it is.  I know it’s very frustrating for our customers that they need to register on many different portals to access RFP documents, each system with a completely different interface and user requirements. I won’t be the first to say that this needs to be addressed to move forward procurement in general.

Having RFP for over 15 years, I see the frustrations of our customers and have personally seen some horror stories in regards to client selection processes but all we can do is unite and work with procurement departments to educate them on how much effort we put into our RFP documents to ensure fair procurement practices are addressed.

What is your hope for the US’s creative sector?

The sector is flying, there is no doubt about that.  We want our agencies to feel confident stepping outside of their comfort zone and looking at International business.  We’re opening our US office in 2018 to support and encourage buyers to use our US based creative agencies.  This will be a core focus for us during 2018 and any interested agencies should contact me direct so we can chat about how we will support agencies with this development.

You’ve chosen Boston as your first US office, why is this?

There is a number of reasons really, firstly it’s the shortest flight from the US now that they’ve opened direct flights from the North, it is also only a short 50-minute flight from New York.  Secondly, we’ve visited Boston attending conferences, events, hosted meetings with businesses and government bodies and we feel the support on offer and the welcoming nature of the business community, that Boston is ideal for us to dip our toe in the water and start making some waves in the US.

What’s the future for the Creative RFPs Website?

The sky’s limit. No really. We’ve made significant progress in the year and a half we’ve been in business. I dare say 90% of all UK agencies know who we are, we have over 500 customers which grows daily and we have an exceptional retention rate for agencies choosing to stay with us year on year.  Now that we’ve launched another 9-sector specific RFP portals, we’re working on Hudson Discover which is an online inter-trading portal, allowing businesses to buy and supply directly to one another from our system.

The next 12 months sees us focusing on opening the US office, launching RFP Bank to support agencies through simplifying RFP, ensure Hudson Discover is up and running and operating successfully and generally working hard to double the number of RFPs we upload daily.  We’re currently uploading about 10-30 every day, we want to make that a minimum of 50 new opportunities every single day by the end of 2018.

What can agencies expect when working with Creative RFPs?

Consistency.  We will ensure you get your daily bulletins so you don’t miss any opportunities.  We will guarantee that if you log a support query someone will call within 1 working hour maximum, and we ensure our customers that we are constantly flying the flag for the creative sector and encouraging fair procurement practices.

We won’t become stale either, we are constantly in development and constantly generating new products that benefit US agencies during their RFP journey.

If you could explain Creative RFPs in one sentence what would you say?

An innovative product that ensures timesaving for busy agencies, making it a business-critical tool for agency growth.

 

 

Why choose Creative RFPs?

Posted on by John Hudson

Why choose Creative RFPs?

Mr RFPs vs Mrs Finder

Our system is used by two types of customers, creative agencies and freelancers looking for new business opportunities. Business owners and marketing managers looking to source creative partners will also benefit from Creative RFPs.

How can we help your business grow you might ask? By using Creative RFPs (for agencies and freelancers) or by using Creative Finder (to source creative partners).

Here’s how….

Mr RFPs vs Mrs Finder

Mr RFPs will…

 

  • Source creative only RFPs, minimising the time needed to search for RFPs
  • Work with his team who has decades of creative sector experience
  • Provide a time saving solution for business development teams
  • Provide a dedicated account manager to make sure you don’t miss out
  • Set up cold calling campaigns to generate unique opportunities for our subscribers
  • Grow his team who are currently operating US wide with a clear international strategy
  • Create an ideal solution that works for both growing US agencies and freelancers

 

Mrs Finder will…

 

  • Give you access to our ‘free to use’ system for unlimited invitation to quotes
  • Help you write your creative and digital specifications
  • Ensure your opportunities are seen by hundreds of relevant freelancers and agencies
  • Take the legwork out of securing competitive quotes
  • Ensure our system is an easy to use online solution
  • Allow agencies to respond via our system, reducing the amount of emails you receive
  • Provide you with a dedicated account manager with over 10 years’ industry experience

Don’t waste your valuable time searching for RFP opportunities and suppliers….we’ve got them all in one place.  Sign up today at creativerfps.com

Tel: 0203 051 2217

 

 

 

Creative RFPs Team Profiles – Jill Hudson

Posted on by John Hudson

Jill Hudson

When did you start working in the creative sector?

16 years ago.

What is the biggest change you’ve seen in the sector in the last ten years?

When I started working in the sector 16 years ago I was given the role of training sales and marketing professionals UK wide with how to use technology to maximise sales performance in the creative sector.  At the time this was really innovative stuff that only a few had adopted.  Today this software is just day-to-day business practice.  Although the company I worked for was a huge media company that dominated the UK market with its head office in the UK (London), we used an American company to develop the solution.   Today this talent would be found tenfold on our own doorstep.

What made you stay in the creative sector?

I love this sector, I love everything about it, the buzz of generating new business, the process of taking a company through a re-brand, bid writing for my creative clients and reviewing new products and ever-changing developments the sector is adopting.

What is your biggest achievement in the sector?

As of today I have supported, worked with and helped to grow 517 businesses in the sector, and closed multi-millions in new business for my clients.  Due to the launch of Creative RFPs, this will now grow every day.

If you could describe the sector in 3 words what would you say?

Rewarding, energetic and sociable

If you could see any development in the creative sector, what would it be?

Small businesses to see the power of exporting their services worldwide, geography should no longer be an issue with the services we offer as a sector.

If you didn’t work at in the creative industries what would you do?

I would be an author (which I suppose is still in the creative sector really isn’t it).

What 3 skills do you think you need to be successful in this sector?

