5 common tender mistakes that cost you contracts

In the high-stakes world of government and corporate procurement, winning a single tender can define a company's year, fueling growth and opening doors to new opportunities. Conversely, losing a bid you were well-positioned to win can be a significant blow, not just to revenue but also to team morale. While many factors contribute to a successful proposal, a surprising number of bids are lost not because of a weak solution or uncompetitive pricing, but because of simple, avoidable mistakes.

Industry analysis suggests that a significant percentage of all tender submissions are deemed non-compliant and are disqualified before their merits are even considered. These are the bids that are dead on arrival, often due to errors made in the rush to meet a deadline. Understanding these common pitfalls is the first and most critical step toward shifting your win rate from a game of chance to a matter of strategy.

This article provides an in-depth look at the five most frequent and costly mistakes businesses make in their tender submissions. More importantly, it offers practical, actionable advice on how to build processes that prevent these errors, ensuring your bids are always professional, compliant, and compelling.

1. Failing to Follow Instructions Precisely

This is, without a doubt, the cardinal sin of tender writing. Procurement teams are bound by strict rules of fairness and transparency, which means they cannot make exceptions. If a bid fails to comply with the instructions, it is often rejected outright, no matter how brilliant the proposed solution might be.

"Failing to follow instructions is the most frequent error, often resulting in disqualification." - Tender Consultants UK

Tender documents are prescriptive for a reason: they ensure every bidder is judged on a level playing field. These instructions can cover a wide range of administrative and formatting requirements, including:

Submission Method: Portal upload, email, or hard copy delivery.
Deadlines: The exact date and time (down to the second).
File Formats and Naming: Specific requirements like PDF-only, or file names such as [YourCompany]_Technical_Response.pdf .
Formatting: Prescribed fonts, margins, page limits, or word counts for specific questions.
Required Forms: Specific appendices, declarations, or forms that must be completed and signed.

How to Avoid This:

Your defense against non-compliance is a rigorous, process-driven approach. Don't leave it to chance.

Create a Master Compliance Matrix: The moment you decide to bid, create a detailed checklist that breaks down every single instruction from the tender documents. This should be a living document that is checked at every stage of the process.

Requirement	Document Reference	Responsibility	Status (Not Started / In Progress / Completed)
Submission Deadline	Section 1.3, Page 5	Bid Manager	-
Word Count: Question 4.1	Section 4, Page 12	Technical Lead	-
Form of Tender Signed	Appendix A	Director	-
File Naming Convention	Section 1.5, Page 6	Bid Coordinator	-

Utilize the Clarification Period: The Q&A period is your only formal opportunity to resolve ambiguities. If an instruction is unclear, contradictory, or seems unreasonable, ask for clarification. A well-phrased question not only gets you the answer you need but also shows the buyer you are paying close attention.
Assign a Compliance Gatekeeper: Designate one person—ideally someone not involved in the core writing—to conduct a final, ruthless compliance check before submission. Their sole job is to review the bid against the matrix, without getting caught up in the content.

2. Submitting Generic, Untailored Content

Evaluators read dozens, sometimes hundreds, of proposals. They can spot a generic, "copyand- paste" submission from a mile away. These bids feel impersonal and signal to the buyer that you haven't invested the time to understand their unique challenges and objectives. A winning proposal feels like a direct conversation with the buyer, addressing their specific needs.

How to Avoid This:

Become an Expert on the Buyer: Go beyond the tender documents. Your research should include their annual reports, strategic plans, recent news articles, and even the LinkedIn profiles of their key executives. Understand their mission, their recent challenges, and their goals for the future. What are their "hot buttons"?
Translate Features into Client-Specific Benefits: Don't just describe what your product does; explain how it solves the buyer's specific problem.
- Generic Statement: "Our software has a 24/7 support feature."
- Tailored Statement: "We understand that your operations run 24/7, and any system downtime can impact patient care. Our 24/7, locally-based support team ensures that any issues are resolved within 30 minutes, guaranteeing operational continuity for your critical services."
Mirror Their Language: Pay attention to the terminology and tone used in the tender documents. If they talk about "service users," use that term instead of "customers." This creates a sense of alignment and shows you are part of their world.

3. Not Answering the Question Directly

It sounds elementary, yet it's a shockingly common failure. Many bids are filled with marketing fluff and vague assertions but fail to provide a direct, evidence-based answer to the question being asked. Evaluators score responses against a set marking scheme. If your answer doesn't directly address the question, you will score zero for that section.

