Price-only tenders?

by | Jun 25, 2019 | Customer, Winning

Imagine you wanted a car to use for a year or two (maybe three or four) and your budget was £1000. Your only stated requirements were that it had to be a runner, in a roadworthy condition. One private seller offers you their car for £1000, unseen. They offer no other...

Work smarter to win more

by | Jun 12, 2019 | Winning

“It’s a targeted opportunity for us. We’ll call you once the tender documents are published…” Seriously? Once the documents land, you’ll be shocked by the tight tender period. You’ll be wanting an extension of time and your...

Changing your perceptions

by | Dec 6, 2018 | Procurement, Winning

I have been privileged to have worked on successful bids for major rail, highway, water, power, and waste infrastructure projects. The challenges are varied, and I have often had fascinating, ‘behind the scenes ‘, insights into the development of major projects which...

An engaging question

by | Nov 29, 2018 | Winning

The following statements will be familiar to many of us; “Bid consultants/writers don’t understand what we do and so we’re constantly having to spoon- feed them. It’s just extra work when we don’t need it.” “We can handle the bulk of the work ourselves. All we need is...

Challenging times

by | Nov 21, 2018 | Procurement

The decision to challenge procurement decisions seems to be more common in recent years. At a time when frameworks are increasingly ‘ring-fencing’ major work streams, failure is perceived as simply unacceptable by many. The sheer cost of the tender resources, that are...

Making a difference

by | Nov 19, 2018 | Putting something back

Mental health and poverty are current topics that we hear about every day, but how often do you stop and think about them, and about what you could do to help people? This weekend I learned about a major contributory factor to mental illness, and I am moved to share...

How well do you know your business?

by | Nov 16, 2018 | Winning

Failure to achieve business objectives is often down to an organisation’s familiarity with their own people and/or the successful outcomes they have delivered. You often hear talk about people as being the life-blood of a company. Usually, this is followed by some...