Passionate, innovative and unafraid

Creative RFPs Team Profiles – Kathryn Johansen

Posted on by John Hudson

Kathryn Johansen

When did you start working in the creative sector?

Just after finishing my Master’s degree in Media Production, in 2009.

What is the biggest change you’ve seen in the sector in the last ten years?

Probably the shift from print media to digital, I know everyone says this but name another sector which can literally change every single day with new technical advancements and developments.

What made you stay in the creative sector?

The variety of the work, it’s always changing so therefore never gets dull.

What is your biggest achievement in the sector?

I’d probably have to say working with this team on the creation of Creative RFPs, it’s such a great tool and I think it’s going to be a wonderful asset in helping businesses within the industry to grow.  I have been a part of it since day one, from initial planning to product launch and the whole team are 110% behind it, believe in it and are passionate about it which you don’t often see nowadays.

If you could describe the sector in 3 words what would you say?

Exciting, prosperous and fun.

 

If you could predict anything in the creative sector, what would it be?

The sector is strong here in the US but in the coming years I would really like to see it grow and thrive, with more opportunities for us from abroad and to really show the strength we have as a digital and creative cluster.

If you didn’t work at in the creative industries what would you do?

It was after my A-levels that I really chose to go down the creative path so it would involve choosing my education differently but I would have got into archaeology.

What 3 skills do you think you need to be successful in this sector?

Ingenuity, imagination and drive

 

Creative RFPs Team Profiles – John Hudson

Posted on by John Hudson

Creative RFPs Team Profiles – John Hudson

When did you start working in the creative sector?

12 years whilst I was still at University.

What is the biggest change you’ve seen in the sector in the last ten years?

Everything moving digital and online, social media becoming more and more important for businesses, and online communities becoming more popular than offline events.

What made you stay in the creative sector?

The diversity and fast paced environment, I’m the type of person that needs to be kept on my toes, and the creative sector does that every day.

What is your biggest achievement in the sector?

Building a leading B2C videography business with 50% year on year growth.  For future achievements I am hoping Creative RFPs will become THE leading RFP portal used worldwide by creative businesses and purchasing managers.

If you could describe the sector in 3 words what would you say?

Fast, dynamic and fulfilling (unlike my current diet).

If you could see anything happen in the creative sector, what would it be?

For smaller agencies to realise the potential in exporting.  Geography shouldn’t be an issue now when we do business with one another.

If you didn’t work at in the creative industries what would you do?

Probably a PE teacher, I like working with people and helping people realise what they are capable of.

What 3 skills do you think you need to be successful in this sector?

Approachable, open-minded, a good work ethic. If you have those 3 three things, drop me a line or send me your CV.

WE SOURCE CREATIVE CONTRACT OPPORTUNITIES FOR SECTORS INCLUDING;

Book a free live demo with Creative RFPs to see how we can help your business grow. 

How much time do you spend weekly searching RFP websites?

Posted on by John Hudson

How much time do you spend weekly searching RFP websites?  

Although no one has actually said £12 per week is too expensive, we thought we would look at the time saving cost of our system, allowing us to put into context how useful Creative RFPs will be to your agency.

£12 per week works out at an annual cost of only £624 per year. This gives you full system access and access to all US and European RFPs.

If the average sales professional UK wide earns £25,000 in salary we are saying that, that person would only spend 2.5% of their time on searching for marketing RFPs and website RFPs generating proactive leads per year to cover the cost of signing up.

New RFP opportunities

Obviously this is not the case. A sales’ professional should be constantly looking for new RFP opportunities and new business opportunities in order to achieve their financial target.

Add on the cost of the telephone bill generating cold leads, payments to other RFP systems which don’t gibe you 100% of the creative sector leads and the wasted time looking through hundreds of RFPs that are not relevant to your sector or your agency then the cost saving is huge.

People have asked us why it’s so cheap when so much work goes into making it useful to agencies, and the answer is simple! We have an honest approach to making money, we can make good money from £12 per week, we can invest in product development and we can encourage the best possible lead generators to join us with good basic salaries and good bonuses. Our system is popular in the industry so as long as you keep loving us we can keep the costs of joining down.

Be a part of something fantastic and join Creative RFPs today!

 

 

Do you think you miss RFP opportunities because you didn’t see them in time?

Posted on by John Hudson

Do you think you miss  opportunities because you didn’t see them in time?  Or the deadline had just passed?

My biggest bugbear over the last 16 years in the industry is finding the perfect RFP at 9am only to find out the deadline is 12noon – THE SAME DAY. Very annoying, but it used to happen all the time.

Do you ever find this in your agency?

This was one of the main reasons for launching this system, and developing it specifically for creative businesses. In the early days of the business we were asked by an investor why we are minimising our potential client base by only populating it with creative opportunities? That’s simple, creating something as fantastic as Creative RFPs, takes sector commitment, sector knowledge and more importantly a desire to grow the sector.

We know we are fantastic at generating creative sector opportunities so we created a system that allows us to take that online. That doesn’t mean to say we won’t create a Professional RFPs, or an Engineering RFPs, we might, but it will still be sector specific to those industries so they get the same value you do from Creative RFPs.

Our core goal is to make sure you don’t experience the same bugbears we have over the years and ensure you are made aware of opportunities the same day they are published. If we see you haven’t logged into the system, your dedicated account manager will give you a personal call to ensure you’ve not missed it. We are not a technical product with zero face. We build relationships, the better we know your agency the better we can support you and help you to grow.

Don’t be that Company who see’s their life changing RFP 2 hours before submission, give yourself the best possible chances of success by giving yourself time to produce a winning bid submission.