Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Tender Officer

🎯 Role Definition

A Tender Officer is the linchpin of an organization's bidding and proposal process, functioning as the dedicated project manager for all competitive tender submissions. This role is absolutely critical for driving new business growth and securing revenue. You'll be at the heart of the action, crafting compelling, compliant, and ultimately winning proposals in response to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Tenders (RFTs), and Quotations (RFQs). The position requires a unique blend of project management, persuasive writing, and stakeholder coordination, as you will orchestrate efforts across multiple departments—including sales, legal, finance, and technical teams—to ensure every submission is of the highest quality and perfectly aligned with both the client's needs and our company's strategic objectives.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Sales Coordinator or Administrator
Project Administrator or Coordinator
Contracts Assistant or Junior Contracts Administrator

Advancement To:

Tender Manager or Bid Manager
Senior Commercial Manager
Business Development Manager

Lateral Moves:

Contracts Administrator
Commercial Analyst
Procurement Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Proactively monitor and meticulously identify relevant tender opportunities from a wide range of public and private portals, including government e-procurement sites and industry-specific platforms.
Conduct a thorough initial analysis of all tender documents (RFPs, RFQs, Expressions of Interest) to determine strategic fit, commercial viability, and key submission requirements.
Lead and project manage the end-to-end bid lifecycle, from the initial opportunity assessment and qualification right through to final submission and any post-submission clarifications.
Develop, communicate, and diligently manage a detailed bid plan and timeline, clearly assigning responsibilities to various internal stakeholders to ensure all deadlines are met without fail.
Organize and facilitate structured bid kick-off meetings, ensuring all contributing team members are aligned on the bid strategy, key win themes, and specific deliverables.
Take ownership of authoring, editing, and proofreading all proposal content, ensuring it is professionally written, persuasive, and fully compliant with all tender specifications and formatting rules.
Collaborate closely with internal subject matter experts across technical, finance, legal, and operational teams to gather, challenge, and refine information for inclusion in the proposal.
Manage the systematic compilation of all required supporting documentation, which can include financial statements, insurance certificates, quality policies, and project case studies.
Ensure the final submission is presented in a highly professional and polished format and is delivered on time via the specified method, whether through an online portal or physical delivery.
Act as the central and primary point of contact for all tender-related clarifications and communications with the procuring entity, both before and after the submission deadline.
Maintain, update, and continuously improve a central repository of tender content, including boilerplate text, case studies, team CVs, and project references, to streamline future bid efforts.
Diligently track and report on all tendering activities and KPIs, including win/loss rates, submission volumes, and client feedback, to provide actionable insights for process improvement.
Conduct detailed and insightful post-mortem reviews on both successful and unsuccessful bids to identify crucial lessons learned and embed them into our future processes.
Develop and nurture strong working relationships with internal stakeholders to foster a highly collaborative, efficient, and positive bid-response environment.
Stay consistently abreast of key industry trends, competitor activities, and any changes in public procurement regulations that could impact our tendering strategy and success.
Meticulously manage the physical and digital assembly of the final tender package, ensuring all sections are correctly ordered, paginated, and bound as per the client's requirements.
Review and assist in the negotiation of tender terms and conditions, collaborating with the legal and commercial teams to identify, flag, and mitigate potential contractual risks.
Prepare and organize compelling presentations and supporting materials for any post-submission interviews, site visits, or clarification meetings with the client.
Champion the company's brand and value proposition, ensuring all submissions accurately reflect our strategic market positioning and corporate identity.
Take responsibility for registering and maintaining the company’s profile on various key procurement portals, ensuring all corporate information remains current and accurate.

Secondary Functions

Support the commercial and sales teams with ad-hoc requests for contract data, pricing information, and historical bid analysis.
Actively contribute to the continuous improvement of the organization's bid management strategy, internal processes, and toolsets.
Collaborate with the marketing and communications teams to ensure all proposal content and case studies are aligned with the latest company messaging and branding guidelines.
Participate actively in regular sales and operational planning meetings to provide clear updates on the tender pipeline and associated resource requirements.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced proficiency across the Microsoft Office Suite, particularly in Word for document formatting, Excel for data and pricing, and PowerPoint for presentations.
Exceptional proposal writing, technical writing, editing, and proofreading abilities with a flair for creating persuasive narratives.
Strong, practical understanding of the full public and private sector procurement lifecycle, including RFPs, RFTs, and Expressions of Interest (EOIs).
Proven experience navigating and using various online procurement portals and e-tendering platforms (e.g., Ariba, Coupa, government-specific sites).
Familiarity with using CRM systems (like Salesforce or HubSpot) for tracking opportunities and managing the sales pipeline.
A solid foundational understanding of contract law, commercial principles, and risk assessment.

Soft Skills

Impeccable, near-obsessive attention to detail and a deep-seated commitment to accuracy, quality, and compliance.
Outstanding project management and organizational skills, with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex, high-stakes deadlines simultaneously.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, enabling you to effectively influence and coordinate with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to deconstruct complex tender requirements into manageable workstreams.
A high degree of resilience and the ability to work calmly and effectively under the pressure of tight, immovable deadlines.
A proactive, self-motivated work ethic combined with a strong sense of ownership and accountability for the entire bidding process.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

A Bachelor's Degree is typically required for this role.

Preferred Education:

A Master's Degree or a professional certification from an organization like the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) is highly regarded.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration or Management
Marketing, Communications, or English
Law or a related legal field

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2-5 years of direct, hands-on experience in a dedicated bid, tender, or proposal coordination role.

Preferred:

Demonstrable experience within a specific industry (e.g., Construction, Engineering, Information Technology, Healthcare, or Professional Services) is often highly advantageous and preferred by employers.