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Signage RFPs: The Secrets to Success!

Posted on by Charlotte Jarvis

Here’s how you can find and win signage RFPs

How to find signage RFPs

When you search for signage RFPs, you’ll likely start off by using a search engine such as Google. This is understandable, and you’ll find a lot of results! However, the challenge will be narrowing it down to signage RFPs that are suitable for you. For example, you may be looking for RFPs in a certain location or within a particular budget.

The sites you search will have RFPs listed in a variety of ways, and all will be different. It will take hours to go through these to find a RFP right for you. They won’t feature the key details on some results either. This means you’ll have to scour through lengthy RFP documents. Once you get through these, it might not be a suitable contract, so you’ve wasted all this time!

The good news is that there are helpful solutions available to you.

Creative RFPs

At Creative RFPs, we are one of Hudson Discover’s 11 sector-specific portals. These portals are specifically designed to make the RFP process easier. This is done by listing RFPs based on selective filters. You can see RFPs based on location, deadline dates, budget, and keywords.

Our Opportunity Trackers add new signage RFPs to the portal daily. So, they are always up to date. Plus, we don’t use CPV codes, which can result in missed opportunities. It is what sets us apart from other RFP portals.

You can also receive RFP notifications when RFPs are uploaded that may be of interest to you. It couldn’t be easier! Or could it?

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.

Examples of signage RFPs found on our portal

Creative Enterprise West (Hounslow’s Creative Enterprise Zone) – Wayfinding

London Borough of Hounslow – London – Budget: £50,000

National Signage Framework

Forestry Commission – South West – Budget: £1,200,000

Signs

ESPO – East Midlands – Budget: £25,000,000

GB-Braintree: Wayfinding Signage at Horizon120 Business Park

Braintree District Council – Eastern – Budget: £100,000

Production and Installation of Signage (To Promote the Level of Investment Underway By Hull City Council)

Hull City Council – Yorkshire and Humber – Budget: £35,000

How to win signage RFPs

To win signage RFPs, there’s a few tips you should know. We sat down with our Senior Bid Writers to see what their top tips are for winning signage RFPs!

1.     Don’t use technical jargon

The buyer is likely to be unfamiliar with your industry. So, to avoid confusing them, make sure you don’t use any technical words that they won’t understand.

2.     Be clear and concise

Similar to our previous point, you don’t want to confuse the buyer. Keep your bid proposal as clear and concise as possible. Focus on answering the questions and don’t ramble about anything irrelevant.

3.     Express what makes you different

You should always showcase your unique selling point (USP) in your bid. This gives the buyer an idea of what you can bring to the contract that other suppliers can’t. It is also a great way to help you stand out.

4.     Showcase your experience

The buyer wants to see that you have evidence of completing signage RFPs. You should include three to five case studies that detail similar projects that you did well.

5.     Proofread and edit before submission

Before you submit any bid proposal, not just ones for signage RFPs, you must proofread them! If you don’t, you are almost certain to have left mistakes and errors that the buyers are likely to notice. This will give them the impression that you do not thoroughly check your work. If you don’t do this, they won’t trust you to handle their contract well.

6.     Use bid management to stay organised

You should use bid management to stay on track when working on a bid proposal. It can be easy to become overwhelmed with the workload. By breaking it down, you separate it into manageable chunks.

7.     Don’t submit the bid last minute

One of the worst things you can do is submit proposals for signage RFPs at the last minute. This is often a recipe for disaster. You may come across technical issues or find that there is further information to submit. If you are already close to the deadline, it will get extremely stressful. If you submit your proposal even a minute late, you won’t be considered.

Who can help you win signage RFPs?

Worried you don’t have enough time to dedicate to writing a bid? Help is available! Professional Bid Writers are at hand to support you with your bid proposal. They can take all the stress off of your hands and handle the entire process on your behalf. This is ideal for organisations or individuals that do not have the spare time.

Summary

Here’s a summary of everything we covered in our blog on signage RFPs!

To find signage RFPs, you should use RFP portals such as Creative RFPs. You can upgrade to Discover Elite to have an Account Manager do it for you!

To win signage RFPs:

1.     Don’t use technical jargon

2.     Be clear and concise

3.     Express what makes you different

4.     Showcase your experience

5.     Proofread and edit before submission

6.     Use bid management to stay organised

7.     Don’t submit the bid last minute.

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 RFPs.

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 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.

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.

