The Bid Crucible reading room
Find the answer before you write.
Practical bid writing and funding guides.
Eight guides, free, and each ends with what to do next.
Or call 07984 845440, or email [email protected].
Find the guide for your next decision
01 / Your next task
Decide
Choose whether to bid, and what help to buy.
Work out whether this one is worth bidding for
Charities + companies / Interactive scorecard + printable questionsA sixteen-question scorecard you can print and take to whoever signs it off.
What you'll pay a bid writer, and what changes it
Charities + companies / Fees and scopeThe fees charged here, and the five things that move any supplier's quote.
02 / Your next task
Prepare
Understand the process, the question and the evidence it needs.
How to write a method statement that scores
Companies / Worked answerA written answer setting out how you would deliver the work: the shape that covers the criterion, and the test to run on every paragraph.
How your tender answers actually get scored
Companies / Interactive scoringThe criteria, how the marks are split between them, and the scale, and how to spend your week where the marks are.
What the Procurement Act 2023 means for a small supplier
Companies / Rules and source linksWhat is settled, what is still arriving, and where to check it yourself.
03 / Your next task
Check
Find gaps and submission risks before the response goes in.
Check your grant application before it goes in
Charities / Review checklistThe order that catches the most, from the fund's own rules to the cold read.
The compliance list that decides whether you're read at all
Companies / Submission checklistThe pass-or-fail items and the format rules, before the writing matters.
Why a good bid still loses marks
Bids + tenders / Worked examplesSix places marks go missing, three of them found in real applications before they were submitted.
Or send it and get a fixed fee back
Send the guidance or the tender documents with your deadline, and a price comes back with a straight answer on bidding.