For Those About To Bid (We Salute You)

I know plenty of career Bid Managers. Not all of them actually set out to make a career in Bid Management. Not many at all. In fact, if you ask a Proposal Writer, RFP Specialist or Bid Manager that you know “how did you come to be in your role?”, they’ll likely tell you that they somehow “fell into it”. By choice or through fate, there is a fascinating and rewarding career to be had in 21st century bid and proposal management.

Stand up and be counted for the RFP you’re about to receive

Regulating the barrage of RFPs that are often ‘tossed over the fence’ by sales colleagues is a perennial challenge, but not impossible to control. A robust bid process is essential of course – strong opportunity qualification, durable cross-functional interlocks, retaining the sponsorship of senior responsible owners – but only part of the solution.

You are about to invest your time and expertise developing an RFP response. Claim your space as the expert. Make your opinions known. Have a position. You owe it to yourself, your employer, and your profession. As a bid professional, you have a unique, qualified perspective on the opportunity.

Stand up. Make your opinion count.

Hail hail to the win themes

Facts tell, stories sell. That’s the difference between configuring a quote and a writing proposal. A favourite, super-creative element of proposal writing is the development of win themes – those precious, carefully crafted nuggets of persuasion that we weave throughout proposals to tell a story of value.

“A win theme is a specific, tactical message that supports your overall strategy” – Tom Sant

Strong win themes are born of a solid win strategy. But what does a solid sales strategy look like, and how is that translated into strong win themes? Enter the Bid Manager – perfectly positioned to cut through the “blah blah win strategy, rhubarb rhubarb win themes, mumble mumble executive summary” hullabaloo with practical methods that deliver tangible, actionable outcomes.

Leading a sales team through a win theme development workshop is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the competence, cunning and creativity of proposal professionals, and a sure-fire way to shake off the “cut-and-paste team” image that can besiege some bid centres.

Focus on your Client. Write them a story. Don’t eat rhubarb.

We bid at dawn on the front line

Considering a return to the bid management profession, a friend asked me recently, “Steve, is bid management still all late nights and cold pizzas?”. I believe that depends on the maturity of the bid centre, how the bid centre is perceived within the firm, and the operating environment of the firm. I’ve yet to find a bid professional who doesn’t thrive on the mounting pressure of a looming deadline!

I have fond memories of the “late night/cold pizza" era of my career which I found to be enlightening, character building, a great source of comradery, and the start of some of my most enduring friendships

When I left the defence industry, I discovered a better work-life balance. Late nights became the exception rather than the rule, and I put an end to the “all-nighter”. Perversely, I have fond memories of the “late night/cold pizza" era of my career which I found to be enlightening, character building, a great source of comradery, and the start of some of my most enduring friendships.

The attitude of the bid centre leadership is critical. The weird world of bids and proposals was long-regarded as something of a red-headed stepchild in the business development family. I’ve worked hard throughout my 20 year career in bid management – as an individual contributor and as a leader – to change that perception.

So too has the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP), which has matured tremendously as a professional body over the 14 years that I’ve been a member and is a quality source of support, networking, knowledge… and an industry-recognised professional certification programme.

Pick a good boss. Join the APMP. Get certified. Dye your hair.

We're just a bid team for hire with the proposal fire

Looking beyond the confines of the corporate bid centre, there is a rich ecosystem of bid and proposal management guns for hire. From the firms who literally wrote the books on bidding in the 1970s and 1980s – Shipley Associates and SM&A – to the new, unstoppable crop of niche players – the graphics houses, print shops, software vendors, recruitment firms, professional services outfits, etc. – whose unique perspectives and need to succeed help to keep our profession sharp, innovative and competitive.

Bid and proposal management skills are highly-transferable. This is a critical factor for the continuing success of this ecosystem and offers a neat segue into related fields such as sales, business development, project management and even procurement.

In my experience, irrespective of where you earn your bid management stripes – the finance sector, the technology arena, the defence industry, etc. – the distinctive skills and experience of a qualified bid professional transcend the bits-bytes-feeds-speeds of domain knowledge and provide a force multiplier for those focused on applying subject matter expertise.

So whether you seek to take advantage of on-demand staffing to reinforce your in-house bid team during peak periods, are looking to use an outsourcing model to augment facets of your firm’s business development activities, or even considering striking out on your own as an independent consultant or associate, there is a life to be had beyond the in-house bid centre.

Read the books. Earn your stripes. Build a network. Know your options.

For those about to bid (we salute you), yes we do!

In the face of counter-intuitive ITT instructions, demanding customer requirements, a mountain of RFP exam questions and seemingly impossible deadlines, there is a fascinating and rewarding career to be had in 21st century bid and proposal management.

As an integral part of a mature sales and business development operation, the proposal professional is called upon to lead multi-discipline, often geographically and culturally diverse teams. There are few functions in a firm that touch so many aspects of business operations – sales and marketing, engineering and development, delivery and operations, partners and suppliers, finance and legal, human resources, etc. – offering a unique opportunity for personal growth, professional development and nurturing business acumen.

If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, and — which is more — you’ll be a Bid Manager, my son! – Rudyard Kipling, 1895

And the profession is better defined and better supported than ever! Last year was a significant moment for the discipline in the UK with the government’s establishment of the “Bid & Proposal Co-ordinator” apprenticeship – bringing new blood, talent and ideas to the profession – as part of a plan to deliver 3 million new apprenticeships in the UK by 2020. Also in 2015, the APMP heralded a record-breaking year with over 1,000 proposal professionals achieving APMP-Foundation certification, a 20% increase in membership and 26 chapters around the world.

So, if you’re embarking on your first bid management assignment, writing your first proposal, or you are indeed are a gnarled / grizzled / veteran career Bid Manager pausing for breath between engagements.

So, for those about to bid (we salute you)!