Editing · All sectors
Tender answer over the word limit? How to cut without losing marks
Prepared by TenderChecker. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. General guidance only — every buyer's own instructions and criteria take priority.
Short answer
Check the buyer's exact limit and how they treat content over it — instructions differ, and some buyers may not read beyond the limit.
Cut company introductions, repeated values and unsupported adjectives first. Keep specific steps, owners, frequencies and evidence.
What the buyer might be asking
- (The limit itself is an instruction — follow it exactly.)
Worked example (fictional)
Everything in this example — company, people and numbers — is invented for illustration.
Example question: Describe your approach to health and safety on site. (Max 250 words)
Fictional context: Fictional bidder: Greenacre Grounds Ltd. Supplied fictional notes: daily pre-start briefings; site-specific risk assessments; near-miss reporting via app.
Weak draft (fictional)
At Greenacre Grounds Ltd, health and safety is absolutely our number one priority and is at the very heart of everything we do as a business, every single day. We are fully committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff, our clients and members of the public at all times. We carry out daily pre-start briefings...
What the draft misses
- Around 60 words pass before any actual measure appears.
- Repetition of commitment adds length but no evidence.
A better version (using only the fictional facts above)
Each site has a site-specific risk assessment [insert when it is reviewed]. Crews hold a pre-start briefing every day [insert what it covers]. Near misses are reported through our app [insert who reviews them and how often].
Bracketed text marks facts the bidder still needs to supply. Never fill these with invented figures.
Evidence checklist
- ☐ Exact limit and counting rules
- ☐ Each sub-question still answered
- ☐ Placeholders resolved
- ☐ Final count checked in the submission format
Common mistakes
- Shrinking font to fit page limits against instructions
- Cutting evidence instead of filler
- Not re-counting after final edits