Bids and proposals

The pre-qualification questionnaire (or PQQ) comes out before the tender, and potential suppliers complete it. Its main purpose is to help the buyer identify any would-be suppliers who don’t fit the basic requirements of the contract. Those suppliers then wouldn’t go on to submit a tender, so both the supplier and buyer save time and money they’d otherwise waste.

The PQQ has now essentially been replaced by the standard selection questionnaire (SQ). The terms are still sometimes used interchangeably. You can learn more about PQQs/SQs here.

A bid library is an archived resource of responses and supporting material from previous tenders. You can use the material for reference as you write new tender responses or reuse sections of copy for subject areas common to most tenders. Learn more about creating and managing an effective bid library here.

This falls into the ‘How long is a piece of string?’ category of questions. There is no one answer here, but often you’ll be told how long your grant proposal should be by the potential funder. If there’s no guidance on length, essentially your proposal should be (only) long enough to succinctly make your case and provide the necessary information. Aim to be as succinct as possible, and be careful not to pad with waffle or anything that doesn’t further your case.

Ah, you’ve heard about the Four Ps structure!

To answer your question: yes, absolutely. And that’s good. At that initial stage, what you’re trying to do is to get them nodding – and to see that you’ve been listening and have understood exactly what it is they want to fix or change.

Once you’ve done that, you’re in the strongest position to tell them why your solution will solve the problem they have or create the result they want.