What to Consider When Recruiting a High Performing Bid Team

If you want to win more tenders, you need a strong bid team. A bid team is a group of people who work together to create and submit bids for new contracts. But how do you recruit the right people for your bid team? And how do you make sure they work well together?

In this article, we will explain the different roles in a bid team and the skills they need. We will also give you some tips on how to build a bid team that can deliver winning bids. Finally, we will show you how Thornton & Lowe can help you with your bid recruitment and bid writing needs.

Recruiting Bid Staff

Types of Bid Teams

There are different types of bid teams, depending on the nature and volume of the bids they work on. Each type of bid team has its own benefits and challenges, and requires different skills and roles from its members. Here are the four main types of bid teams:

• A bid team that focuses on long term, key strategic, high value bids. They may spend months on research and capture management, planning and strategically placing the business. This type of bid team needs to have a strong vision, a deep understanding of the client and the market, and a high level of creativity and innovation.
• One that focuses on producing high quality but also high volume bids. They may work on multiple bids at the same time, with tight deadlines and limited resources. This type of bid team needs to have a high level of efficiency, organisation, and consistency, and a good knowledge of the bid software and tools.
• A bid team that is not dedicated but is formed when a key tender opportunity arises. Existing members of the team take on the role of Bid Manager, Bid Director, Bid Writer, or Bid Coordinator, depending on their skills and availability. This type of bid team needs to have a high level of flexibility, adaptability, and collaboration, and a good understanding of the bid process and standards.
• An outsourced bid writing team, which is the core service offered by Thornton & Lowe. Often, the business has a single bid person in-house, for example a Bid Manager or Bid Coordinator, but our team acts as their dedicated and consistent team across bid writing services, which could include managing tender portals, bid administration, finding tenders, and professional bid and tender services. This type of bid team needs to have a high level of expertise, reliability, and quality, and a good relationship with the client and the in-house bid person.

The skills and roles of each bid team member will differ depending on the type of bid team they are part of. It is therefore important when recruiting to also consider this in your experience and how this reflects your business requirements.

In this article, we will explain the different roles in a bid team and the skills they need. We will also give you some tips on how to build a bid team that can deliver winning bids. Finally, we will show you how Thornton & Lowe can help you with your bid recruitment and bid writing needs.

The Roles and Skills of a Bid Team

A bid team typically consists of four main roles: Bid Writer, Bid Manager, Bid Director, and Bid Coordinator. Each role has its own responsibilities and requirements, and they all work together to produce and submit high-quality bids. Let's look at each role in detail and see what skills and experience they need, and how you can find and hire the best candidates for your bid team.

Recruiting a Bid Writer

A Bid Writer is the person who writes the content of your bid. They use their writing skills and industry knowledge to craft a persuasive and professional proposal that meets the client's requirements and showcases your strengths.

A Bid Writer is Responsible For

• Producing persuasive and compelling bid documents that meet the client's requirements and expectations.
• Researching, writing, editing, and proofreading bid content, and ensuring that it is clear, concise, and relevant.
• Working with the bid team, the clients, and other stakeholders, and understanding their needs and expectations.
• Using the bid software and tools, and following the bid process and standards.
• Ensuring that the bid documents are persuasive, consistent, and professional.
• Delivering the bid documents on time and in the correct format.
• Supporting the bid team with post-bid activities, such as debriefing, feedback, and lessons learned.

To be a successful Bid Writer, you will need to have:

• Excellent writing skills in English.
• Good research skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of the sector and the market.
• Teamwork and communication skills.

A Bid Writer may also need to have some technical or specialist knowledge, depending on the type of bid. For example, if you are bidding for a construction project, you may need a Bid Writer who understands engineering or architecture.

If you are looking for a Bid Writer for your bid team, you may face some challenges, such as:

• Finding a Bid Writer who has the right skills, experience, and knowledge for your sector and type of bid.
• Assessing the quality and suitability of the Bid Writer's work and portfolio.
• Competing with other organisations who are also looking for Bid Writers.
• Managing the quality of the bids they produce and quality assurance.

We have a dedicated bid recruitment agency, Bid Resource, that specialises in finding and hiring the best talent for your bid team and our own in-house bid team here at Thornton & Lowe. We have a large network of Bid Writers who have the experience and knowledge of various sectors and types of bids. We can provide you with the best candidates for your bid team and ensure that they meet your requirements and expectations. For a freelance bid writer vs, a permanent member of your team, there is a good chance you will want very different people, and this is also an area we support our customers with.

Some Killer Interview Questions for a Bid Writer

• Describe how you produce a winning bid, and what key techniques you use? Include a recent example and the impact your role had
• How do you research, write, edit, and proofread bid content, and what are the key sources and resources that you use?
• Have you experience of using bid software and tools, and what are the key features and functions that you use?

Recruiting a Bid Manager

A Bid Manager is the person who oversees the whole bid process. They are responsible for planning, organising, and managing the bid team and the bid activities. They also liaise with the client and other stakeholders, and ensure that the bid is compliant, competitive, and delivered on time.

A Bid Manager is responsible for

• Planning, organising, and delivering high-quality bids that meet the client's requirements and expectations.
• Managing the bid team, assigning tasks, monitoring progress, and ensuring compliance with the bid process and standards.
• Liaising with the Bid Director, the clients, and other stakeholders, and providing regular reports and feedback on the bid performance.
• Coordinating and facilitating bid meetings, workshops, and presentations.
• Bid reviews and editing bid documents, ensuring that they are persuasive, compelling, and error-free.
• Submitting the bid documents on time and in the correct format.
• Following up with the clients and conducting post-bid activities, such as debriefing, feedback, and lessons learned.