 

The Keys to Finding & Winning Publishing RFPs

Posted on by John Hudson

Here’s how to find and win publishing RFPs

Looking for publishing RFPs? You’re in luck! At Creative RFPs, we know all about publishing RFPs. So, if you have questions, we will be happy to answer them. In this blog, we will cover what publishing RFPs are, where to find them, and how to win! Keep reading, you don’t want to miss out…

What are publishing RFPs?

For those that are unsure, publishing RFPs are contracts that require some form of printing and publication services. A company or organisation may require the following to be printed/published:

  • Magazines
  • Books
  • Articles
  • Newspapers
  • Leaflets
  • Brochures
  • Posters
  • Invitations
  • Academic works
  • Electoral supplies.

Do you offer any of these services? Do you want to bid for contracts to expand your business? There are plenty of opportunities out there, which is why it’s so beneficial to RFP for work. Looking for contracts allows your business access to opportunities you wouldn’t know about otherwise. Keep reading if you want to know where to find the perfect publishing RFPs for your business…

Finding publishing RFPs with Hudson Discover’s Creative RFPs

Most of us will turn to a search engine such as Google when we need to find something. It is the wizard that has all the answers to our questions. But when you search for ‘publishing RFPs’, you’ll find yourself swamped with countless sites to visit. Each site will feature information differently. Most will not make it easy for you either.

You’ll likely have to read lengthy RFP documents to get to the key details of each RFP. This could be the deadline date, location, budget, or perhaps an element that dictates whether or not you are eligible. Imagine reading over 50 pages to find out you aren’t eligible for a RFP, or the deadline is too soon. That is a lot of time wasted!

There are easier ways of finding publishing RFPs…

What is Creative RFPs?

As one of Hudson Discover’s 11 sector-specific portals, Creative RFPs makes it easy to find opportunities.

These portals were designed to make it simple to find RFPs suitable to your preferences. For example, you can use filters to search for RFPs based on location, keywords, dates, and budget. You may be familiar with RFP portals, so what makes ours different?

Well, each of our portals are updated daily by Opportunity Trackers that don’t use CPV codes. These codes are used to identify contract opportunities, but they can often have errors. This means that we will never miss a RFP due to the wrong code.

Every day, we will send you a RFP notification of all the new opportunities you may be interested in.

Want to save even more time looking for publishing RFPs? Try Discover Elite

What if you could streamline the process even further?

The good news is – you can!

Sign up to Discover Elite via your chosen portal where a dedicated Account Manager finds 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 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
  • 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 publishing RFPs found on our portal

Publications Production with End-to-End Print Services

Swansea University – Wales – Budget: £1,000,000

 

Contract for Publishing Guidebooks

National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool – South East – Budget: £85,000

 

The Provision of a Publications Dispatch Service

Department of Social Protection – Republic of Ireland – Budget: £200,000

 

The Provision of NIHR Journals Library: Production Services

University of Southampton – South East – Budget: £7,000,000

 

South Devon College ITT for the Design of Publications

South Devon College – South West – Budget: £60,500

4 tips to win publishing RFPs from expert Bid Writers

  1. Make sure your answers are clear, concise, and relevant
  2. Don’t use technical jargon as this can confuse the buyer
  3. Ensure you proofread your proposal before submission, so it is of the highest standard
  4. Use writing and language skills to keep the buyer engaged with your bid.

Summary

We have reached the end of our blog on publishing RFPs. Here is a recap of everything we covered:

What are publishing RFPs?

Here are some examples of products needed as part of a publishing RFP.

  • Magazines
  • Books
  • Articles
  • Newspapers
  • Leaflets
  • Brochures
  • Patient identification bands
  • Posters
  • Vouchers
  • Product packaging
  • Invitations
  • Academic works
  • Electoral supplies.

To find publishing RFPs, you can use the Creative RFP’s portal. By upgrading to Discover Elite, an Account Manager will find RFPs on your behalf.

4 tips to win publishing RFPs from expert Bid Writers

  1. Make sure your answers are clear, concise, and relevant
  2. Don’t use technical jargon
  3. Ensure you proofread your proposal before submission
  4. Use writing and language skills to keep the buyer engaged with your bid.

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 tendered 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 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.

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:

 

How Can I Win A PR RFP?

Posted on by John Hudson

How can I increase my success bidding for a PR RFP?

Are you wondering how you can win a PR RFP? If you’ve never prepared RFP before, you may have some questions about the RFP process and what to include.

4 things to expect from a PR RFP

The contents of the PR RFP will depend on the needs of the buyer. Each RFP will be different and because of this, we will detail what is generally required and expected.

