If you are a small to medium sized business like us, then you probably find yourself responding to Tenders a few times a year (or a month if the world has just stumbled out of a pandemic!). You are probably asking yourself, are they worth the effort?

In our experience, yes! Tenders allow smaller enterprises (like our boutique graphic design studio in Sydney) a shot at working for larger organisations such as councils, state and federal government, as well as organisations that report to a board. The tender process is a transparent and organised way to compare apples with apples and choose an appropriate design partner based on merit – one who may or may not be on their radar!

There have been some recent increases in small to medium enterprises (SMEs) winning contracts than we have seen in previous years.

“In its Statistics on Australian Government Procurement Contracts, the Australian Government reveals that it published 92,303 procurement contracts with a combined value of $80.8 billion in 2021-22. Out of these contracts, $24.9 billion or 30.8% were awarded to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The Australian Government has seen a year-on-year rise in SME participation in Commonwealth procurement over a six-year period. In 2016-17, it awarded 34,621 contracts to SMEs, while in 2021-22, this figure had risen by 47.1% to 50,921 contracts.”

TenderLink

Responding to a Tender often involves answering a LOT of questions about your business and services but try to think of it as an opportunity to have a look in the mirror. It’s sometimes good to have someone prompt you to think about how you do business – you may find yourself asking questions like “Hey, do we use First Nations sub-contractors where we can?”, or “Are we exposed to any potential Modern Slavery risks via our sub-contractors or third parties?” and “Should we put together a Social Responsibility and Benefits Policy this year to formalise our objectives?”.

So we can thank the Tender process for checking us and making sure that we have all our ducks in a row. Hopefully the little guys (like us) continue to win contracts and improve ourselves and our businesses via this process.

If you are searching for a Sydney-based graphic design agency (and don’t want to go to the bother of putting out a Tender) you can just ask us for a quick quote! Contact us today at Fresco Creative to talk with one of our experienced graphic designers.