Have you ever lost a tender you were confident you’d win? Watched a competitor secure a contract, even though you believed you were the better choice? It’s frustrating, especially after your team has invested significant time and resources into the bid, only to see the opportunity slip away.
At Di Marca, we understand that frustration. Over the years, we’ve helped businesses refine their tender submissions by focusing not just on meeting project criteria, but on unlocking the hidden value of their brand to create a lasting impression. Winning tenders isn’t just about providing the right answers—it’s about presenting your business as the clear, capable, and confident choice.
Design: the invisible force behind perception
Perception is everything. It’s not just what you say in a tender—it’s how you say it, and more importantly, how you present it. According to the Oxford Dictionary, perception is “the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.” In a competitive tendering environment, perception can make or break your chances.
Think of design as an invisible force that shapes how others see your brand. Good design communicates value on a deeper level. It stops people in their tracks, makes them think, and redefines preconceived notions about who you are and what you stand for. A well-packaged tender not only answers the project’s requirements but signals that your business is professional, has runs on the board, and is the right choice.
Packaging your brand for success
Tendering, especially for large contracts, can be a resource-heavy process. Entire teams spend days or even weeks developing the scope, designs, and costs. But all too often, businesses stop short by focusing only on what they do, how they do it, and how much it costs.
While those details are essential, it’s equally important to dig deeper. What does your customer truly value? Why is your solution the best fit for their goals? Understanding and communicating this clearly can be the difference between winning and losing a bid.
Strategic design is the key to packaging your brand for success. A well-designed tender isn’t just a document—it’s a story. A story that resonates with decision-makers, making them feel confident that you understand their needs and are uniquely positioned to deliver. Even in template-driven environments like government tenders, there’s room to enhance your submission with strong branding—through a compelling cover, introduction, executive summary, and conclusion that reinforce your value proposition.
Learn from B2C: The Power of ‘Why’
It’s easy to get caught up in the technicalities of a tender and forget the bigger picture. Many successful B2C brands understand the importance of communicating why their customers should care. They differentiate themselves by wrapping their brand in stories that speak to emotions, values, and deeper connections.
B2B businesses can learn from this approach. People—including procurement teams—don’t just buy WHAT you do or HOW you do it; they buy into WHY your business is the best choice. It’s this emotional connection that sets you apart from the competition. When you clearly communicate your ‘why’—your reason for being in the market and how it aligns with the client’s goals—your tender becomes more distinctive, memorable, and valuable.
Don’t risk missing out on big opportunities
The truth is many companies respond to tenders in similar ways. Everyone provides facts, figures, and detailed project plans. The real differentiation happens when you challenge yourself to think beyond the technicalities and answer the most important question: Why You? What makes your business the ideal partner for this project?
You need to dig deeper into your unique value, identifying what sets you apart and craft compelling, strategic narratives that resonate with decision-makers.
A fresh perspective can make all the difference
Finding the hidden value in your brand and articulating it effectively in tenders can be hard to do internally. Often, companies are too close to their own story to see what’s being overlooked. That’s where we come in. At Di Marca, we bring an external fresh perspective, helping you identify and communicate the value that might be hidden beneath the surface.
If you’re ready to stop wasting time on tenders that don’t win and want to give yourself the best possible chance of success, let’s talk. We’ve got may stories to tell and have designed and packaged multi-million-dollar tender submissions—creating not just documents that tick boxes, but submissions that position your brand as the best choice to win the tender.
