Do You Need More Than Just Bid Writing Support?

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By Lisa Reece, Director & Senior Bid Consultant at BWL Group

No two tenders or businesses are the same. While some companies need full bid management and bid writing from start to finish, others simply require an expert eye on a final draft. If you’re a managing director or work-winning director trying to improve your tender success, you likely know how tough the competition can be.

One survey found that, on average, companies win only around 21% of the public tenders they bid for. In such a competitive environment, having more than just a writer is often essential. Successful bids demand a clear tender strategy, effective bid management, and compelling storytelling that speaks to the buyer’s needs.

At BWL Group, we tailor our services to fill the gaps in your bid team, strengthening your submissions and managing costs more effectively. We’re a UK and Ireland based bid consultancy that can scale our support to your needs. Below are just a few examples of how we’ve helped clients solve specific bid challenges, from upfront strategy through to final reviews and beyond:

Bid Capture and Tender Strategy Support

A human resources organisation delivering on a major public sector framework approached us months in advance of the re-tender. They needed a clear strategy to support their bid writing process so they could maintain a prime position on the framework.

We held a capture planning session to clarify their competitive position, identify key win themes, and develop a proactive strategy that anticipated likely buyer priorities. (A capture plan is essentially a focused, pre-tender action plan outlining the steps and activities needed to win a specific opportunity. These insights allowed us to deliver a detailed Capture Plan, which gave them a strategic foundation for their submission. It helped them align fully with the evaluation criteria, address the contract’s key priorities, and pinpoint their unique value proposition. This approach is vital – thoroughly understanding the client’s needs and scoring criteria forms the foundation of any successful bid, ensuring you address exactly what the buyer is looking for.

Following the client’s own drafting of the responses, we undertook several review cycles to reinforce the messaging from the Capture Plan. By the end, their content reflected the agreed strategy and win themes. Our support resulted in the client securing a first-place framework award.

We had the pleasure of working with BWL on several bids. Their professionalism and expertise were truly exceptional. Their ability to manage the entire bidding process, from organising the necessary documentation to coordinating information ensured a stressful process was made an easy experience. BWL demonstrated impressive bid writing skills, delivering well-structured proposals. Their attention to detail and pragmatic approach significantly contributed to the success of our submissions. We highly recommend BWL.

Storyboarding and Bid Evaluation

We’ve supported a Tier 1 construction client with storyboarding for every major tender submission for the last three years.

Our approach provides clear structure, defined themes, and evidence prompts so their team can write a high-quality first draft aligned to the buyer’s requirements. Storyboarding essentially acts as a roadmap for the bid, guiding the team through the buyer’s needs and ensuring all essential elements are covered in a logical sequence. By mapping out the key elements of a response, a storyboard enables the team to effectively communicate their value proposition and showcase solutions, ultimately increasing their chances of success.

Once the draft is prepared, our bid management team then conducts mock evaluations (similar to a Red Team review) using the buyer’s scoring criteria to highlight any gaps and help refine the answers. This step imitates an evaluator’s perspective, checking compliance, clarity, and persuasiveness, and ensures the submission is as strong as possible.

An independent Red Team–style review can significantly increase win probability by refining the proposal and maximising its scoring potential. Through these mock evaluations, we pinpoint weaknesses or unclear areas and recommend improvements for maximum marks.

The result is that the client’s team continues to improve their drafts on every bid, using our feedback to push their responses to the next level. Over the course of our partnership, the client has reported a 36% increase in wins since working with us. This tangible boost in their win rate shows how combining structured storyboarding with objective bid evaluations can directly impact success.

Case Study Development

A civil engineering client bidding for a public sector contract required detailed case studies to support their tender submission, but they didn’t have any polished case studies readily available. We were engaged to develop these case studies from scratch. Our team interviewed the project contract managers to determine each project’s scope, challenges, delivery methods, and value delivered. Over the course of just four days, we developed three robust project case studies. Each write-up was carefully aligned to the buyer’s brief and evaluation points, and we even produced branded designs/layouts for a professional finish. These case studies scored highly in the tender evaluation and now form part of a reusable bid library for the client.

