7 Aug 2017

How to make the most of our Tenders?

by | posted in: Did You Know | 0

The Inside Scoop:

Ssssshhh, don’t tell the boss! I wanted to share some insider secrets with you. A brief look behind the scenes and into the research “engine room” of our company. I am hoping that you can use this information to your advantage. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

As you know, Leads 2 Business is keenly focussed on smarter ways to do and create business opportunities.This approach is not just about the information we deliver to you, but an integral part of our business ethos. Each month we capture literally thousands of tenders, yes, you read it correctly, THOUSANDS!

With this much tender information being pumped out on a daily basis, we have to find a smart and effective way to prioritise researching the subsequent tender awards.

How do we know?

Every Tender we send to you has an option to be monitored.
Monitoring a lead allows you to follow it through its life cycle
or assign it for follow-up within your team.

What is not so apparent is that we, in turn, use this monitoring
information as an indicator that this tender is important, creating
a priority flag back to the research team for follow-up.

It then becomes very important for you to monitor a tender!

How to Monitor a Tender

Monitoring a Tender can be done from selecting a recipient from the drop down box “Assigned to” on the tender.
Alternately, it can be done in bulk from the search results page first selecting which tenders you want to monitor, followed by “Actions”, “Monitor selection”. It will then present the same list of recipients as is available from the individual tender view pages.

Ways to get our attention

In the event you have not monitored a tender but still need the award information and the tender is now closed, you can email your request through from the tender page by clicking on “Request Award Information” button and someone from our research team will then follow up with you.

Tools you can use

There are more tools integrated into our tender notifications that we know will help you stay ahead. Specifically, our site inspection, follow-up and closing date reminders, which offer timeous alerts. An area for notes directly relating to the tender or contacts you may have reached out to. Our document collection and/or site attendance on your behalf through Infomessenger. (Gauteng only)

Making the most of your tenders is quite an exhaustive topic…

Here are the common points for consideration :

Subscribe

It may be seemingly obvious, but a valuable subscription to Leads 2 Business is a smart, streamlined approach.
We shoulder the cost of a research team and send you what is important to your business.

The number of filter combinations across categories, industries, geography and keywords creates a uniquely customised solution for your business lead pipeline. If you would like to know more about subscribing or taking a free trial, please send me an email on TarynD@L2B.co.za

Refine Your Profile

Making sure your profile on Leads 2 Business is tailored appropriately to your business requirements so that you get the lead information.

Your Advisory Settings Profile explicitly dictates what is received in the Daily Advisory email.

Steps to Action in Identifying opportunities


Go through the daily Advisory email thoroughly each day.

  • View the full details online.
  • Monitor & Request BoQ/ SI register/ Bidders Lists as soon as possible.
  • Set Reminders.
  • Email the researcher, if there are any discrepancies that you identify or if you need assistance.
  • Make Notes.
  • Download DTAs. (Daily Tender Advisory)
  • Keep a record of DTA numbers, instead of partial descriptions. This helps when searching.
  • Dismiss those unwanted DTAs, that are cluttering up your Search Result. (Be extra careful of dismissing DTAs by mistake)
  • Take advantage of our free online training, live support, telephonic support or in person training. (In person training is availble by appointment and only in selected areas)

Key Vocabulary to Understand:



  • Details Change:The details pertaining to the original tender have changed, please review the new details supplied in our notification.
  • Short Lead: This means there is a very short lead time or a very short time within which you can respond to this tender opportunity.
  • Awards: After the closing date, all the tenders are checked for basic compliance with the tender regulations. Non-compliant tenders are disqualified. The compliance of the products or services offered and the price is considered. Then all compliant tenders are listed in order of price. Those in the lowest price tender list are in the lowest price group. Preference points are given to suppliers on the list of lowest price tenders are first verified. Preference points are only awarded after the most expensive tenders have been excluded, as this makes the process faster and fairer. Those with verifiable information come out with the best preference points and are therefore awarded the contract.
  • Re-tenders: the issue of a second or subsequent request for tenders on a proposed contract.
  • Withdrawals: the contract has been withdrawn and there is no longer an opportunity to tender at this time.
  • Cancellations: the contract has been cancelled and there is no longer an opportunity to tender at this time.