  1. Provide an outline of a PR plan

When you are responding to a PR RFP, you will likely have to provide an outline of a PR plan. You should be prepared to detail how you will provide PR services for the contract you’re applying for.

Pay attention to what is noted in the RFP documents. They will likely note specifics and objectives that the buyer wants to achieve from this contract. Read them carefully and demonstrate your understanding in your answers. You’d be surprised how many businesses don’t do this.

  1. Propose a working methodology

Along with the PR plan, you will often need to propose a working methodology. This could be inbound or outbound. This can include, but isn’t limited to the following:

  • Content strategy
  • Content bank
  • Content distribution
  • Web content
  • Content measurement.

The PR methodology will vary depending on the needs of the buyer and the project at hand. This is a great time to demonstrate your expertise in PR and your knowledge.

  1. Explain why your organisation is best suited to the project

For any PR RFP, you want to persuade the buyer that you’re the best for the job. For this, backing up what you’re saying with facts. You could include any awards that your agency has won. Hard statistics and facts really help drive your point home.

Other metrics for reiterating why your company is the best choice, is by mentioning credentials and skills. Did anyone on the project study this at university? How many years of experience do you have collectively? Does anyone specialise in a certain area of PR? Including information like this can really strengthen your PR RFP.

Your experience will have a part to play in your PR RFP. For a PR RFP, you will need to detail up to three case studies. Ideally, these contract examples will be similar in scope, style and complexity to the RFP you’re applying for. Remember to keep in relevant demonstrating your skills. Including how you overcame any unexpected challenges is always a plus. This will convey flexibility and problem-solving giving the buyer confidence in your capabilities.

  1. Outline of reporting methods 

Consider the reporting methods that you’re going to use during the contract. These will likely be classic PR reporting methods over a specific period. For example:

  • Website traffic
  • Volume of mentions
  • Social media engagement
  • Website views by demographics, device and region.

In conclusion

You should have a better idea of what’s required for a PR RFP now. Reading the RFP documents can help you gain a better understanding of what the buyer wants. You can expect to include a PR plan and working methodology.

Demonstrating your experience is essential and remember to keep it relevant. Be persuasive in your responses and explain why your company is best for the job.

DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE WITH DIGITAL MARKETING RFPS?

You don’t always have the time or resources to write a winning response in house. Outsourcing to bid writing experts can help. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, offer four levels of bid writing support. They boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of bid writing experience. The services on offer include:

  • A RFP Writing service
  • A RFP Ready programme
  • The RFP Improvement package
  • RFP Mentor

NEED HELP SOURCING PR RFPS? WE CAN HELP!

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 digital marketing RFPs. Most websites post multi-industry opportunities and filtering them with CPV codes can produce unreliable results. 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 US.

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

SLaM ST21 – P150 PR Support

South London and Maudsley’ NHS Foundation Trust – London Budget: £40,000

Single Party Framework for European PR Agency Services

IDA Ireland – Republic of Ireland Budget: £700,000

Admittance to a Panel for Supply of Brand & Marketing Services and/or PR Agency Services

Yorkshire Water Services Limited – Yorkshire and Humber Budget: £7.5million

Climate and Nature Communications Plan and Delivery

Herefordshire Council – West Midlands Budget: £150,000

PR & Marketing Campaign

Glenville Walker and Partners (“GWP”) – North West Budget: £7,000

A SUBSCRIPTION TO CREATIVE RFPS CAN OFFER YOUR BUSINESS:

  • Access to all exclusive, public and private sector creative contracts in the US.
  • An on-hand Account Manager is available 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.

WE SOURCE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SECTORS INCLUDING;

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

WANT TO SAVE EVEN MORE TIME?

Upgrading to Discover Elite allows you to optimise your RFP opportunities even when you’re busy. Our two upgraded packages can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. Each can help save you even more time when searching for RFPs for design work.

THE ULTIMATE TIME SAVER PACKAGE OFFERS YOUR BUSINESS:

  • A maximum of five RFP breakdowns per month.
  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Creative and Technology, for example.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices are monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable creative RFP opportunities.

THE BECOME A PRE-BID MASTER PACKAGE ALSO INCLUDES:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven RFP breakdowns per month.
  • A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

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:

7 Things to Expect When you RFP for Design Work

Posted on by John Hudson

RFP for design Work

If you’re wondering whether to RFP for design work and you don’t know where to begin, we can help. This blog provides 7 things to expect when you RFP for design work.

First, let’s start with the basics…

What type of design work is out to RFP?

