CPDStore Ireland

Tenders are moments of choice — and often of missed opportunity. Whether you're responding to one or preparing your own, how well you engage with the process shapes your results. This session offers a practical overview of the tendering landscape, with structured insight into both responding to tenders and creating your own. We’ll look at what makes tenders succeed or fail, and how subtle cues influence decision-making. Accountants and advisers working with clients, or leading growing practices themselves, will benefit from practical reflections and key takeaways. Expect useful perspectives, illustrative examples, and a chance to reflect on your current approach.

William Buist will cover the following topics during this presentation:

•             The purpose of a tender: Beyond forms and formats, what are they really asking?

•             Trust signals and hidden tests: Why these matter more than price

•             Structuring a strong response: The key elements to get right every time

•             Writing your own tenders: How to brief suppliers or partners effectively

•             The parallels with recruitment — and what accountants can learn from them

By attending this session, you will:

• Gain an overview of the tendering process from both sides
• Be better able to interpret the intent behind complex tender requests
• Understand the key components of a persuasive response
• Know how to structure your own tenders to attract quality providers
• Take away practical ideas to strengthen your practice’s approach

This session will be of particular interest to:

• Practice owners
• Accountants and advisers responding to tenders
• Professionals issuing supplier or subcontractor briefs
• Anyone involved in procurement or service engagement decisions

Course Level: Intermediate