How to write a tender for the Australian Government

More than 78,000 contracts were awarded to businesses in 2018-19 by the Australian Government, which had a total value of $64.5 billion. If you believe that your business can provide goods and services required by the Australian Government, how do you sell to the Government and identify tender and business opportunities.Firstly, know the criteria that will to be used to evaluate your tender.

When preparing a tender proposal for the Australian Government, you will be advised of the criteria that your tender responses will be evaluate on. This criteria information will be in an approach to market (ATM) documentation.

The essential and minimum requirements that must be met for tender responses, are the Mandatory criteria.Mandatory evaluation criteria will be identified as such in the ATM and tender documents.

Ensure you focus your attention to the mandatory criteria. If your goods or services do not meet the mandatory criteria or your tender response fails to clearly show how they do, your response WILL be set aside and excluded from any further evaluation. Every detail of the mandatory criteria must be clearly addressed.

Non-essential features or characteristics of the goods or services are the desirable criteria. These may add value for the buyer and gives you the opportunity to highlight how your goods or services are separate than your competitors, and to point out the key advantages or unique features that your goods or services provide.
Next, understand that the government does not have to choose the cheapest response.

It is vital you understand that government organisations are under no obligation to choose the cheapest tender response and will select their suppliers on value for money instead.

Value for money includes:

• the price
• total costs including repairs, maintenance and end of life disposal costs
• suitability and quality of the goods and services
• the supplier’s track record and experience
• innovation and flexibility of the proposal
• and environmental sustainability of the goods and services.

Then, recognise that government evaluators may not ask questions about your tender response
Once your tender proposal has been submitted with the Australian Government, there is rarely further opportunities for you to explain your tender responses. Make sure your response is accurate, complete and detailed enough to evaluate. Leave no doubt what you are offering as well as why your business should be selected.

Finally, it is essential that your tender proposal is ON TIME.

The Australian Government will not accept your tender proposal if it is submitted after the deadline. The only exception accepted is if the delay is solely due to mishandling of the tender by a Government department. This makes it vital that your tender proposal is submitted by the set deadline. If it is even a few minutes late for any other reason, your tender proposal will NOT be accepted. The Government’s AusTender system automatically closes at the designated time.

Do not be afraid to ask for help.

Seeking assistance from experienced tender writers, specialising in the government tender process, is a great idea. Red Tape Busters has a team of professional tender writers, waiting to help you with your tender proposal. Whether you need tender writing Brisbane, tender writer Sydney, tender writer Melbourne, or tender writing anywhere across Australia, Red Tape Busters can help.