How to write a government tender response

Before writing a single word, read the whole tender and pull out every requirement into a checklist. Government tenders usually contain three kinds of requirement: mandatory pass/fail conditions (licences, insurances, accreditations), weighted selection criteria (where your written responses are scored), and attachments or declarations you must supply.

A mandatory requirement you cannot meet is usually disqualifying, so check those first — there is no point investing days in a bid you cannot legally submit.

Selection criteria are how the panel scores your bid. Each is often weighted — a criterion worth 30% deserves far more depth and your strongest evidence than one worth 5%. Read each criterion carefully and break it into every part it asks for, both stated and implied. Panels score against an explicit marking guide, so an unaddressed part simply loses marks.

A strong tender response is built from proof, not adjectives. Before drafting, gather your past projects (with dates, values, clients and outcomes), certifications and accreditations, insurances, key staff and referees. Re-usable "evidence" like this is what turns a generic answer into a credible, scoreable one.

If you do not have evidence for a criterion, that is a gap to address honestly — never invent experience, numbers or accreditations. Over-claiming can disqualify a bid and damage your reputation with the agency.

For experience-based criteria, the STAR structure keeps answers specific and scoreable:

Lead with a direct answer to the criterion, then prove it. Quantify wherever you can — "reduced complaints by 40% in the first year across 18 sites" beats "we are committed to excellence". Avoid hype words and filler; every sentence should carry real information. Write in plain, professional Australian English and connect your answer to what the agency is trying to achieve.

Once drafted, run a final compliance pass. Confirm every criterion is addressed, every mandatory requirement is met, every response is within its word limit, and every required attachment and declaration is ready. Then lodge through the specified method (AusTender, the agency portal, or email) before the closing time — late bids are almost never accepted.

Finally, read the whole submission as one bid, the way an evaluator would. Look for contradictions between sections, claims you cannot back up, repetition, and over-promising that would create risk if you won. A disciplined final review is often the difference between a compliant bid and a winning one.