How to Avoid This:

Deconstruct Every Question: Many tender questions are multi-layered. Break them down into their component parts and use subheadings in your response to ensure you address every single one. For example, a question asking "Please describe your approach to quality management, including your processes for continuous improvement and how you will report on performance" has three distinct parts that need to be answered.
Use a Structured Response Method (like PEEL):
- Point: Make your main point in the opening sentence.
- Evidence: Back it up with hard evidence—data, case studies, statistics, or examples.
- Explain: Explain how this evidence is relevant to the buyer's needs.
- Link: Link it back to the buyer's overall objectives or the value you will deliver.
Provide Proof, Not Promises: The strongest proposals are built on proof. Instead of saying you are "highly experienced," state that "Our team has over 50 years of combined experience in delivering projects of this nature, including the successful delivery of the XYZ project for a similar client last year, which resulted in a 15% cost saving."

4. Poor Presentation and Lack of Proofreading

Your submission document is the first tangible product the buyer will receive from your company. Typos, grammatical errors, and inconsistent formatting create an impression of carelessness and a lack of attention to detail. If you can't get your own proposal right, how can they trust you to handle their multi-million dollar project?

How to Avoid This:

Invest in Professional Design: A well-designed, professionally branded document is easier to read and more engaging. Use clear headings, white space, and high-quality graphics to break up text and illustrate key points.
Implement a Multi-Stage Proofreading Process: A single proofread is not enough.
- Self-Edit: The writer should perform an initial edit.
- Peer Review: Have a colleague read it for clarity and sense.
- "Cold" Read: Leave the document for at least 24 hours before a final proofread. This fresh perspective will help you spot errors you previously missed.
- Read it Aloud: This technique helps to identify awkward phrasing and run-on sentences.
Establish a "Red Team" Review: For high-value bids, implement a formal "Red Team" review. This involves a group of senior people who were not involved in the bid acting as the evaluator, scoring the proposal against the criteria and providing critical feedback.

5. Failing to Qualify the Opportunity (The Bid/No-Bid Decision)

Perhaps the most strategic mistake of all is bidding for the wrong opportunities. Not every tender is a good fit for your business. Chasing unsuitable contracts is the single biggest drain on a company's resources, leading to low win rates, wasted effort, and a demoralized team. A disciplined bid/no-bid process is the hallmark of a mature and successful bidding organization.

"Some suppliers make the mistake of chasing every tender they see. This leads to stretched resources, rushed bids, and low win rates." - Mercell

How to Avoid This:

Develop a Formal Bid/No-Bid Checklist: Don't make this decision based on gut feeling. Use a formal, scored checklist to evaluate every opportunity against a consistent set of criteria.

Bid/No-Bid Criteria	Score (1-5)	Notes
Strategic Fit: Does this align with our business goals?
Relationship: Do we know the buyer? Have we worked with them before?
Solution Fit: Can we offer a winning, differentiated solution?
Requirements: Can we meet 100% of the mandatory requirements?
Resource Availability: Do we have the time and people to prepare a quality bid?
Profitability: Is the contract likely to be profitable?
Competition: Who are we up against? Do we have a realistic chance of winning?
TOTAL SCORE:		(e.g., A score below 25)

Calculate the Opportunity Cost: The time and money you spend on one bid cannot be spent on another, or on other business-critical activities. Be realistic about the true cost of bidding and weigh it against the potential return.

Conclusion: From Mistakes to Mastery

Winning tenders consistently is not an art; it is a science. It requires discipline, process, and a relentless focus on the buyer's perspective. By understanding and actively working to prevent these five common mistakes, you can transform your tendering from a reactive, stressful scramble into a strategic, data-driven function. This disciplined approach will not only increase your win rate but also protect your most valuable resource: your team's time and energy, allowing you to focus on the opportunities you are best positioned to win.

References

Tender Consultants UK. (2025, March 25). Top 10 Tender Writing Mistakes (and How to Fix Them). https://www.tenderconsultants.co.uk/top-10-common-tender-writingmistakes- and-how-to-fix-them/
Mercell. (n.d.). 7 Common Mistakes When Searching for Tenders - and How to Avoid Them. https://info.mercell.com/en/procurement-insights/common-tender-searchmistakes/