A new member of staff recently asked me how the annual bidding round works and more importantly what makes a strong bid stand out. As I was talking through it I realised this was a blog post in the making. So I thought I would share with you six tips to increase the chances of your bid being successful.
1) Make a good Impression
We all know first impressions are crucial. So when it comes to evaluating the 300+ bids that are submitted each year, you can’t underestimate how important it is to a project bid to have a well written purpose. This is the first part of the form and one of the most referred to sections. It should tell us two things. What the project will do, and what outcome it hopes to see. Seems simple right? However, it takes some effort to do, so make it count and invest some time in writing this. The purpose should be short, sharp, clear and easily understood; and should be representative of your proposal.
2) Put yourself in our Shoes
One of the questions we always consider when agreeing to spend any government funds is “are we getting the most value out of the UK tax payer’s money”. The same is true when evaluating project bids. The bid has to demonstrate, why the UK is the ideal funding partner of choice for the project. How will the project help to further the aims of what the British Government hopes to achieve globally through the openness and sustainability priorities? We know that there are other donors that do similar work, so with every bid, we consider the benefit to the host country, and how this is a win-win proposition for the UK.
3) Be in it for the long term
High Impact, Sustainable, Effective and Transformational. They’re the buzz words of the funding world. You’ll hear them time and again, but demonstrating your project is transformational really is a crucial factor in determining whether the bid gets moved higher up the pile. Every year we receive some excellent project ideas and some really innovative concepts, but they falter trying to explain the link between the project and the real world change we hope to see. We want to know how the benefits of the project will continue to be felt after the UK’s funding comes to an end.
4) Assess the Risks thoroughly
Evaluating risk can sometimes seem like a simple tick box exercise, but it’s an important section as we want to know whether you have a) thought about the risk and b) have plan to mitigate it. The risks can be both internal and external and whilst not all of them can be in your control, thinking about them in advance can lessen any potential issues further down the line. We also want to know what your process of escalation will be if the project goes awry. How will you maintain a high level of communication with your British Embassy contact and let them know of any potential risks.
5) Have a clear idea who your Stakeholders are
We like it when projects have a clear idea of who the key stakeholders are. This assures us that, should this project be funded, it would stand a good chance of achieving its objectives. A good understanding of who the key influencers are, who your target audience is and what would resonate well with them, would be a good start. If you are working with a government department, we would want to see evidence that these stakeholders are interested.
6) Read the Small Print
We have a whole host of FAQs on the website which I strongly recommend reading before applying. Check your project is in one of our key priority areas and countries within the scope of the fund. Every year approximately one out of every six proposals that we receive fall outside the remit of the fund. Be sure to look at the section on what we can and can’t fund. There is also a sample contract which we use, should your project bid be successful in the second stage. We have to ensure this contract is signed before any project can start and any funds can be issued, so please make sure that your organisation is happy to sign such a contract in the event that your bid is successful.
If you have a tick in the box for all the above, you’re now ready to submit your bid.