Policies and procedures in your tender response
By Werner van Rooyen, Director of HowToTender (Pty) Ltd which specializes in tender consulting and tender training.
Recently I had a look at an Eskom tender. In it was a section pertaining to Policies and Procedures. It made me wonder how many SMME’s have Policies and Procedures in place. The problem with Policies and Procedures is that it sounds much more complicated than it is.
Policies can be described as clear and simple statements of how your company or enterprise intends to conduct its services, actions, or business. It is a set of guiding principles to help you with decision making. Especially important to remember is that Policies do not need to be long or complicated – a couple of sentences may be all you need for each policy area.
Policies and Procedures go hand in hand. Procedures describe how each policy will be put into action in your company or enterprise. Each procedure should outline:
- Who will do what?
- What steps they need to take?
- Which forms or documents to use?
Procedures can just be a few points or instructions. Sometimes they work well as forms, checklists, instructions, or flowcharts.
Policies and their accompanying procedures will vary between enterprises because they reflect the values, approaches and commitments of a specific company or enterprise and its culture. But they share the same role in guiding your company or enterprise.
There are many Policies that your company or enterprise can have or adhere to. Some of the most common Policies and Procedures are:
- Financial Policy
- Disaster Recovery Policy
- IT Security Policy
- Compliance Policy
- HR Policies which include –
- HIV and AIDS Policy
- Alcohol and Substance Abuse Policy
- Disciplinary Code
- Code of Ethics
Policies and Procedures do not feature much in Governmental Tenders but in State Owned Companies such as ESKOM, Telkom and SABC you will be required to include your Policies and Procedures. The Private Sector also puts heavy emphasis on Policies and Procedures especially large companies such as MTN, ABSA and FirstRand.
If you are going to respond to a Tender for State Owned Companies or Private Sector Companies, I recommend that you get your Policies and Procedures in place. I also recommend that you get a Professional Person to assist you when drawing up your company or enterprise’s Policies and Procedures. Like mentioned before, it is not long and/or complicated documents, but it needs to be done correctly. It is best to get someone knowledgeable to assist you.
To learn more about this and many other tender conditions attend our “Become a Tender Expert” 2-Day workshops presented in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Port Elizabeth, and Cape Town. Book and pay online at https://howtotender.co.za/tender-expert-form/
Contact us at wernervr@howtotender.co.za should you require more information.
You can also purchase a Tender Manual (Handbook) on our website https://howtotender.co.za/ which is a step by step guide how to respond to a South African Tender. It includes examples of completed SBD forms.