RFPs for design work are released by both private and public sector organisations. They could be looking to procure a range of design services. These could include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

  • Graphic design services
  • Print functions
  • 3D designs
  • Signage
  • Produce design schematics for graphics
  • Artwork
  • Exhibitions
  • CGI
  • Lighting design
  • Illustration
  • Cartography
  • Branding
  • Digital design and more.

7 things to expect when you RFP for design work

  1. Your economic financial standing

 When you’re using RFP for design work, you can expect to have your economic financial standing to be assessed. This is to make sure that you’re able to carry out the work. It is comprised of three things:

  • Annual turnover
  • Financial ratios
  • Insurance(s)

  1. Case Studies

When writing your RFP for design work, you will likely be asked to provide up to three case studies. These should be from within the last three to five years. These case studies should demonstrate projects that are similar in scope and scale to the one you are RFP for. They should demonstrate your capabilities to work on the project at hand.

Depending on the word count, they could include a positive testimonial from a previous client. This will strengthen your response, but bear in mind you might have to provide their contact details for a follow up. So, you shouldn’t make them up. It may also be a good idea to state if there were any challenges and how you overcame them.

  1. CVs

Some buyers may require you to include CVs for those who are to be involved in the project. Buyers want to be reassured that you and your team are experienced and qualified. They should be focused relevant and as concise as possible. Each CV should detail what the specific team member will be responsible for, they should also include:

  • Their job title
  • Any relevant qualifications or accreditations
  • A professional yet friendly picture allowing the buyer to put a face to the name.

  1. Outline methodology

You may be required to provide a concise written proposal setting out what your organisation would do. This outline should state how you will produce the work required as per the requirements of the specification.

  1. Quality assurance

Depending on the buyer, you may be required to provide details of your quality control process. This could outline how you ensure your organisation’s work is of the highest quality. You should provide details of security information and confirm general data protection. Bear in mind, this may not be required for all RFPs for design work.

  1. Social value or added value

RFP in the public sector, you will need to provide details of your business’s social value policy. This is because there is a mandatory 10% weighting on social value for public sector contracts. You will need to detail the environmental, social and economic aspects of the RFP. You should consider:

  • Encouraging economic growth
  • Creating new jobs and skills
  • Supporting COVID-19 recovery
  • Tackling climate change.

It’s worth noting again, that within the public sector, the contract will be awarded to the MEAT. The MEAT is the most economically advantageous RFP. Here, a buyer will be seeking the most value for their money. A buyer will be evaluating your RFP on more than just price. It’s worth remembering that the cheapest bid does not win. The buyer will be looking at a number of aspects, including, but not limited to:

  • Quality
  • Accessibility
  • Technical ability
  • The proposed design
  • Environmental benefits
  • Innovation
  • Customer service or ongoing support
  • Ability to deliver on time.

The specific evaluation aspects will be stated within the RFP documents. These will vary depending on the buyer, so it’s important to read the specification carefully.

  1. Framework agreement

Sometimes you can find RFPs for design work as part of a framework agreement. Framework agreements are multi-supplier agreements used within the public sector to procure a good or service. Securing a place on a framework can help you secure a pipeline of work for your business. They can run for years at a time with some having the possibility of an extension.

Framework agreements are often split into lots with each lot representing a specific good, work, service or geographical location. They allow for suppliers to apply for the specific lots they specialise in. This means a supplier doesn’t have to be able to deliver every aspect of the contract.

Need assistance with your next RFP for design work?

We understand that you might not have the time, resources or experience to write a winning response in-house. Outsourcing to bid writing experts can help you win your next RFP, securing a pipeline of work for your business.

Our sister company Hudson Succeed, have over 60 years of bid writing experience and an 87% success rate. They offer four bid writing support services that can help you win more RFPs for design work. Whether you’ve never RFP before or need your response proofread before you submit – we can help.

  1. A Tender Ready programme
  2. The Tender Improvement package
  3. Tender Writing services
  4. Tender Mentor

Where can I find RFPs for design work?

Finding RFP for design work for your business can take hours out of your busy day. You likely don’t have the spare time to be searching hundreds of websites and portals for a relevant RFP. Many of them post multi-industry opportunities and searching for sector-specific leads can turn into a full-time job!

Luckily for you, we have a time-saving tool that can take the headache out of RFP. Creative RFPs is an easy-to-navigate, centralised portal that hosts all live creative RFP opportunities from across the Creative Industry. There’s no reliance on inaccurate CPV codes!

