How can infographics help to create a more engaging tender?

A common issue with tender proposals is their often daunting length, the documents can span countless pages of dense text which can be overwhelming and uninspiring for readers. This poses a significant challenge for businesses, as keeping evaluators engaged and ensuring they read the entire proposal is key. This is where the inclusion of infographics can help to create winning tenders.

Those writing these proposals often face a dilemma between brevity and completeness and face the question of how can you be comprehensive without drowning your readers in a sea of words. By their nature, the piece must be full of detailed information on how a contractor or partner plans to deliver a project. It’s critical to pre-empt any questions that the evaluator could have but overloading the reader can make it difficult for them to extract the key points.

Those reading the tender can become fatigued, and when they struggle to stay focussed, they can miss critical details. This is risky as complex data, statistics and comparisons are important and need to be understood fully, yet they can be very difficult to convey through text alone. Ultimately, when key points get buried in pages of content, the tender’s message can get lost and miss the mark.

Given these challenges, infographics emerge as a powerful solution to present complex information concisely and engagingly. When these visual representations of data and information are used in tender proposals they can dramatically improve a proposal.

Tender writers in Sydney use many different types of infographics, including bar charts, pie charts, graphs, scatter plots, comparison tables and maps. You can also use graphic design to pull key pieces of text out and emphasise them in a vibrant manner to the reader. Either way, the point remains that visual elements naturally draw attention, particularly when they’re included in a monotony of text. They can step in just as a reader is about to tune out and refocus their attention.

As some people respond better to visual aids rather than pure text, infographics can simplify intricate concepts by breaking them down and presenting them in a less daunting manner. When readers find the information more digestible, they will grasp the key points better and take the entire tender under consideration.

Research has shown that people are more likely to remember visual content better than plain text, so including these elements can work to your advantage if you use them to present the key points.

Types of infographics for tenders

Selecting the right type of infographic is crucial to ensure that it aligns with your message. When you get that right, you’ve got a winning tender. Here are some types of infographics often used in tender writing:

1. Flowcharts: These are great for presenting processes, workflows, and decision-making steps. They help evaluators understand the sequence of events or actions and how your proposal would play out.
2. Bar charts and graphs: When dealing with statistical data or comparisons, bar charts, line graphs, or pie charts can make the information more comprehensible. Try to use different colours in these, to really help the different data sets stand out.
3. Mind maps: Mind maps effectively present complex ideas with many different moving parts, such as a project that will involve many subcontractors at different stages. They can be particularly useful for conceptual frameworks or strategies as well.
4. Timelines: When submitting a tender, you want to make the working schedule as clear as possible. Using a timeline infographic to highlight key delivery dates, milestones, and historical data.
5. Illustrations and diagrams: If you don’t necessarily want to simplify complex data or highlight statistics but want to liven up your tender, you could include an illustration or diagram to hammer in a message.

How many visual aids to include?

You need to balance the number of visual elements that you include in the proposal carefully; too many can look lazy or confusing, but not enough and you’re at risk of losing the reader, as mentioned above. The answer depends on the content’s complexity, the proposal’s overall length, and your evaluator’s preferences.  In general, aim for a balance that enhances, rather than overwhelms.

Prioritise your use of infographics, reserve them for the most critical messages and complex information and only opt for infographics that add value and clarity.  A good thing to ask yourself is whether the graphic significantly improves comprehension. If not, then it may be better as text. In addition, pay attention to the placement, and avoid grouping too many of these visual elements together. Instead, strategically place them throughout, to perk up the evaluator’s attention periodically.

Colours and placement

When designing your graphics, colour selection is more important than you might think. Try not to go for random shades, choose a colour scheme that aligns with your brand – you may already have a portfolio of hex codes that are associated with your company. Using these will create consistency throughout your brand and communicate professionalism.

At the same time, be mindful of colour accessibility to ensure that all evaluators can read your infographics, including those with colour vision deficiencies. Finally, use ample whitespace around your infographics to prevent visual clutter and make the content more visually pleasing.

While their use may take some getting used to, infographics offer a powerful way to strike the right balance between comprehensive information and reader engagement. Bidsmith’s team of expert writers can incorporate these elements into your NSW tender requirements seamlessly. We are seasoned professionals in the industry who collaborate with our clients to create winning tenders on their behalf. Reach out to us today to discuss your needs and begin a partnership.