Overall, the report is an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you are able to make a mature management decision for a company, based on clear reasoning from facts. Don't lose sight of this as you write your report.
- What is the company, and what is it trying to achieve?
- To what extent does the project on offer serve the company's objectives?
- How reasonable is it that the company would be able to apprehend its ambitions by going to tender?
- How clear is your communication style and the report format, and how persuasive are your arguments and evidence?
Report scenario and purpose - The original assignment brief specifies that you are required to produce a 'professionally structured report,' with introduction, appropriate sections, and conclusion. Reports are used in business to make a fact based case for a decision being recommended. Here you take on the role of Managing Director of a company, and the decision at hand is whether or not to proceed with a tender bid for a project. Your report is to the Board of Directors, and you should set out your decision in precise terms, with a clear and reasoned rationale for the decision. You should anticipate objections to your view, either for or against, and answer them. Reports should not be excessively prone to prose, but should lay out the basis of the decision recommended boldly and clearly with facts.
* Project for the report - The assignment asks you to lay out your case, for or against for submitting a tender for the first stage of the East-West Link project (assuming it is going ahead). You may vary this to a different project, if you wish.
* Company represented - You should identify a company that you are representing in this report; real or imagined.
* Financial data - Ordinarily, specific financial data would be used in a report such as this. This is not required here, though you should discuss the financial implications of your recommendations, and offer financial reasons in your case.
* Considerations covered by the report (Report sections) - Whether you recommend going ahead with offering a tender, or not, will be based on an analysis of your company's goals, and the extent to which the project serves those goals, combined with an assessment of the likelihood of winning the tender, if submitted. Some considerations (headings)that might be included in your report are listed below. With these headings, along with introduction, and executive summary, you will need to be concise to limit your report to 2,500 words.
* Headings - The following is a list of matters that might be covered under sub-headings.
1. Executive summary
Management reports begin with an executive summary in which the key conclusions are presented. (It is therefore written last, though appearing at the front of the report.) You need to be precise about what you conclude and you need to summarize the logic for that conclusion. The remainder of the report is merely extended evidence for what is found in the executive summary.
2. Company background
While this will of course be known to the readers in a real situation, you need to present the company in terms of its strengths, achievements, strategic goals, country of origin, market positioning, project history, etc, in order to establish whether it is indeed suited to tender. This company should be clearly identified; and it is advisable to select an actual firm, though an imaginary firm is acceptable.
3. Company experience in this kind of work
Has the company done this sort of work before? How well is it suited? What is new about this project and what is familiar?
4. Strategic goals
How does this project fit into the company's strategic objectives? Does it represent exactly what the company does best? Or does it represent a branching out into a new construction specialization? Is the company from Australia, or overseas, and why should Australia be a desirable place to take on projects?
5. Competition
How serious is the competition? Will this project be easy to win? Is there a reason to take on the project simply to deny the competition work? How many firms will bid; and what is the likelihood of winning?
6. Contract terms
What are the terms of the tender? Is it a short duration contract? Phase contract? Lead contractor contract? Specialist contract? Design, build, operate, contract? What terms are being offered and what terms are acceptable?
7. Risks
What are the risks in this project? Are these acceptable? How will these be managed?
8. Resources
What skill sets, equipment, capital, technologies, systems, etc, will be needed? Which does the company already how; which need to be acquired? How; and from where?
9. Project scope & duration
What kind of project is this? Design - build; PPP; or does it involve a concession to own and operate; and for what duration? How attractive are these terms?
10. Capabilities
How much of this project can the company do? What additional alliances or partnerships are needed to build the project? Can these be apprehended? What stake would they have in the project? Can they be relied on to facilitate your success?
11. Current work load
Is this project needed? Is the company already booked, or is it in a slack period? How important is this project to the company?
12. Financial attractiveness
Would this project be profitable? Does it offset fixed costs, or does it require additional investment in new fixed assets? Are there other financial incentives other than project fees?