The brief

Wates Group is one of the largest construction companies in the UK. Established in 1897 and still privately owned, the company not only builds residential and commercial properties for the private and public sectors but also provides an extensive range of property-related services. 

In 2021, the Construction London Residential team had the opportunity to tender for the building of new apartments in Brent Cross. The high-profile property developer behind the scheme was looking for a construction company that could become their perfect partner and help them construct more sustainably and achieve zero carbon emissions in the places they build. 

Subsequently, Wates realised they needed to change the way they communicated their offering and expertise in their bids to demonstrate why as a business, they were the perfect fit and partner to undertake the construction of the new scheme’s residential block of apartments.

The challenge

Most businesses find it challenging to communicate in writing what qualities qualify them to become the partner of choice for another company. So the Wates London Residential proposals team commissioned me as a strategic writer to help them create a compelling story about Wates’ future-focused approach to construction and sustainable methodology. 

My challenge was to write a short Executive Summary to support the main bid document articulating Wates strategy to meet the specific requirements set by the property developer. 

After a number of interviews with the key stakeholders, it was clear that the Summary needed to align Wates’ and the bidder’s vision and convey the different areas of expertise that positioned Wates as the most relevant construction partner for this particular project. What’s more, it needed to be engrossing for the reader. To achieve these two objectives, I wrote the Summary in an ‘Editorial’ style, using a collection of case studies and key achievements supported by quotes to explain Wates’ proposition.

The results

In the tender process, Wates scored the top mark for clearly demonstrating why they identify themselves as the perfect partners for the scheme. As a result, I have continued to be commissioned by the team to support them with other bids.