Winning Tenders are a local bid and tender writing business who help organisations to win large tenders using their knowledge and expertise around how these tenders are put together and scored (their MD, Phil Norman, was previously a public sector buyer, responsible for putting together £multimillion tenders, so knows exactly how they are won). They can write bids for almost any type of tender and train organisations in improving their bid strategy to ensure they consistently win bids. They have helped many businesses hugely increase their revenue as a result of ongoing contract wins.
They were recently contacted by LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons, Wales’ premier netball team, to ensure they won their ‘must-win’ bid to get into the new netball Superleague and ensure the continuation of the team.
Who are Cardiff Dragons?:
Cardiff Dragons are Wales’ premier netball team and the only semi-professional netball team in Wales. The team combines the finest players from all over Wales, with a mix of international talent blended into the group.
They were formerly part of Wales Netball, but in 2023 they went off as a standalone company. In December they got their first major sponsors, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, and that was the beginning of them becoming fully professional.
The Challenge:
The netball Superleague is moving into a new phase and Cardiff Dragons needed to get into it to ensure the team’s survival. They knew there would be a bid process and had no experience of bidding. They also knew that they only had one chance to get this right. There would be no chance of entering the Superleague otherwise, which would mean question marks over their existence. A win was crucial to their survival. There are only 8 places in the Superleague.
Why did they choose Winning Tenders?:
Winning Tenders were referred to Vicki Sutton at Cardiff Dragons by an existing Winning Tenders client and came highly recommended. After an initial conversation, Vicki felt confident that they would work well together. They said they found Winning Tenders to be responsive and quick to understand their challenges and how to position the bid.
What Winning Tenders did:
The Winning Tenders Bid Writer quickly got to know their organisation and the background behind the need to bid, as well as the politics involved in the new Superleague structure. It was important that they had a partner who could keep them on track and disciplined and would ensure they met the timelines to develop the content for the response, which they said Winning Tenders did really well.
The Winning Tenders writer got together all the required documents and held regular brainstorming sessions, helping Cardiff Dragons to get their vision onto paper. They were supported in turning their common netball abbreviations into something that any person scoring the bid would be able to understand. The Bid Writer put everything together and showed them how to evidence it correctly. They had to include information about what their fan base was like, add social media posts, evidence statements, pictures, stats and sell themselves. They had to position themselves as a netball ‘centre’, not just a team in Wales. They needed to be seen as a profitable and dynamic organisation. There was a lot of documentation needed, which the Bid Writer put into neat information packs including information on all staff and their CVs. For each question, they had one pack. After several discussions, the Bid Writer had everything that she needed and was able to write them an outstanding bid – something which they say they would not have been able to do themselves.
The Results of Winning Tenders’ work:
The Dragons won the bid and were the only Welsh team to get into the Superleague! This will secure their future.
For the upcoming season, half of their games will be hosted at major arenas nationwide, attracting larger crowds and providing fans with an elevated match day experience. Additionally, all games will be accessible for home viewing.
Beyond the court, there will be a strong effort to expand the fanbase and connect with untapped communities. This initiative aims to take current fans on a thrilling new adventure while introducing new audiences to an exciting and captivating sporting experience.
This major bid win means they can build up the next generation and attract international players.
Quote:
“Winning Tenders were really supportive in what was a very lengthy and complex process…Once we had established a good understanding, we were off to a flyer. The Winning Tenders team have been really invested in this process and were as excited about the outcome as we were.
A great team that I would highly recommend to anyone going through a robust application process”
(Vicki Sutton, CEO Wales Netball and LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons)
If you are interested in speaking to Winning Tenders about how they could help your organisation win more bids or improve your bid strategy, please email info@winningtenders.com or call 01392 247997. There's more info on their website www.winningtenders.co.uk. Their MD, Phil Norman, is based locally in Poole.