About Taryn Duckham

I am a lover of marketing, customer centricity and the art of influence. Being able to effect this through analysis, content and front end design is part of my work, my great love of creatively solving problems that reach across as many parts of Leads 2 Business as I can.

19 Jan 2017

L2B Blog: Build your Business with Building Tenders

by | posted in: General, Uncategorized | 3

Build your Business with Building Tenders

Build your Business with Building Tenders

There are a variety of approaches when it comes to tenders in the building and construction industry, that can drum up business. The most obvious is the direct approach by the main contractor. You tender. Tendering can be costly and time consuming as your company is competing with other companies for contracts. To increase your chances, be thorough and conscientious. Everything starts with the tender notice and ends with the tender notice. Contact the relevant professionals and ask for clarity on any aspect of the tender notice you are not sure of. If meetings are scheduled, attend them timeously. If there are any discrepancies in the tender documents, query them. Comply with the instructions in the tender document, to the letter. Ensure your signed and completed tender document is handed in at the correct time, at the correct place on the correct day. And hopefully, you’ve dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s, your company is the awarded company.

Another approach is sub-contracting. Main contractors require prices for their Bills of Quantity (BoQ), and they’re going to get them from sub-contractors. If you are a subbie, ensure your prices are competitive. Communicate with the main contractor and build that relationship and let the main contractor know about all your services and your products as they might not need you now; but they could need you later. Even if you can’t price that particular BoQ, still maintain that relationship. Subbies don’t need to wait for the main contractors to approach them. You can approach the main contractors, and just keep your company services and products alive in their minds.

Once the tender has been awarded; the subbie can approach the awarded company and remind them of their prices and services.

In the context of Leads 2 Business, knowing what tenders are out is the first stepping off point. Ensure your Advisory is set up to meet your company needs. Go through your Advisory email each day and follow up on any tenders of interest. Tenders are time sensitive so any delay can be incredibly counter productive.

As a main contractor, you could monitor the tender to ensure that you are notified of any changes to the tender notice.

As a subbie you would monitor the tender to ensure that you’re notified of when it is awarded, so that you can follow up with the awarded company. You can request a BoQ, to check whether any of your services or products are specified. You could also request a site attendance register, so you can approach the other companies that could possibly be tendering and with the help of the BoQ know what items need to be priced. Exposing your company to as many in the industry as possible, can only bring benefits.

Ensuring your company is listed on the Directory, also adds to the advertising of your company and will expose your company to those that seek your services.

There’s almost no end to the amount of work and opportunities available as you go along the supply chain for building tenders.

Examples of Building Tenders:

DTA 616433 – Construction of New Mdzimba Primary School. CIDB 8GB

DTA 616484 – KZN: Department of Health: Groutville: Groutville Clinic: Replacement of clinic. CIDB 8GB

DTA 616422  – Mount Fletcher Magistrate Office: Condition Based Maintanenance. CIDB 7GB.

Awarded Building tenders:

Awarded DTA 564116 – Rotunda Park Precinct Project in Turffontein – Phase 2

Awarded DTA 604734 – Construction of Bilanyoni Library

 

If you are interested in becoming one of our subscribers, please visit our website.

To view notes with screenshots on how to use our website, please visit our Wiki site.

To view more articles, please visit our blog.

About Claire Donaldson

I started working at Leads 2 Business in February 2005, and have served as Head of Department of Daily Tenders from 2007 until the present. I oversee both the Daily Tenders South Africa and Africa Departments.

18 May 2016

Developments in KZN under Construction

by | posted in: Construction Chat, Construction Events, General | 0

Developments3

 

This month on the Blog we have covered Trending Tenders in KZN and the Municipalities which produce the Top Tenders in KZN.

By now I’m sure you’ve guessed our theme for the month of May is KZN.

Do you know which Tenders were awarded recently, which developments are underway or nearing completion in KZN?

Knowledge about current events can allow you to decide where you stand on developments and other issues impacting your city, region and country. This knowledge can provide you with the ability to start discussions with friends, colleagues and the community about issues and the economy. Professionally speaking this kind of knowledge can be extremely beneficial for business allowing you to get ahead of the competition by getting in contact with the relevant key players and as an individual it’s vital to set yourself apart from your peers by displaying a broad understanding of current events among others.

