A Sample Tender Cover Letter (2024)

The tender cover letter is an important yet underused tool. Though not always a requirement when applying for tender, a great cover letter will give you an edge over other applicants.

It enables you to highlight reasons why you should be awarded the project, by providing information on your company’s previous successes that are relevant to the requirements you are bidding for. Persuasive writing, backed by evidence, demonstrates to the buyer why they should award the tender to your company.

Here is an example tender cover letter and tips to help you write your own.

Elements of a Tender Cover Letter

A short introduction thanking the organisation for inviting your company to tender.
A unique reason why you should be given the job. It should be specific and not contain general statements, and should reinforce the theme in the general document.
A commitment statement to making the contract a success.
An administrative note on some aspect of the tender can be included. For example, you may be tendering as a joint venture.

Tender Cover Letter Rules

It should be placed after the title page and should be on your company’s letterhead.
It should only be one page or two at most. However, if it’s a combined cover letter and executive summary, you can stretch it to three or four pages.
It is often addressed to the contact person mentioned in the document you are responding to. If you are in doubt, you can address it to the senior-most person.
The cover letter should be signed by a person of similar stature, status, and responsibility in your company. However, if they have little to do with the response, you can supply a contact person to field any questions.

Tender Cover Letter Sample

ABC Pty Limited

Cover Letter for Tender Proposal

5 Tender Tips

1. Can you do the job?

Do you have a chance of winning the tender? Determine if you have the required human and capital resources to undertake the job. This ensures that you don’t waste resources by tendering for jobs that exceed your capacity.

2. Is your tender compliant?

Confirm the client’s requirements by carefully reading the specifications, rules, and addendums in the request for tender. You can prepare a tender checklist to ensure your bid addresses all the criteria. Ensuring that your tender is submitted in the right format increases your chances of success.

3. Provide evidence of your competence

Avoid making empty claims on your suitability for the project. Back your claims with case studies of similar projects you have completed successfully, because your client needs evidence to award the job.

4. Fill the price or cost schedule

Sometimes filling a price or cost schedule for the items you are tendering is required. You need to clearly indicate how all the costs are arrived at and make sure you clarify if your tender prices are inclusive or exclusive of GST.

5. How will you fill the skills gaps?

If you don’t have all the required skills in-house, you should explain how you intend to fill the skills gaps. If you plan to subcontract your subcontractors should have an input in the tender.

To download your free and customisable cover letter template, as well as two other easy-to-use Word document templates, click the image below.