What makes a good bid manager

Bid managers are in charge of the proposals or submissions companies make to win a new contract. What does a bid manager do? Typical employers Qualifications and training Key skills. Bid managers are responsible for creating and overseeing a bid — a detailed, costed, persuasive proposal — on behalf of one organisation to gain a business contract or offer of work from another.

Most bid managers work within the built environment sector, but they can work in any industry in which work is contracted out such as within the social care, technology and transport sectors. At a medium-sized or smaller organisation, the bid manager role might be a stand-alone position and involve undertaking the entire bidding process. As such, responsibilities will vary according to the sector, the size of the employer and the level of seniority, but typical tasks include:.

For the most part, the work is office-based with typical office hours. Hours may be longer just before a bid is to be submitted.

Bid managers can be employed by any company that submits proposals for contract work. However, the greatest number of vacancies can be found with:. Experienced bid managers and bid writers can be self-employed and work on a freelance basis, either independently or through a specialist agency that offers proposal writing and bid management services. It is possible for bid managers and bid writers to gain professional qualifications while working in the role.

These could be with the Association of Proposal Management Professionals APMP or with a professional body associated with the sector you are specialising in. For example, in the built environment sector, qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Building or the British Institute of Facilities Management may be helpful for career progression. To ensure the effectiveness of the bid management process , there are two main elements that a bid manager must focus on.

Firstly, managing the people involved in the process and secondly managing the information and organisational elements of the bid process.

The seamless integration of these elements ensures an effective and well-structured bid that is completed to the specification and on time. Bid managers generally follow a structured approach to the bid management process; for each bid they will:. In addition to this, the bid manager will consistently review the process and be in close contact with a writer or team of bid writers, to ensure they are receiving the information needed and they are supported to complete the bid to the highest standard.

Bid management consultancy works through understanding that clients do not always have the time or resources to manage their tendering in house. As a result, the process from opportunity identification to final submission is completed by a bid management consultancy, such as Executive Compass. Our team of in-house bid writers allow knowledge and experience to be shared on a daily basis, which is recognised by our clients when they are assigned a specialist writer.

Through the high levels of client relationship, consultancy and business best practice is shared, ensuring clients are continually improving throughout the tendering process. Typically, this expertise is scattered across the organisation, other office branches, and even in networked consortia in different locations perhaps even in different countries. Bid management and project management are closely intertwined — it has to be done on time, and to cost and quality, but project management alone is not enough to win business over your competition.

The fundamental difference between bid management and project management is usually one of time, budget and resources. A Bid Manager juggles many tasks. They not only run the bid as a project but they are also responsible for defining the win strategy and win themes, meeting all of the customer requirements, and writing a persuasive submission that is compliant, compelling, and which is easy to evaluate to justify the contract decision.

Beyond preparing the offer, they are often required to negotiate and close the bid, and ensure the smooth transition of the bid to contract implementation. Often, Bid Managers have to be quite resourceful given their constraints of working in a fast-paced, lean and collaborative environment.

Up until now, they have had to rely on a patchwork of tools to manage their roles — from excel to emails, and shared file repositories. More than ever, collaboration needs greater two-way interaction, without the clutter. This is the especially case when Bid Managers have been presented with an opportunity where there has been little or no engagement with the customer.