To win Welsh public sector tenders you need to make sure you get your sales process right.

Winning contracts with the public sector is an excellent way to grow your business. However, at each stage of the tendering process there are issues you should consider:

• Contract notice - If there is a contact name in the notice, it’s useful to contact them with questions to check that you understand the requirement.

• Timescales - You will always be asked to provide information by specific dates. Remember that the date given is the last date by which the buyer needs information, so make sure that it arrives on time.

• Pre-qualification (PQQ) - If you have expressed an interest in a contract on sell2wales, you will be asked to send in information such as evidence of your financial position, previous experience, and references. You must provide all the information you are asked for as it forms the basis of the buyer’s decision whether you will go to the next stage.

• Invitation to tender (ITT) - If you receive an invitation to tender, you are being invited to make an offer. The decision criteria are listed according to how important they are in the contract notice or ITT (delivery, quality, method, personnel etc). Make sure you concentrate on the most important criteria whilst providing sufficient relevant information on all the others.

• Quality Assurance – The public sector buyer may want to assess suppliers against certain quality assurance standards. If you are in an industry where external assessments are normal, it will help your chances if you have these in place.