Everything you need to know when it comes to winning graphic design contracts

Winning graphic design contracts through tendering is a great way for freelancers and agencies to grow their businesses. Tenders offer creative businesses amazing opportunities for expansion. Luckily for you, you’ve found us, and we’ve got some great experience with tendering for graphic design contracts. This blog will walk you through the sources for finding these tenders, and how to win them.

Where can I find opportunities to win graphic design contracts?

Manually searching for graphic design contracts can be exhaustive.

Luckily for you, we have a solution.

Enter…Creative Tenders.

Creative Tenders is an easy-to-navigate, centralised portal hosting live tendering opportunities from across the UK, including graphic design tenders. It’s dedicated specifically to the UK’s creative sector, making tender tracking quicker and more efficient.

Below are 5 examples of tenders for graphic design contracts that we have previously sourced on our portal:

Branding & Marketing Support

QA Flooring Solutions Ltd – North West – Budget: £6,000

Graphic Design Specialist Aden Country Park
Aberdeenshire Council – Scotland – Budget: £32,800

Love & Nature Exhibition Design Team

Horniman Museum & Gardens – London – Budget: £192,000

Branding and graphic design

Dudley College of Technology – West Midlands – Budget: Undisclosed

DOF – SEUPB – Graphic Design & Print Management Services
CPD – Supplies & Services Division- Northern Ireland- Budget: Undisclosed

A subscription to Creative Tenders can offer your business:

 Access to all exclusive, public and private sector graphic design tenders in the UK.

• An on-hand Account Manager to answer any questions you may have about tenders for design work. They can help you understand the procurement process and answer any questions you have about the tendering process in general.
• A daily email bulletin is sent straight to your inbox when new, sector-specific opportunities are uploaded.
• Discounted support from Hudson Succeed, our bid writing division.
• 20-minutes of free bid management consultancy each month.

4 tips for winning your next graphic design contract

1.    Keep your portfolio, testimonials & case studies relevant!

Make sure that you’re responding to the buyer with relevant case studies. The commissioning authority will know how much you’ve invested into the bid. Simply put, an irrelevant past contract example can be a red flag. They need to see a real snapshot into the customer’s experience, so the more relevant, the better.

2.    Showcase your added value

What sets you apart from other graphic design firms? Isolate that aspect and present it in your ITT/PQQ. It will impress the buyer and make them wonder why the competition doesn’t offer this product/service/feature.

3.    Review your bid!

This is a must if you want to win a graphic design contract. Without attention to detail, you’re unlikely to be successful. Reviewing your own tender documents with a critical eye, not unlike the buyer is highly important. Consider whether you would award the contract, viewing the document objectively. Ask colleagues to do the same.

4.    Boilerplate responses

Boilerplate responses are fantastic for reducing writing times for a graphic design tender, freeing up your time. However, they can easily throw the bidder off if the response isn’t relevant. As stated above, the buyer simply knows if you’ve rushed the bid. So, make sure that your responses flow naturally even when using boilerplate responses, by avoiding irrelevant terms and jargon.

In summary

So, we’ve hit the finish line on this blog on winning graphic design contracts! What if you’re in need of a recap? Don’t worry we’ve got you covered;

Where can I source graphic design tenders? – Join hundreds of creative professionals using Creative Tenders to save time and track opportunities. 

4 tips for winning your next graphic design tender

1. Relevant case studies – Keep your portfolio and case studies in line with the bid.
2. Showcase your added value – What separates you from the competition? Use this element to great effect in your bid, highlighting your uniqueness to the buyer.
3. Review your work – Would you award yourself the contract? Maintain a critical eye over the document. Get colleagues to do the same.
4. Boilerplate responses – Ensure your bid responses are relevant if you’re using boilerplate responses to save time.

Need help writing your next tender?

If you don’t have the resources or time to write a winning bid, why not outsource it? Our sister company, Hudson Succeed, boasts an 87% success rate and have over 60 years of collective bidding experience. They offer four bid writing support packages to help you on the path to success. Whether you’re new to tendering, or simply need someone to proof your written response before you submit – we can help.

Tender Ready

Our Tender Ready programme is designed for those who have never tendered before. This 4-week programme works with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully.

Tender Improvement

Tender Improvement can help if you’re already tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts. Our Bid Writers will assess your previous submissions and supporting documents. They’ll give you feedback and guidance on how to improve, helping you to secure your next graphic design contract.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written a tender and need someone to proofread it – Tender Mentor is for you. A Bid Writer will double-check it’s in line with the specification and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Tender Writing

If you’ve found the perfect tender but don’t know where to start – we can help. Send the specification over to us and our Bid Team will do the rest. They’ll let you know what they need from you and provide you with a full breakdown. They’ll even submit it on your behalf, leaving you more time to focus on your business.

Get in touch to find out more information.

Want to save even more time?

Upgrading to Discover Elite will ensure you never miss a tendering opportunity even when you’re busy!

The Ultimate Time-Saving Tool offers your business:

• An annual subscription to a maximum of two Discover portals of your choice.
• Up to five bid breakdowns per month to help you make your bid or no-bid decisions.
• Weekly phone calls with your Account Manager to discuss viable leads and tendering opportunities.
• Award and pre-market engagement notices monitored on your behalf.
• Public and private buyer portal management including registering, password management, downloading documents and assessing viability based on your bid strategy.

Contact us for more information.

We also source opportunities for sectors including:

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

Book a free live demo with Creative Tenders to see how we can help your business grow.

Contact us for more information.

Check out some of our other blogs:

• 4 Things to Expect from Animation Tenders: Number 3 Might Surprise You!
• Marketing Tender Opportunities: How to Find Them and 6 Secrets for Winning!
• 4 Golden Tips for Securing Graphic Design Contracts
• Acing Your Website Design Tenders – What You Need to Know
• How Can I Win A PR Tender?
• How to Win Digital Marketing Tenders
• What is Required for a Video and Film Tender?
• Creative Tendering Opportunities – The Sourcing Process Made Easy
• Framework Agreement – Top 4 Questions to Ask Yourself!