Including relevant past project examples (with quantifiable results or lessons) in a bid provides evidence of experience and capability, which can significantly strengthen a proposal. Clients (and evaluators) want to see that you have successfully delivered similar work before.

We recommend adding relevant success stories or testimonials from previous projects to build trust in your ability to handle the contract. Through the alignment of each case study with what the buyer was looking for, we helped our client demonstrate their track record and value. These case studies boosted the submission and also became a valuable library of evidence points that the client can reuse for future bids.

Marketing and Bid Readiness

Sometimes winning bids isn’t just about the proposal itself, it’s about being ready to bid in the first place. We helped a small electrical contracting business wanting to increase its client base in the UK public sector. They had limited in-house marketing or bid collateral, which was holding them back from bidding on bigger opportunities. To prepare them for public sector tenders, we provided a comprehensive bid development pack including:

• Well-written company CVs and staff biographies
• Polished project case studies (focused on relevant achievements)
• Organisational charts and key policies (e.g. health & safety, quality, environment)
• Branded graphics and social media assets for a consistent professional image
• A branded newsletter template for client outreach
• Social media setup with initial written content to boost visibility

With these assets in place, our client could present a professional, credible front to any potential buyer.

We also assisted them in recertifying on industry accreditation platforms like Constructionline and Achilles. Maintaining these accreditations streamlines the pre-qualification process. For example, Constructionline helps both suppliers and buyers bypass a lot of repetitive tender paperwork which saves time for everyone involved. Likewise, Achilles and similar certification schemes mean much of the standard PQQ information is already verified and available, so each bid doesn’t require starting from scratch. This gave our client added credibility and saved time when completing PQQs.

After our support, the client feels confident and ready to pursue larger opportunities with a professional tendering approach. They have all the bid assets at hand, a consistent brand image, and the necessary certifications to instill buyer confidence. Crucially, they know that expert bid writing support from our team is available whenever needed. With this solid foundation, they can now approach public sector contracts much more competitively.

Design and Visual Content

A water-sector client asked us to rework technical graphics for a large bid they were developing. Their engineers had plenty of detailed diagrams and process sketches, but these visuals were either hand-drawn or basic digital drafts that weren’t presentation-ready. Our designer applied information design principles to create professional, high-impact graphics. We transformed rough sketches into clear infographics, sequencing maps, and call-out diagrams that aligned with the bid’s key messages. In total, we managed the development of over 40 individual graphics to complement the written responses.

The difference was night and day. The final visuals aesthetically polished and purposeful. Each graphic was designed to reinforce a specific point in the proposal, making it easier for evaluators to understand and score our client’s solution.

Through the use of charts, graphs, and infographics, a proposal can better hold decision-makers’ attention and make complex content more engaging and easier to absorb. In other words, a good visual design isn’t just about looking pretty, it improves clarity and persuasion. Well-designed graphics can highlight how the solution works, illustrate timelines or processes, and convey point-scoring information clearly.

Ultimately, the enhanced graphics in this bid helped ensure the evaluators could quickly grasp the technical approach and see the value in our client’s solution. Visual content, when done right, can really make your bid stand out.

Bid Library Review and AI Cleanup

When a newly appointed Bid Director at a facilities management firm reviewed their internal content library, he found it filled with low-quality, auto-generated text. In recent months, the team has relied heavily on AI tools to draft responses, which, unfortunately, resulted in generic and sometimes off-target content. The director wisely recognised that to win bids, their baseline content needed an overhaul. It had to be high-quality, human-toned, and truly buyer-focused (especially for those narrative-driven tender questions).

BWL was engaged to audit and refresh the content library. Our team reviewed, edited, or replaced key materials across the library, ensuring every answer had a consistent voice that sounded human and professional. We removed the tell-tale AI blandness and ensured the content was relevant and tailored to buyers’ likely concerns in the sector.