With that said, I thought it would be apt to highlight some of the developments in KZN currently under construction that will soon be part of the KZN landscape.

 

DTA 491631 – Construction of a New Wellness Centre (Durban Station) related to PPA 15337

DTA 409809 – Emapheleni Phase 1 Housing Project (Mhlabunzima Ridge) related to PPA 12591

DTA 501521 – Rectification of 486 units Shallcross related to PPA 15697

DTA 458636 – Construction of Amajuba Disaster Management Centre related to PPA 11052

DTA 428462 – New 3 storey, 192 Bed Adult in Patients Accommodation including New Crisis Centre, Perimeter Fencing and Demolish Wards E,F,G,H and Relocate Crisis Centre Parkhome related to PPA 13069

DTA 479270 – Home Affairs: Hluhluwe: Construction of New Offices related to PPA 14823

DTA 504069 – Construction of 150 rental housing at Ndumo related to PPA 15956

 

Want to know more about Projects and Tenders on Leads 2 Business? Access this information right now with us. Contact me on SashaA@L2B.co.za

About Sasha Anderson

Millennial Mom + wife living the hash-tag life. Remember: If You Fail - Fail Forward

10 Jan 2014

New Year, New Business: How to start it right.

by | posted in: General | 0

Business Opportunities

Steps to Success

 

Do you want increased success in business in the coming year or the chance to enjoy the success you’ve achieved more? Maybe last year was not a great year and you want to change your business outlook?

So what are some of the things you can do?

 

1. Get Delegating!

There are so many things you need to do when you are running a business, its very easy to convince ourselves that we need to do all of them. It’s not surprising that at the end of a business day we are exhausted and we have no time for ourselves. Delegation is critical to maintaining that all important work-life balance.

So how can our Lead system help you with that all important time factor, delegation and ultimately money?

We are going to start by sending you targeted information on a daily basis. Straight away you are going to save yourself the time of sifting through newspapers, gazettes and websites as well as the subscription expense to these sources.

You are in control with how much or how little information you receive, as everything you want or need to know is determined via your profile.

As for the art of delegation, you can send Tenders, Projects or Awards to your team and get them to follow up on your behalf.

 

2. Promote your business

Too often the task of marketing and promoting your business slips to the bottom of the to-do list, especially when there are more urgent jobs looming. Why not use some of the time you have created by subscribing to our service & delegating leads to your team to promote your business? It doesn’t take too much time or financial resources to do this on our system. Update your entry on our Platinum Directory and get your name out there so companies can find you, your products and services.

Check out Did you Know #DYK: Why should I subscribe to Leads 2 Business (L2B)? for more information on our products and services.

3. Make planning a weekly event

Planning is vital if you want a blossoming business and there are tools at your finger tips to make this process easier. Earlier we spoke of delegation, now is the opportunity to get feedback on how things are going with your team. Find out which leads have worked for you,which professionals you need to follow up on, who will be attending the next site meeting and where you will be collecting your next set of tender documents from. To assist you in this process we have a handy tool called Leads Management System which will enable you to download reports on your team and begin building an outlook for the year ahead.

 

4. Network

There is a certain amount of buzz that seems to fuel business when you begin interacting, creating a forum for new ideas, refining old ones or creating new contacts. Make use of our Platinum Directory to create points of contact with Professionals or other potential businesses you could set up joint ventures with in future months.

 

5. Set realistic goals & make time for you

Setting goals is a valuable habit, specifically if the goals lead to success as opposed to stress. Resolve to make achievable goals rather than pipe dreams as these only lead to frustration. Part of these goals need to include taking time for yourself. All work and no play is an unhealthy recipe, so please take the time to invest in yourself, if you do not, who will?

 

We understand this aspect of life and have created a business calendar where you can set reminders and synchronise this with your Outlook or Google calendar.

Let us make your life easier. You can see how by clicking here.

About Taryn Duckham

I am a lover of marketing, customer centricity and the art of influence. Being able to effect this through analysis, content and front end design is part of my work, my great love of creatively solving problems that reach across as many parts of Leads 2 Business as I can.