In the business world, tenders are often regarded as a tried-and-tested method of selecting suppliers and partners. Despite their popularity, it is worth considering whether they are an effective method in the context of video production. Let’s take a critical look at this process to understand its drawbacks and limitations.
First and foremost, anyone who has ever dealt with tenders knows just how time-consuming they are. Collecting bids, analysing proposals and then making a decision – each of these stages requires a significant commitment of resources that could be put to more productive use.
It is often the case that tenders for video production focus on price rather than quality and creativity. This leads to a situation where the company offering the lowest price wins the contract, rather than the one with the best expertise and experience. Yet it is precisely creativity and technical skills that are key to the success of any video project.
Another issue is the lack of flexibility and customisation. Tenders are rigid and set out in advance exactly what is expected of the supplier. In practice, every video project is different and requires a bespoke approach that takes into account the specific needs of the client, the target audience and the product itself.
Finally, tenders can stifle innovation. By focusing on meeting formal requirements, suppliers may neglect the elements that make a video unique and memorable. The result may be a production that merely ticks the boxes but fails to add value to the brand.
To sum up, although tenders are widely used, they do have their limitations, particularly in the context of video production. It is therefore worth considering alternative methods of selecting partners, such as direct collaboration, which offers greater flexibility, personalisation and the opportunity to realise the full creative potential. A well-considered decision on this matter can be crucial to achieving marketing success and strengthening the brand’s market position.
If a tender process is necessary – either because the commissioning company has such procedures in place (which makes little sense in the creative industry) or because the funds are public – it is worth first ensuring that a script is prepared to be sent out alongside the request for proposals. The cost of preparing a script is usually 1,200 PLN net, so this is a sufficiently low amount that it should not be subject to the tendering process or a competition for bids. If you wish to put the production of a video out to tender without a script, you can be sure of one thing – you’ll receive a large number of quotes with widely varying prices, often at extremes, and you won’t know on what basis to select a supplier. The script serves as a roadmap for the film crew and clearly sets out what will happen in the film; therefore, if you wish to conduct a professional tender for a video production for your company, first commission the preparation of a script – ensuring the production cost does not exceed your budget (set your budget in advance) and then send this script to production companies. We guarantee you won’t be inundated with emails and phone calls from bidders asking the same questions over and over again!