It’s worth noting that while AI writing tools (like ChatGPT) can generate text quickly, they often cannot capture the nuance or specificity needed for a winning bid. An AI tool might string together the right keywords, but it doesn’t truly understand your company’s unique strengths or the buyer’s priorities. As our APMP expert, Michael Lee, has pointed out, an AI-driven answer tends to lack the personal touch and insight that comes from real experience, as it won’t adequately communicate your company’s ethos, plans, or value propositions. Buyers don’t want a generic, one-size-fits-all response – they want to know why your team is the best fit, with details on your skills, expertise, and approach. That’s why we ensured the revised library content was rich with company-specific insights and written in a way that connects with evaluators on a human level.

The impact of this content cleanup was dramatic. The team went from a period of continuous losses to winning three new contracts using the revamped content library. By starting their proposals with a high-quality knowledge base (and no longer relying on unedited AI text), they could craft much stronger responses. We now support this client with storyboarding on all major bids, helping them maintain that human-centred, buyer-focused approach in every tender.

BWL is simply the best. Their attention to detail, professionalism, and dedication to exceeding our expectations are commendable. They have transformed our business, and our confidence has soared. If I could give BWL 10 stars, I absolutely would! Without a doubt, there is no better company out there for bid writing, trust me, we have been there!

Challenging Tender Outcomes

Even after submission, our support can make a difference. We recently supported a healthcare client with pre-submission bid reviews on a critical tender. Unfortunately, despite strong preparation, the client was initially notified that they were unsuccessful (losing to another bidder). Unsatisfied with the outcome, the client asked us to help analyse the result and the buyer’s feedback notes. We reviewed the scoring breakdown and feedback commentary. In doing so, we identified indications of unfair marking and mistakes in the evaluation, where it appeared the evaluators had mis-scored answers or provided inconsistent feedback versus the content of our client’s bid.

We compiled our findings into a detailed report, highlighting where the scoring did not seem to follow the stated criteria or where the feedback was contradictory. On this basis, the client decided to lodge an official challenge letter during the Alcatel (legal standstill) period. In public procurement, if a bidder believes the contracting authority breached procurement rules in the evaluation, they can challenge the award decision during the standstill period. Common grounds for such a challenge include incorrect application of the award criteria, failure to follow the published evaluation process, unequal treatment of bidders, or lack of transparency in the decision. In this case, our analysis suggested the evaluators had not properly followed their own scoring scheme, which is a valid reason to contest the result.

The outcome demonstrates why thorough bid analysis is important – after the client’s challenge, the buyer (with legal oversight) investigated and ultimately overturned the initial decision. The contract was awarded to our client upon review.

While challenges are relatively rare and must be pursued with care (and usually legal advice), this shows that having expert bid support can safeguard your interests. We not only help clients submit winning bids, but also ensure that if something seems off in the evaluation, it can be addressed through proper channels. In the end, our client secured the contract they had rightfully earned, avoiding an unjust loss.

Do You Have A Niche Bid Requirement? We’re Ready to Help.

If you’ve got a specific or niche bidding need, we offer scalable bid support, from upfront strategy to persuasive storytelling, and from detailed reviews to eye-catching visuals. Whether you need comprehensive bid management or just some targeted bid writing support, we can flex our services to fit your team, your tender strategy, your budget, and your timescales. Our goal is to act as an extension of your team, providing exactly the help you need to improve your win rate.

Contact us today to find out more about how we can support your next contract or framework bid:

• Email: enquiries@bwlgroup.co.uk
• Visit: bwlgroup.co.uk
• Read our reviews: BWL Group | Trustindex

With BWL Group’s professional and engaging bid support, you’ll give your tenders the best possible chance of success, far beyond what “just a bid writer” alone can achieve. Let us help you craft winning proposals that stand out and secure the contracts your business deserves.