Our Opportunity Trackers manually search and upload unique, private and public sector opportunities. You’re able to filter and search the results by keyword, budget, location and more. This streamlines the process, allowing you to find the perfect RFP for design work.

Below are previous RFPs for design work sourced on our portal:

Graphic design commission, Manchester Art Gallery – Platt Hall

Platt Hall- North West- Budget: £6,000

Town Centre Heroes Exhibitions

London Borough of Barnet- London- Budget: Undisclosed

Lelley Fields Crematorium Marketing Strategy and Brand Development

East Riding of Yorkshire- Yorkshire and Humber- Budget: Undisclosed

Restoring Stover Park – Brand and Interpretation Design

Devon County Council- South West- Budget: Undisclosed

Graphic Designer, The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge

The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge- South East- Budget: Undisclosed

A subscription to Creative RFPs can offer your business:

  • Access to all exclusive, public and private sector creative contracts in the UK.
  • An on-hand Account Manager is available 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 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.

We source opportunities for sectors including;

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

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite allows you to optimise your RFP opportunities even when you’re busy. Our two upgraded packages can improve your competitor awareness and bidding success rate. Each can help save you even more time when searching for RFP for design work.

The Ultimate Time Saver package offers your business:

  • A maximum of five RFP breakdowns per month.
  • An annual subscription to a maximum of two Hudson Discover sector-specific portals. This option can help businesses that overlap two industries such as Creative and Technology, for example.
  • Pre-market and award engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
  • Buyer portal management, including registration, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid or no-bid
  • Weekly phone calls with your dedicated Account Manager to discuss viable creative RFP opportunities.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package also includes:

  • All of the above.
  • Up to seven RFP breakdowns per month.
  • A Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager with a minimum of 5 years of experience. It will also be managed by our Global Bid Director.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

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!

Are you a sales professional in the creative sector?

Posted on by John Hudson

Are you a sales professional working in the creative sector?  Need help sourcing quality leads?

Calling all creative sector sales professionals!

Are you sick and tired of searching hundreds of RFP sites trying to find suitable opportunities for your business to bid for? Are you fighting against a huge target and struggling to see straight? Do you hate cold calling and wish someone were doing it for you?

We understand the bugbears that sales professionals in our sector face. So many people tell us they hate cold calling. Hey we built a strong business from the fact that sales professionals in the creative sector hated cold calling. It takes a specific type of person who loves cold calling, but managing this team also take strong and coordinated management. Not a skill that many creative sector owners have from their own admission.

Our system doesn’t compete with sales professionals it supports sales professionals. Your sales professionals should focus on what they do best and let us do the leg work. We work with sales professionals not against them, we aim to fill their inbox with lead after lead for them to respond to and submit a winning bid.

Sales professionals shouldn’t see us as a threat, if anything we are an extension of their team and your dedicated account manager from Creative RFPs will be working with you to understand the types of clients you are looking to win so that they can brief our calling teams to run targeted campaigns aimed at populating the system with relevant RFP opportunities.

Sounds fantastic right? You can sign up today!

Look forward to working with you!

 

What do you find difficult about creative sector RFPS?

Posted on by John Hudson

Creative sector RFP, what do you find difficult about it?

As you’ve probably guessed by now we want to see the creative sector in the UK grow, and we believe we can help. Each week we will launch an open discussion and your feedback counts. The more feedback we get from these discussions, the better our system becomes. Simple!

So. Today we are asking what you find difficult about creative sector RFP.

I have worked in the sector for 16 years now and the RFP process has changed somewhat, but the basic principles have remained the same. The hardest thing I have found is the sheer volume of different websites I have to check weekly just to ensure I have not missed any opportunities. How many do I actually check, you may ask? Currently it stands at 1,017. Yep you heard it right. Over 1,000 sites weekly and boy is it boring and time consuming, and definitely a task which needs to be done on an evening in front of the TV as I don’t actually have time during my working day.

Creative sector RFP

The worst thing, over 50% may not even have a single RFP on the site, but I have to check them just in case anything is missed. Seriously, who actually has time to do this? Yes I could give it to a junior to do but I would be worried they wouldn’t pick up on all of the opportunities and the search functions can’t be relied on, as they don’t always work. It doesn’t help by the fact that around 75% of public RFPs have been categorised incorrectly.

So, help us please understand what it is you don’t like about creative sector RFP and we will ensure our system provides you with a much improved system, a one that will take away your bug bears and make your life easier.

Sign up for a free demo of Creative RFPs and review the following opportunities:

Event RFPs

Website RFPs

Printing RFPs

Video Production RFPs & many more.