This practical workshop is designed to help small and regional businesses understand, assess and prepare competitive tender submissions. It focuses on the key differences between grants and tenders, how to determine whether to bid, and how to develop compliant, commercially sound responses that demonstrate capability, value for money and risk awareness.

Participants will gain a clear understanding of the tender process and leave with a structured approach they can apply to future opportunities.

Please note that this workshop will be broken into two parts: 12pm-1pm Tender Writing Workshop | 1 pm-2 pm floor open for questions and/or one on one.

We will cover:

Understanding the Tender Environment

Types of tenders (RFT, RFQ, RFP, EOI)
Government and private sector procurement
How tenders are evaluated

Bid / No Bid Decision Making

Assessing eligibility and mandatory requirements
Evaluating capability, capacity and competitiveness

Interpreting the Specification and Evaluation Criteria

Breaking down scope of works
Responding to weighted criteria
Writing for assessors

Compliance and Risk

Mandatory criteria and pass/fail requirements
Insurance, financial and governance requirements
Common reasons submissions are excluded

Pricing and Commercial Considerations

Costing structure and margin
Risk allowances
Cash flow and contract sustainability

Demonstrating Capability and Capacity

Presenting experience and case studies
Key personnel and subcontractors
Risk management and quality assurance

Writing a Competitive Submission

Clear structure and evidence-based responses
Avoiding common mistakes
Internal review processes

Post-Submission and Continuous Improvement

Debriefs and feedback
Building a tender library
Strengthening future submissions

Contact the host of Winning Tenders - A Practical Guide for Small Business | Shire of Dardanup