Should You Use Plain English in Bids?

‘Is there some sort of rule in [bid] writing that you need to use as many words as possible and as [many] long words as possible to say as little as possible? The use of ridiculously un-plain English in these documents seems to be ubiquitous.’

This question was recently asked in my online Australian Editors and Writers Group.

The responses to the question were varied, but most people, all professional editors and writers, strongly advocated the use of plain English in bids and proposals, as with any other type of document.

Some in the group, while agreeing with the majority opinion, added the caveat that it is necessary to be very careful of not changing the meaning. It’s important to reflect the customer’s/intended audience’s own language, and of being aware of the use of key words and terms, especially in technical documents where misuse or alterations could confuse the meaning.

Setting aside the writer’s question and clear frustration with the language in her bid, as a bid writer and editor of many years’ standing, I pondered to what extent plain English can effectively be used in bids and proposals, especially in highly technical documents that express complex ideas for specialist audiences, and what the barriers might be to its usage.

The risk of using over-technical language

Bid audiences usually include a mix of specialist and general readers, so language choice matters. Keep your wording as straightforward as possible without losing the technical accuracy your specialists expect. Most proposals include defined terms and technical language, and expert readers will understand these.

The real risk lies in rewriting or paraphrasing those defined terms incorrectly. Still, in my experience, the bigger problem is long, ungrammatical sentences packed with unnecessary complexity. They make proposals harder to read and even the original writers can lose track of what they meant.

Overuse of formal language

Another major barrier to clarity is the use of archaic or overly formal language, which some call ‘officialese’. Words like herewith or phrases such as ‘as a consequence of’ may sound impressive, but they add clutter instead of meaning.

The same goes for trendy terminology like ‘vertical consumption’ or ‘moving forward’, which often lose favour as quickly as they appear. Using simple, familiar language makes writing easier to read and understand. Plain English speaks directly to the reader and that’s always the most effective form of communication.

Use of simple language is the way forward

Plain language can help even specialist audiences process dense amounts of information more quickly and easily. Too much explanation in writing can be annoying and generally unnecessary. Expert use of plain English will achieve a good balance, where nothing is ‘dumbed down’ but the technical ideas are expressed more clearly. Even the most technical of writing is more readable with the support of good grammar, consistency in language usage and terminology, accuracy in spelling, and clear sentence structure.

Summary

After many years as an editor and writer, working across hundreds of documents and styles, I’ve learned that readability comes first. The best way to achieve it, and to reach your goal, whether that’s winning a sale or attracting quality proposals, is to express your ideas as plainly as possible. Then, add defined or technical terms only where they help specialists understand your meaning.

The Salentis team specialises in helping clients produce clear, well-written proposals and business development documents. We follow defined style guidelines and adapt our approach to suit each client’s needs and conventions. Our goal is simple: make every document easy to read, easy to evaluate and for our clients to be delighted with the end result.

If you’d like to learn more about how Salentis can support your bids and improve the quality of your tender responses, we’d love to hear from you.

Author – Amanda Morgan

Article published: February 2022