Learning from unsuccessful attempts.
WHAT THE COMMON REASONS ARE
Ineligibility Missing documents Format not followed Late submission Failure to address evaluation criteria Generic content Insufficient comparable experience Price too high or implausibly low Named personnel not credible
WHY IMPLAUSIBLY LOW PRICES FAIL
Evaluators reject bids that appear unable to deliver.
WHAT TO REQUEST AFTER AN UNSUCCESSFUL BID
A debrief, where the process permits.
WHAT TO ASK
Where the bid scored poorly What the successful bidder offered that yours did not Whether anything was non-compliant
WHY
It is the only reliable source of improvement.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Whether the failure was substance or process.
WHY THAT DISTINCTION
Process failures are entirely fixable.
WHAT TO RECORD
Every bid: what was submitted, the price, the outcome and the reason.
WHAT TO ANALYSE
Patterns across bids.
WHAT PATTERNS REVEAL
Consistently losing on price indicates a cost structure problem Consistently losing on technical scoring indicates capability or presentation problems Repeated disqualification indicates process discipline problems
WHAT TO DO ABOUT EACH
Address the cause rather than bidding more.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Your success rate and the cost of bidding.
WHAT TO CALCULATE
Cost per bid, and cost per win.
WHY
It determines whether this route is worth pursuing.
WHAT TO DO IF THE RATE IS POOR
Bid selectively rather than frequently.
WHY
Fewer well-prepared bids beat many rushed ones.
