Bid Management is now a thriving profession in Ireland, with more and more organisations realising the benefits of procuring sales through an effective and efficient bid team. Do your bids require a Bid Manager or Bid Leader?
Many organisations are still unclear as to what the fundamental role of the Bid Manager is within the team. The role seems to vary from organisation to organisations and in varying degrees of responsibilities, which is evidenced by the wide-ranging salaries available. At one end; the job can largely be administrative and logistical, and the other it can require the skills of a senior manager, salesperson, marketer, project manager and graphic designer, etc.
At Bid Specialists, we clearly differentiate these two distinct skill sets: bid management and bid leadership.
Bid Management
Bids are professionally managed by a Bid Manager following tried and tested bid management processes, formulating a fully compliant and sales driven response. Great Bid Managers are outstanding at bringing stakeholders and content contributors together, excelling at relationship management and persuasion.
Bid Leadership
Larger more complex bid projects on the other hand – such as a large utility outsourcing project where the contract will run for up to 20-years for example – requires more than a bid manager, it requires a competent bid leader that brings energy, motivation and expertise to larger bid teams. An effective and experienced bid leader will demand ownership for the entire bid, managing multiple work streams whilst driving, capturing and articulating the proposition, differentiation, win theme, win strategy, etc. Complex bid projects should have at least a bid writer and bid manager alongside key work stream owners. See the composition of a generic bid team and the typical work streams and workshops conducted by an effective professional bid leader.
If you only undertake a few bids a year it is critical that they are managed correctly. Outsourcing the task of bid management to a professional, who has the necessary resources and experience, could be the difference between success and failure.
When your next important tender is published why not contact us to see how our bid specialists and bid management process could help support your team to create a winning bid?
At Bid Specialists, all of our bid managers are certified to Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP), the worldwide authority for professionals dedicated to the process of winning business through proposals, bids, tenders, and presentations.