Boilerplate content is meant to save time—but if it’s left neglected, it can seize up and stop working altogether.
Every bidder knows that time is the most precious resource on any bid. Organisations often rely on well-worn content across multiple submissions to shave time and reduce the pressure on already overworked bid teams. But if maintenance for boilerplate content is ignored, that once-polished prose can rust, becoming outdated, irrelevant, or misaligned with your current strategy. And when that happens, your bids lose their heart.
Has your boilerplate content lost its spark?
When was the last time you checked your standard bid content for signs of wear? If it’s been a while, you might be submitting more than just a proposal—you could be handing in a relic of the past. Businesses evolve over time and so do their expertise, experience and value propositions.
Some of the most common issues with reusing outdated boilerplate content include:
Supplying Outdated References – Are you still mentioning long-completed projects, old capabilities, or—worst of all—the wrong client’s name? (Yes, it happens.)
Rusty Messaging – Your business has evolved—has your content kept pace? If your boilerplate content still talks about services you no longer offer, it’s working against you.
Compliance Corrosion – Industry regulations change. If your legal and compliance sections aren’t up to date, your bid might be disqualified before it’s even read.
Creating Patchwork Problems – Has your content been bolted together over the years? If different sections don’t quite fit, your bid might lack the cohesion and clarity evaluators expect.
The danger of a rusty submission
Tender evaluators can spot a copy-paste job a mile away. If your content feels stiff, outdated, or out of place, it sends the wrong message. Your bid is more than a document, it’s a reflection of your work ethic, your professionalism and your capability. Sloppy submissions that lack consistency create cracks in confidence for the evaluators. Common errors that arise from inadequate boilerplate content can lead to concerns such as:
Lack of care – If you haven’t polished your own bid, how meticulous will you be in delivering the contract?
Disrespect – If you aren’t willing to put effort in at the bid stage, it can look like you don’t care about the outcome.
No heart – If your proposal sounds like every other one you’ve submitted, why should they choose you?
Missed opportunities – While your competitors are refining their bids, yours may be creaking under the weight of old content.
How to bring your boilerplate content back to life
There are several best practice options to return the heart to your boilerplate content. By building in new processes that allow for some much needed maintenance, you can immediately uplift and future proof the quality of your bids. To supercharge your boilerplate content, you can also consider technology like AI for tenders to give your bids the ultimate polish.
Here are our top three recommendations for strengthening your boilerplate content:
Regular Maintenance – Treat boilerplate content like a machine—it needs a tune-up with regular scheduled reviews.
A Fresh Set of Eyes – Have someone outside your bid team read your content. If they don’t find it compelling, neither will the evaluator.
Tender Health Check – Take it one step further and have an external team review your recent submissions to provide tailored feedback about what changes would add most improvement to your current approach.
Upgrade with AI – Embrace technology to streamline content updates. AI-powered editing and knowledge management tools can help refine your content, saving time, money and resources—so you can focus on the strategy that wins bids.
Your bid content shouldn’t be rusted-on—it should be refined, recharged and ready to win. If yours is looking a little worse for wear, now’s the time to breathe new life into it. By taking practical steps to review and maintain your boilerplate responses, you can provide instant improvements to the quality of your tenders and the likelihood of success come bid time.
Keen to talk to us about how we can assist with services like Tender Health Checks or cutting edge AI for Tenders? Get in touch today, we’d love to hear from you.
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