7 MORE POINTS TO SUCCESS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

THE NATIONAL SME
ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME

SMEs are able to provide innovative solutions and value for money
Step 13 Address risk
SMEs need to promote themselves not only as innovators but also as
experts in their field. Help and reassure your potential client by always
identifying potential risks and showing how your proposal mitigates them.
Any reduction of the risks perceived by the public sector to be associated
with contracting with SMEs is likely to result in an increase in engagement
with such companies.

Step 14 Carefully match responses to the stated criteria
Most public sector contracts involve a two-stage process – selection of
tenderers, followed by evaluation of tenders. At both stages, the criteria
for selection or award are clearly stated in either the original notice or the
invitation to tender documentation. Ensure that you understand the
relative weighting/scoring that the authority is applying to each criterion
and make sure that your response addresses these criteria proportionally.

Step 15 Consider engaging a specialist ‘Bid Writer’
Consider utilising the services of a specialist public sector bid writer.
Specialist bid writers understand the procurement process and what it
takes to make a successful bid. This approach may at first seem costly
but you will increase your chances of success and fast track your learning
so that you will not need their skills in the long run.

Step 16 Price matters
Remember that most tenderers will have similar capabilities to achieve
the technical requirements of the tender. Where this is the case, price will
become increasingly important. Where price is weighted at 25% or over,
then it may be difficult to win unless you are providing the lowest or close
to the lowest price.

Step 17 Learn from the debrief
The chances are that you will lose tenders before you win them. The
more tenders you respond to, the better you will get at tendering, but only
if you ensure that you do not make the same mistakes time and time
again. So ensure that your tendering activity is a rewarding learning curve
by seeking information from the awarding authority after every
unsuccessful tender to determine why you were not selected or why you
were unsuccessful at the invitation to tender (ITT) stage. Most importantly,
learn the lessons for the next time. If the successful tender proposed a
higher price, remember that you have a right to know what the winning bid
was and why it was better than yours. Even if you are successful it still
pays dividends to attend the debrief, since you will discover where your
bid was stronger than the competition, and possibly also learn about
areas of weakness.

Step 18 Act as a subcontractor
Generating revenue through the public sector need not mean working
directly for the public sector. Increasingly, public bodies are hiring large
firms that contract out work to smaller suppliers. SMEs should be aware
that acting as a subcontractor to larger private sector organisations with
public sector funding may be a faster route to public sector revenue.
Winning subcontractor business also provides a useful reference should
you wish to work directly for the public sector in the future.

Step 19 Consider Framework Contracts
Although it may be time-consuming initially, getting onto a framework
agreement should result in many relevant opportunities over the lifetime of
the framework – normally two to five years. Framework contracts are also
a useful way of identifying who your competitors are. Once a
framework contract has been awarded you will be able to see all the
companies that have been successful in securing a place on it; some may
be known to you but some may not

Step 20 Invest in a high-quality service ethos
Delivering a higher-quality service than is required will increase the
likelihood of contract renewal. Once the contract is won, SMEs looking
to stay in favour and be considered for the next contract period must
invest in meeting, if not surpassing, the service delivery requirements of
their client. Your target should be to give your client the feeling that you
are their partner in trying to achieve and deliver their requirement. Make
it difficult for them to consider alternative providers.
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