In this video, we dive into the crucial differences between sales and tenders, and why tendering comes with far higher stakes.

Winning a tender can be transformative for your business. But losing? That often comes with a painful cost in terms of time, resources, and money.

To protect your team and boost your chances of success, you need a clear, upfront go/no-go checklist. This checklist should cover potential obstacles across three core areas:

Client issues – cultural misalignment, unclear objectives

Selling team issues – gaps in capability or capacity

Finance/contract issues – legal constraints or unfavourable terms

You also need to quickly identify the type of tender you’re dealing with:

Competitive tenders → Know the evaluation criteria early so you can tailor your response and maximise your score.

Invitational tenders → Build relationships early so you can help shape the tender requirements.

Direct awards → Recognise that these are built on trust - your relationship equity is your biggest asset.

The sooner you spot potential blockers and define mitigation strategies, the stronger your bid will be; and the less risk you take on.

Don’t just chase every tender. Be selective, strategic, and sharp.