The 1% That Costs You 10 Points: Why Tender Writing Isn’t Just About What You Say
Evaluators don’t just score what you say – they score how clearly and confidently you say it. Great grammar, structure, and tone don’t just polish your Tender – they make it scorable.
When Tenders are lost, the default assumptions are pricing, delivery capability, or scope misalignment.
But often? It comes down to something much smaller. Much simpler. And much more dangerous to ignore:
🟠 Grammar, punctuation, and structure.
It sounds petty until you realise just how much those things influence scorability, trust, and clarity.
In a high-pressure procurement environment, your response isn’t just being read – it’s being judged. Not only for what you say, but for how professionally you say it.
Good Content Written Poorly Still Scores Poorly
When an evaluator has 15–30 submissions to assess, they aren’t parsing through walls of text to find your message. They’re scanning for clarity. They award points based on structure, logic, and how well your response proves its claims.
That’s where so many capable businesses fall short. They give the right answers… but in a way that’s hard to digest, unclear, or poorly written.
Raw paragraph:
The company has been engaged across several government projects that required technical coordination, stakeholder engagement and multi-disciplinary delivery strategies and although the timeframes were compressed the teams delivered outcomes through consistent reporting, collaborative workflows and the use of internal QA tools.
Step 1: Edit for Content
We have delivered multiple government projects requiring cross-functional delivery and stakeholder engagement. These projects had tight timelines, but our team consistently met delivery outcomes through proactive coordination and internal QA systems.
Step 2: Edit for Grammar, Tone and Structure
We’ve delivered several multi-disciplinary government projects that required technical coordination and stakeholder alignment. Despite compressed timeframes, our team met every milestone – supported by consistent reporting and internal QA systems.
Step 3: Add Proof and Make It Easy to Score
We’ve delivered several multi-disciplinary government projects requiring technical coordination and stakeholder alignment. In 2023, we completed a $3.1M regional transport upgrade under the Department of Infrastructure, meeting all milestones within a 14-week schedule. Success was supported by our structured reporting cadence (weekly client updates and risk logs) and ISO-certified QA systems, resulting in zero corrective actions.
What Evaluators Are Really Looking For
When scoring a Tender, assessors often use marking guides or checklists that reward:
- Clear alignment to the question
- Measurable outcomes
- Risk management strategies
- Quality and compliance credentials
- Delivery certainty
Poor grammar, long sentences or vague wording hide the good stuff – and evaluators won’t dig for it.
Professional writing helps ensure they see and score what you want them to.
Precision Wins Points
When assessors are reading 30 submissions, they’re not charmed by long-winded paragraphs – they’re influenced by clarity, consistency, and professionalism.
🟠 At ProposalPro, we don’t just check grammar – we elevate responses. From the message, to the flow, to the punctuation – every sentence is a chance to win or lose points.
Would you be against a quick chat about how to make your next Tender not just compliant – but compelling?
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