How do you incorporate sustainability and social responsibility factors in your bid costing?

2 Identify the relevant costs and benefits

Once you have defined your sustainability and social responsibility goals, you need to identify the costs and benefits associated with them. For example, how much will it cost to implement green practices, such as reducing waste, energy, and emissions, or using renewable materials and sources? How much will you save or gain from improving your efficiency, productivity, and reputation? How will you balance the short-term and long-term costs and benefits of your actions? You need to estimate and justify these costs and benefits in your bid costing, using appropriate methods and tools, such as life cycle costing, cost-benefit analysis, or return on investment.

3 Highlight your competitive advantage

Another way to incorporate sustainability and social responsibility factors in your bid costing is to highlight your competitive advantage over other bidders. How do you differentiate yourself from the competition in terms of quality, innovation, and value? How do you add value to the client and the stakeholders through your sustainability and social responsibility initiatives? How do you demonstrate your track record and expertise in delivering sustainable and responsible outcomes? You need to showcase your strengths and achievements in your bid costing, using relevant evidence, examples, and testimonials.

4 Address the risks and opportunities

Sustainability and social responsibility factors also involve risks and opportunities that you need to address in your bid costing. What are the potential challenges and uncertainties that may affect your project delivery and performance? How do you mitigate or manage these risks? What are the possible opportunities and scenarios that may enhance your project delivery and performance? How do you exploit or leverage these opportunities? You need to analyse and evaluate these risks and opportunities in your bid costing, using appropriate methods and tools, such as risk assessment, contingency planning, or scenario analysis.

5 Align with the client's evaluation criteria

Finally, you need to align your bid costing with the client's evaluation criteria and expectations. How do you meet or exceed the client's requirements and preferences in terms of sustainability and social responsibility? How do you demonstrate your value for money and return on investment? How do you comply with the client's policies, regulations, and standards? You need to align your bid costing with the client's evaluation criteria, using clear and concise language, format, and structure.

Bid writing is not only about numbers and figures, but also about values and principles. By incorporating sustainability and social responsibility factors in your bid costing, you can show your client that you care about more than just the bottom line, and that you can deliver a project that benefits not only them, but also the environment and the society.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?