Media Tenders: Everything you need to know before you start

Media tenders come in many forms and are a growing market. With the increased need for innovative marketing strategies, we’re seeing a vast range of media contracts going out to tender.

In this blog, we will guide you through not only how to find these tenders, but also how to win them.

How to find Media tenders

When looking for any tender in the media sector, your first instinct may be to use Google or a similar search engine. By searching ‘media tenders’ for example, you will be bombarded with a large number of websites hosting these tenders.

To find a suitable tender, you would need to scour these websites. This can take hours or even days and the whole process could become very tedious. Fortunately, there is a solution available. By using our Creative Tenders portal, you can search with ease to find live tenders in the media industry.

By using the search function on our Creative Tenders portal, you can filter all results. You can narrow down your search by budget, location and keywords so the results match exactly what you’re looking for. This helps ensure that you only see tenders that are relevant to you.

The budget for media tenders can range heavily so businesses of all sizes can benefit from using our portal.

The portal saves you time and money, whilst searching for the latest media tender opportunities that are right for you. We source new media tenders every day using our high-skilled Procurement Team. The team categorise sector-specific tenders all in one place using industry-driven keywords. This allows you to effectively find tenders that are relevant to you and the services you offer.

Understanding the scope of media tenders

Media tenders cover a large range of opportunities that are published by different sectors. Whether you are searching for a marketing tender or a media relations tender, we have something for you. We understand it can be difficult finding the most suitable tender for you and your business. So, we are here to help you through the process.

Our portal is manually updated daily with new opportunities. You can be confident you are finding the most up to date and accurate results.

Examples of media tenders we have sourced in the past include:

Marketing and Branding

Tesso Bridges – North West – Budget £7,000

Digital Media Planning and Campaign Management

National institute for health and care – North West – Budget £86,000

Digital & Social Media Agency Services (China) 

University of Dundee – Scotland – Budget: £500k

Communications and Advertising Framework

Southern Water Services Ltd – South East – Budget £12.8 million

5 tips for winning media tenders

1. Research the buyer

Ensuring you understand the buyer and what they want from you is key to writing a high-quality response. For a media tender, understanding how the buyer markets themselves and how you can enhance this will be vital. Understanding the specific requirements of the tender will ensure you can include as much relevant detail as possible.

2. Research the target audience

Look at who the scope of the tender will be aimed at. For example, for a marketing contract, who will be the target audience of the marketing required. For example, the content you will be required to produce will be vastly different if your target audience is young adults as opposed to elderly people.

Being able to demonstrate how you will be able to tailor your content to reach the target audience is key to winning a media tender.

3. Experience

Depending on the contract, a media tender may require specific experience or qualifications. Make sure you check the requirements for the tender. It will be very difficult to succeed if you do not meet the mandatory criteria. For example, you may need specific media planning experience or marketing qualifications.

These requirements could heavily impact your final score. It is essential that you identify the requirements prior to writing your responses to avoid wasting time and resources.

4. Read and reference the specification

The specification will detail exactly what is required from you for the duration of the contract. It may include specific software you need to use or certain processes you need to follow. By reading and referencing this, it demonstrates to the buyer you have what is needed to effectively deliver the scope. Referencing specific parts of the specification tells the buyer that you understand the requirements of the contract and have experience.

5. Added value

What makes you stand out from your competitors? This is a key question to consider when explaining how you will add value to the contract. Social value is now a compulsory element on all public sector contracts, with a 10% weighting. Explaining what you do to help with environmental, social and economic issues is crucial to success in the public sector. If you are new to public sector tenders, we would recommend planning your responses to these questions in advance. Knowing which initiatives you can describe in detail will speed up the process when it comes to answering these questions.

Answer these two questions before you start bidding on media tenders

1. Can you deliver the services in the specified geographical location?

The location of the service delivery is a key element to look at when sourcing potential tenders. If the location is outside the area your business covers, you will need to consider the viability of the opportunity. Will you to be able to effectively carry out the work required?

On the other hand, since the pandemic, the way many businesses operate has changed, with an increase in remote working. Looking at the tender you are going for

Using the search options and filters on our Creative Tenders portal will allow you to effectively narrow down all locations. This ensures you only view tenders that are within the locations you specify. It is important to read the tender documents to determine if the tender will have to be delivered at a set location, virtually or even a mix of both. This will allow you to decide whether or not you can carry out the duties required.

This filter means you will be able to efficiently identify tenders that are suitable for you.

2. Does your business meet the financial threshold criteria?

Threshold considerations can range depending on the buyer and the contract. Considerations could include:

• Looking at if your business is large enough to carry out the contract
• Considering if you have the capital available/stated in the economic standpoint.

Bidding for a media tender that would not be financially viable for your business would be a waste of time and resources. Media tenders come in a range of sizes and budgets. This means that these opportunities are not exclusive to large, international organisations.

Your economic financial standing considers the following:

• Your annual turnover
• Financial ratios
• Insurance(s).

Buyers consider this to make sure that you’re able to carry out the work.

Looking at this information prior to completing your responses could save you valuable time. If you notice you do not meet the minimum requirements – don’t bid for the work. It sounds simple but we have seen many businesses fall at the first hurdle by not checking the specification requirements.

Summary

As we come to the end of this blog on media tenders, we thought you might need a little summary.

• Where to find media tenders: Use our Creative Tenders portal to search through new media tenders. Book a free live demo to see the portal in action.
• How to find the perfect media tender: Take advantage of the filters on the search function of our Creative Tenders portal. These let you filter by location, budget and any keywords you want to include. This helps narrow down the scope of results you see as media tenders cover a wide range of opportunities.

Tips for securing media tenders:

1. Research the buyer: Understand exactly what the buyer is looking for.
2. Research the target audience: Look at who the scope of the media tender is aimed at and ensure you tailor your responses appropriately as the target market for the tender will influence how you write your responses.
3. Experience and qualifications: Certain media tenders may require specific qualifications or experience. It is key to ensure you have what is required prior to completing your responses. You don’t want to get to the end, only to find out you are ineligible because of this!
4. Read and reference the specification: This demonstrates to the buyer that you can carry out the duties of the contract to all stated requirements.
5. Added Value: How are you planning to add value to this contract? Answering this question is key to standing out from the competition.

Two elements to consider when looking for a media tender

Location: You want to ensure the location is within a practical distance from where you operate. With the growing focus on remote work, you may be able to deliver the contract virtually..

Economic: Is it financially viable for you to pursue your chosen tender? This is a question you will need to answer prior to completing your responses.

Do you need assistance with writing media tender responses?

You don’t always have the time or resources to write a winning response in-house. Outsourcing to bid writing experts can help. Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, offers four levels of bid writing support. They boast an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of bid writing experience. The services on offer include:

• A Tender Writing service
• A Tender Ready programme
• The Tender Improvement package
• Tender Mentor.

Contact us to find out how we can help your business grow.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

• Events Management
• Digital Services
• Design
• Graphic Design
• Marketing 
• Print
• Website
• Video Production and many more.