Bite-Sized Video Training for Junior Bid Professionals and Those New to Bidding
Bid as Little as Possible
This video shares a crucial tip for bidding: do it as little as possible. Bidding is expensive, and surprisingly, over 85% of reasons companies lose tenders are known before they even submit a bid.
The video stresses rigorous bid qualification and making pursuit decisions well in advance. This means honestly assessing if the opportunity fits your business and if you can genuinely win against the set criteria, especially considering how pricing and quality are scored.
The key takeaway is to evaluate whether you can truly win. If not, walk away, acknowledging the significant cost and lost opportunities. The goal is to bid efficiently and focus only on winnable opportunities.
The Power of Research in Winning Bids
This video highlights why researching opportunities is crucial for successful bids. You'll learn how understanding a client's drivers, values, and vision allows you to tailor your approach effectively. The discussion covers how to understand a client's project goals and expectations for a supplier, identify key stakeholders and their motivations, and adapt your communication style based on their knowledge and preferences.
The video also explores various research avenues. You'll discover how to leverage internal and external sources, including past experiences, industry connections, and publicly available data. Plus, it delves into using modern tools like the internet and AI for in-depth client insights. Ultimately, thorough research leads to informed bid decisions and helps you craft compelling, personalised bids that truly stand out. Don't bid to strangers—mastering research is the foundation of your success!
Compliance is King
This video delivers a crucial tip: compliance is everything in bidding. Despite pressures to "bend the rules," strict adherence to guidelines is vital.
A major UK procurement body discards 2,000 out of 8,000 annual bids due to non-compliance (late, incomplete, or over word count). The message is clear: you lose 100% of non-compliant bids, wasting immense effort.
Bid professionals are accountable for compliance. It's their responsibility to ensure every submission is checked and fully compliant. Ignoring this "dull" but essential rule puts them at risk. Compliance isn't just a formality; it's the bedrock of a winning bid.
Master Your Bids with a Solid Plan
This video emphasises a crucial tip for successful bidding: always have a robust bid plan. It's your central project execution plan, detailing all activities, deliverables, accountabilities, and review timelines.
A good bid plan helps you manage tasks, ensure quality, and hold your team accountable for deadlines. It's vital to break down large tasks and ensure proper resource allocation. The bid manager maintains this plan, which should be regularly reviewed and distributed. Ultimately, a strong bid plan is your single source of truth for managing the entire bidding process.
USPs Have to be Unique
This video explains that Unique Selling Points (USPs) must be truly unique—exclusive to your business. You'll learn why clients buy value (time, money, or other benefits) and how your unique proposition should clearly differentiate you. If you claim a USP, it must be genuinely yours. Discover how to identify and leverage these unique aspects to stand out in bids.
The Power of Storyboarding
This video highlights storyboarding as a critical, yet often neglected, practice for successful bids. Many businesses lose on quality scores due to a lack of storyboarding, which often leads to inconsistency across responses—a major red flag for clients.
A storyboard is a detailed plan for each response, breaking down complex questions and scoring criteria to ensure every part is answered compellingly and compliantly. This not only maximizes your quality points but also provides an audit trail for reviews. Regardless of the tools you use, thoroughly planning your answers is essential for effective bid execution.
Crafting Impactful CVs for Winning Bids
This video offers crucial advice on tailoring CVs (resumes) for successful bids, stressing they must be highly specific to the client and opportunity.
You'll learn to structure a compelling bid CV with a concise overview and essential data, a personal statement expressing excitement for the opportunity, and explicit bullet points detailing the individual's value and expertise. Crucially, feature relevant case studies that highlight what they did and the value they added, ideally with client quotes.
The aim is for readers to quickly grasp suitability. Your CVs should resonate directly with the client's needs, demonstrating proven value and focusing on relevance and impact.
The Power of Readability
This video explains why readability is crucial for bids, given evaluators' limited time. Learn practical tips to make your content easy to digest.
Aim for short paragraphs (five lines/sentences) and left-aligned text for easier navigation. Crucially, limit sentences to 15 words max to improve comprehension; replace commas with full stops often. Use clear, consistent headings mirroring client questions to act as your document's "backbone" for easy navigation and alignment with scoring.
These techniques will significantly improve how your bid is read, understood, and scored.
Mind Your Clarifications
This video offers crucial advice on managing clarifications during bidding. It's vital to be strategic and polite, avoiding aggressive tones that can negatively impact a client's perception of your bid.
Learn to ask closed questions (e.g., "We believe X, please confirm") to make their lives easier and guide them. Remember to log all clarifications, as they can become part of your contract and are essential for quality accreditations. Be positive, lead them to your desired outcome, and meticulously log everything to protect yourself.
Master Effective Bid Reviews
This video dives into effective bid reviewing, a critical process for submitting winning proposals. It emphasises that robust reviews stem from a well-structured process and good governance.
You'll learn about "coloured reviews" (pink, green, red) designed to spread quality checks throughout the bid program. A pink review (25% completion) focuses on strategy; a green review (60%) catches early problems in drafts; and a final red review (85%) involves independent experts.
The video also stresses clear roles, effective briefing, and smart use of technology for comments, though a follow-up meeting is advised for significant feedback. Crucially, fostering positive review behaviours is key to keeping teams engaged and motivated. By managing risks and maintaining a robust, positive review process, you significantly boost your chances of success.