“There is probably no hell for writers in the next world – they suffer so much from criticism in this one.”
– with apologies to C. N. Bovee who said something similar but not quite the same
Most people think that writing is a creative endeavour, but when it comes to tender writing it is actually very process-oriented and systematic. Don’t get me wrong, there is definitely creativity required to make a tender come to life and take on the energy of a compelling, persuasive sales tool, but that’s just the icing on the cake.
The Aurora Marketing writing process revolves around a discipline of three drafts.
The first draft is prepared very early in the program – less than half-way through the tender period. This is a real paradigm shift for some teams who are used to the adrenalin rush of leaving things to the last minute and producing a first draft just days before the deadline.
The first draft is a rough outline and a data dump for the purpose of getting early movement and making sure everyone is on the right track and has what they need. To give you an analogy, let’s imagine we’re baking a cake. The first draft is equivalent to choosing your recipe and getting your ingredients and equipment out on the bench.
The second draft is where the document starts to take shape and we can see it coming together. In our process, the second draft is also prepared quite early in the program – just over half-way through the tender period. In this phase, we fill in the gaps, build the detail, flesh things out… To continue our analogy, the second draft is where we put it all together and pour our batter into the cake tin.
The third draft is where we really start cooking with gas. In this phase, we finalise all the content for the tender document. We completely answer the questions, fill all of the gaps, address the evaluation criteria thoroughly, meet the page limits… it’s done. By the third draft, everyone can smell the delicious aroma of a freshly-baked cake, cooling on the bench. We aim for this draft about three-quarters of the way through the tender period, so that we have enough time for the last, critical step.
The final step is to transform the third draft into the final product… a mouth-watering, irresistible, tantalizing piece-de-resistance of culinary delight (and tender excellence). This is where we take our perfectly-baked cake and give it the icing – weaving through the tender strategy, key messages and evidence; and proof reading till it’s flawless and formatting till it’s perfect. Voilà!
The most important point about the writing process is that the steps must be followed in this order. Imagine pulling the cake out of the oven before it’s cooked, turning it out of the pan and trying to decorate it… that’s a recipe for disaster!
So be patient and work through the drafts systematically. You’ll save yourself a lot of mess and give yourself a better chance of submitting the winning tender.
Bon appétit!
Leann Webb