Tips & Guidelines for Writing Bid Request

If you are seeking bids from video production vendors, these will be helpful guidelines. If you have not had the experience of being involved in a video production you can prepare by doing a little research. Call a few video production companies and ask questions specific to your production.

Providing detailed information in your bid request helps ensure you receive comprehensive answers that will, in turn, help you find the company that best meets your needs.

Begin your bid request by stating the purpose of your production.
(Who - What -Why- When – Where)

Who - Target audience demographics
What - Desired or estimated finished length of the production
Why - Purpose of the production
When - Due date
Where - In studio or on location

These are important pieces of information for the bidding companies. (Note: nationwide, the average cost is $1000.00 per finished minute. A single camera, minimal-edits production can be as low as $800.00 per minute. The cost depends upon production needs and the number of edit points. Examples of great additional services that add to production costs are the use a professional on-camera talent, animations or aerial shots. These elements will substantially improve the quality of your production. Remember that production costs vary from city to city.

Provide as much information as possible on your bid request. Not all of the items below may be applicable to your production. You’ll be asked to provide a designated Production Coordinator who must be available to answer questions.

1. Concept and creative design: Share all ideas, whether you have basic or very specific concepts of what you’d like your production to be when finished. If you need conceptual help from the production company share this information in your request.
2. Scripting: Will you need a scriptwriter, or will you provide a finished script and an outline? Do you need script consultation services?
3. Storyboard: Visuals and narration depicted together in a storyboard form. You become part of the team and work closely with the production company to determine the visuals, and then the production company creates the storyboard.
4. On-camera & voice-over talent: If your production requires talent, (on-camera or narration), state whether you’ll need the production company to provide these services or if you’ll provide the talent. If you need professional talent state your requirements: male or female preference, multi-lingual or ASL sign language.
5. Teleprompter: If you are providing the talent we strongly recommend the use of a teleprompter. Professional on-camera talent requires the use of a teleprompter. Teleprompters can be used on location as well as in-studio.
6. Videotaping on location or in studio: In the bid request it is important to state whether the videotaping is to be on location, geographically where, and if possible, how many locations you estimate will be required. Or, if the videotaping requires a studio or combination of locations and in-studio. If videotaping is to be done in a studio request an in-house studio.
7. Cameras: Will the production require single or multiple cameras? Prior to putting out your bid, don’t hesitate to ask a production expert whether single or multiple cameras would be most beneficial to your production.
8. Formats: Determine what formats you’ll need for final fulfillment.
• Purpose of the production: broadcast, internet, intranet, DVD, CD. Beta SP (for broadcasting), digital (for non-broadcast), HD, or Blu-Ray.
9. Music: Will your production require licensed or custom music throughout the production or only at the opening and ending?
10. Post/Editing: Editing note: One minute of finished tape can take up to one hour or more of editing time depending on the complexity of scenes. Creating text or image screens are a process of editing.
11. Hard drive: A client hard drive will ensure that your productions are retained on a dedicated hard drive which can be utilized for future projects.
12. Foreign conversions: If you need foreign narration, subtitles or formats to send, provide a list of the countries.
13. Open captioning: Do you need, or not?

Additional notes and information -- plan realistically

14. A Production Coordinator or representative must be assigned to the production company. This person should have the authority to make decisions and answer questions.
15. The Production Coordinator will work with the production company as part of the team.
16. Productions frequently take up to two months or longer. This depends on your availability, your decision process and the ability to schedule videotaping.
17. Preplanning will help keep your production on time and on budget. Creative design, scripting and storyboards must be approved prior to videotaping. Be prepared.
18. Videotaping and editing are lengthy processes.
19. Make decisions for duplications, packaging and fulfillment requirements early.
20. The footage from your production can be reused for future productions. Determine ahead of time whether you want multiple versions of the production. This is a cost-effective utilization of media.
21. Request business license information and proof of insurance.

If all bid submissions are close to requirements and it’s difficult to make a choice:

• Interview the companies to determine which one you’ll be most comfortable working with.
• Check to make sure approval points are required throughout the process. This ensures you and your production company are sharing the same concepts for the final product.

This information is intended to help you successfully choose a production company that best meets your needs.

Remember, provide pertinent information and request specific information.

If you have questions regarding bid request information please contact us at 253-926-2440. We’d be glad to assist you.