Glossary

Bid managers: Bid managers are just like tender managers and proposal managers. They manage the end-to-end bid submission process. This may involve research, collating information, speaking to internal and external Subject Matter Experts and determining the value propositions before writing the bid response. The job title is used interchangeably with the titles ‘tender manager’ and ‘proposal manager’.

Bid writers: Bid writers write responses to the question asked in Requests for Tenders (RFT) and Requests for Proposals (RFP). Bid writers must be excellent writers, with great attention to detail as they are tasked with completing the response schedules and positioning the organisation for a successful bid. The job title is used interchangeably with tender writer and proposal writer.

Blog: A blog is an article posted on a website or on social channels in which the blog writer shares useful information, advice or guidance with readers. Blog writing is an important tool to position the writer as an expert and for Search Engine Optimisation as blogs can incorporate key words and be written about topics that people are searching for on search engines. They are great marketing content as they can be shared with prospective and actual customers in newsletters.

Business awards: Each year industry associations and commercial event organisations invite businesses to enter business awards. There are always a range of categories to enter. Many businesses enter business awards as part of their marketing strategy as becoming a finalist or a winner is great publicity. Using experienced business award writers Proof Communications will greatly improve your opportunity for success.

Content writing: Content writing refers to blogs and articles for websites and social channels which position the writer as an expert and to maximise SEO keywords to promote search engine rankings. Content writing services are an important part of organisations’ marketing strategy to reach prospective customers.

Capability statements: Capability statements are a cross between a brochure and an informal proposal. They sum up a company’s ‘capability’. If a company has more than one skill area, it may have a series of capability statements. It’s best if a capability statement is edited to address the needs of a particular client before it is presented to that client. Proof Communications’ experienced capability statement writers will be happy to assist you.

Copy editing: Professional copy editing services are where a copy editor reads a draft document and makes changes to improve its structure, logic and flow. The copy editing process involves checking every single sentence for accuracy, consistency, and errors in grammar, spelling, syntax and punctuation. Copy editing might involve substantial or just light changes to the content. Light copy editing is where individual words are be changed or sentences are lightly rewritten; substantive copy editing is where the copy editor makes structural changes.

Copy editor: Copy editors read through draft documents to check that there are no spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes. They check that the presentation of bullet lists, capitals and terms are consistent. Importantly, copy editors make changes to the copy so that it flows and has the same tone throughout. The copy editor also checks that facts, dates, names and so on are correct. Experienced copy editors know where content needs to be deleted or tightened or needs to be restructured to improve the logic. They then make light edits or substantive edits.

Copywriters: Professional copywriters write content for countless types of marketing and sales materials as well as corporate documents: adverts, blogs, tenders, website copy, case studies, reports and direct mail, just for example. With their copywriting skills, professional copywriters can help a business promote, launch or sell a product or educate the target market. Their role is to the messages that companies want to express into engaging writing that gets results. Proof Communications’ professional copywriters do just that.

Copywriting: Professional copywriting services are when a company or government uses words to communicate messages persuasively and creatively. Professional copywriting services give structure to the messages that an organisation wants to communicate and mostly involve a call to action, to encourage readers to take the next step. Proof Communications’ professional copywriting services ensure documents are professionally presented.

Expressions of Interest (EOI): EOIs are simply small tenders. Issued by companies and governments, they’re used to gauge the market for a potential service or product that they need – who’s out there, what they offer. Expressions of Interest rarely ask about pricing. They mostly ask about skills, experience and an outline of the project or service could be delivered. EOIs are often the first stage in a tender process.

Proofreader: a professional proofreader looks for typos and punctuation mistakes but also checks the layout or formatting of a document. Proofreaders check that everything is spot-on, such as the hierarchy of headings, that the section or chapter headings and page numbers match the table of contents, that graphs have captions, and that the spacing between lines, paragraphs and words are correct. As well, they’ll check for page and line breaks in the wrong place.

Proofreading: Professional proofreading services make sure that a document is ready to be published. No matter whether it’s a report, a blog or a novel, proofreading is the final assurance against typographical and grammatical errors. Professional proofreading is not the same as editing. Proofreading is there to corrects errors. Proof Communications’ expert proof readers know exactly what to look for.

Proposal: A proposal is sent to a prospective client in response to their request for more information about the company’s product or service, with pricing. Proposals can be informal or formal. If there is no formal Request for Proposal (RFP), the potential supplier can decide what to include in their proposal.  If there is a formal Request for Proposal (RFP), all the response schedules must be carefully completed, just like a Request for Tender. A proposal writing services agency such as Proof Communications will help.

Proposal writer: Proposal writers are very similar to tender writers and bid writers. All terms are used interchangeably. Proposal writers are responsible for writing responses to the questions in formal Request for Proposal (RFP) response schedules and writing informal proposals. They must do this in a way that both answers the questions and presents the company as the most viable choice.  Larger companies often have an in-house proposal writer. Some companies outsource their proposal writing to professional expert proposal writers such as Proof Communications.

Request for Proposal (RFP): Formal requests for proposals (RFP) are exactly like requests for tenders. A company or government issues a request for proposal when it needs a supplier for a project, service or product. Companies responding to a formal Request for Proposal are ‘respondents’. Tender writing services agencies like Proof Communications make sure your proposal response is spot-on.

Request for Tender (RFT): Companies and governments issue a Request for Tender when they need a supplier for a specific project, service or product. Requests for tenders mostly comprise a series of documents including the scope of works, draft contract and response schedules. Tenderers must complete the response schedules carefully – this is their tender submission. Responding to tenders can be tough. Tender writing services agencies like Proof Communications can help.

Tender: Tenders are when a company or government issues a Request for Tender (RFT) to the market for a supplier to deliver a project, service or product that it needs. Companies responding to the Request for Tender are ‘tenderers’.  The term ‘tender’ is very often used interchangeably with ‘bid’ and ‘proposal’.

Tender manager: A tender manager manages the tender response process from start to finish. They make sure that all the tender response schedules are completed correctly. They collate all the information and requirements for a complying tender. They must also ensure that the tender is submitted on time. A tender manager can be an internal role or an external consultant. The job title is used interchangeably with the titles ‘bid manager’ and ‘proposal manager’.

Tender writer: A tender writer is someone who manages and writes responses to Requests for Tender (RFT). Expert professional tender writers from a tender writing agency such as Proof Communications are responsible for completing the tender response schedules. Tender writers must do this in a way that both answers the questions and presents the tenderer as the most viable choice.

Unsolicited proposals: An unsolicited proposal is when an organisation sends a proposal to provide a service or product to another organisation that is not actively seeking that product or service. As there’s no formal Request for Proposal, the potential supplier can decide what to include in the proposal. However, it is still imperative that the proposal is client-focused. For advice on what to include in an unsolicited proposal, read How to Make an Unsolicited Business Proposal.