We are delighted to announce that one of Bid Factors’ key clients has just been awarded places on three out of the four major framework contracts that we helped them to tender.

Fortunately, our client (a medium-sized civil, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation and automation specialist)  brought us in fairly soon after learning that they had passed through stage 1 prequalification. This was a big deal for them, and they wanted to make sure their bid reflected the fact that they are industry-leaders, at the top of their game.  They asked us to help them prepare for the second and third stages of the bids, to manage the input of their technical experts, and then to transform the information that they provided into clear messages that resonated with their target client.

We started by leading a workshop for some of their senior managers that took them right back to basics, helping them to define and understand their prospect’s key objectives, ambitions, and fears. The workshop outcomes included specific proposals, commitments, and win-themes which would later be brought together to transform technical proposals into a compelling story.

We looked at each of the tender quality questions in turn and developed the client’s proposals into structured storyboards, before allocating  ‘authors’ and support staff, who were tasked with developing the answer plans. This structured approach is critical to developing a killer bid.

Critically reviewing the draft answer plans as the authors returned them, we challenged assumptions and queried ambiguities. Our very blunt and honest critiques mimic the eye for detail that most clients adopt, and also stirs up real passion amongst authors who then pull out all the stops to succeed.

In parallel to the answer plan development, we also made sure all of the supporting evidence was available and ready to be converted into appendices for upload. This included CV’s for key people and case studies of previous projects. Both are vital and often overlooked elements in any major bid.

Once all of the required information was in the final draft answer plans (which were well over the page count) we could roll up our sleeves and get to work. We transposing the headings and ‘raw’ text into the client’s preferred format, before rewriting it in flowing prose, weaving in the win themes, commitments as we went.

As with all the bids we support, our client’s team proof-read the final drafts to make sure they were 100% happy with them. During the last two days of the tender period, we went into the client’s offices and sat with them collating all of the responses along with the supporting appendices, and uploading them onto the tender portal. This attention to detail helps to avoid last-minute glitches (or the ‘Oh, shit!’ moments as we more commonly know them!)

We are really proud of the result, and so is our client. Together we have secured between five and eight years of sustainable growth and many tens of millions of pounds’ worth of revenue. We’ve not just safeguarded jobs, we’ve opened opportunities for recruitment, training, and development. And we’ve made sure that millions of water customers are getting the very best value.

Talk about a warm fuzzy feeling!