To be a successful Bid Manager, you will need to have:

• Strategic vision and analytical thinking.
• Leadership and management skills.
• Project management and organisation skills.
• Problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Negotiation and persuasion skills.
• Experience in bid writing and bid management.

A Bid Manager may also need to have some technical or specialist knowledge, depending on the type of bid. For example, if you are bidding for a healthcare tenders, you may need a Bid Manager who understands the NHS and the healthcare sector.

If you are looking for a Bid Manager for your bid team, you may face some challenges, such as:

• Shortage of good ones! There is a shortage of bid managers in the UK.
• Assessing the leadership and management abilities of the Bid Manager or sense checking what they say in an interview is accurate.
• Competing with other organisations who are also looking for Bid Managers, with increasingly competitive packages.

At Thornton & Lowe, we provide you freelance bid managers, work as your specialist bid recruitment agency to help you find the best candidates for your bid team, or you can use our in-house bid writing services. Or a combination of all 3 bid support options.

Useful Interview Questions for a Bid Manager

• What does it take to create a winning bid? What variables are at play and how do you overcome any associated challenges? Can you provide a recent example?
• How do you plan, organise, and deliver a bid project, and what are the key steps and tools that you use?
• How do you manage and collaborate with your bid team, and what are the key challenges and risks that you face and mitigate? Do you have an example of how you have developed a more junior member of your bid team and how you achieved this?
• Describe your experience of creating a bid library and bidding templates?

Recruiting a Bid Director

A Bid Director is the person who leads and oversees the bid function in an organisation. They are responsible for developing and implementing the bid strategy, planning, policies, and processes. They also manage the bid budget, resources, and performance. They are the ultimate authority for approving and submitting bids.

A Bid Director is responsible for

• Setting the overall direction and vision for the bid function and aligning it with the organisation's goals and values.
• Overseeing the tender process and ensuring that it is consistent, efficient, and compliant with the client's requirements and expectations.
• Leading and managing the bid team, including hiring, training, bid mentoring, and evaluating bid staff.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, such as senior management, bid partners, suppliers, and clients.
• Developing and implementing bid best practices, policies, and procedures.
• Managing the bid budget and resources.
• Monitoring and evaluating the bid performance and outcomes, and identifying areas for improvement and innovation.

To be a high-performing Bid Director, you will need to have:

• Strategic vision and business acumen.
• Leadership and management skills.
• Stakeholder management and relationship building skills.
• Risk management and governance skills.
• Innovation and creativity skills.
• Extensive experience in bid management, bid writing and often procurement.

A Bid Director may also need to have some technical or specialist knowledge, depending on the type of bid. For example, if you are bidding for a technology tender, you may need a Bid Director who understands the IT and digital sector.

If you are looking for a Bid Director for your bid team, you may face some challenges, such as:

• Finding a Bid Director who has the right skills, experience, and knowledge for your sector and type of bid. If you have an existing bid team and you are recruiting externally, you will need to ensure a good fit. We would always consider promoting from within, which demonstrates your commitment to your team and the opportunity for progression. In turn this increases retention rates in your bid team, which allows time to become both efficient and high performing.
• Assessing the strategic vision and business acumen of the Bid Director.
• Competing with other organisations who are also looking for Bid Directors.

Interview Questions for a Bid Director

• How do you develop and communicate the bid strategy and vision for your organisation? Can you quantify the impact you have been able to have by doing this elsewhere?

• Describe your understanding of our market and where you think we sit within it? How would you use our position as a strength for work winning?
• How do you manage and motivate your bid team, and what are the key skills and competencies that you look for when hiring bid staff?
• How do you measure and improve the bid performance and outcomes, and what are some of the bid best practices, policies, and procedures that you have implemented or followed?

Recruiting a Bid Coordinator

A Bid Coordinator is the person who supports the bid team and the bid process. They are responsible for coordinating and producing the bid documents, such as proposals, presentations, and graphics. They also maintain the tender library, track the bid progress, and communicate with the bid team and the client.

A Bid Coordinator is Responsible for

• Supporting the bid team with administrative and operational tasks, such as tender searches, bid preparation, document formatting, bid submission, and post-bid activities.
• Maintaining the bid database, calendar, and records, and ensuring accuracy and consistency of the bid information and documents.
• Assisting with researching, writing, editing, and proofreading bid content, and ensuring that it is clear, concise, and relevant.
• Communicating with the bid team, the clients, and other stakeholders, and providing updates and information as required.
• Participating in bid meetings, workshops, and presentations, and taking notes and minutes.
• Identifying and resolving any issues or queries related to the bid process and documents.

To be a successful Bid Coordinator, you will need to have:

• Good writing and editing skills.
• Good IT and design skills.
• Good organisation and time management skills.
• Good communication and teamwork skills.
• Attention to detail and quality.
• Experience in bid coordination or administration.

Interview Questions for a Bid Coordinator

• How would you support the bid team with administrative and operational tasks, and what are the key tools and systems that you used in the past?
• What is your experience of maintaining a bid library and what are the key methods and procedures that you follow?
• Describe your approach to research and provide an example of information you have been able to find which has been useful for the bid?

Creating a Bid Team with a Focus on Winning Tenders

Once you have recruited the right people for your bid team, you need to make sure they work well together and focus on winning tenders. We find that it is important to:

• Define clear roles and responsibilities for each team member and communicate them clearly.
• Set realistic and measurable goals and objectives for each bid or ITT and monitor them regularly.
• Establish a clear and efficient bid process and follow it consistently.
• Use the best tools and technology to support your bid process, such as bid software, templates, and graphics software.
• Provide regular training and development opportunities for your bid team to enhance their skills and knowledge.
• Encourage collaboration and communication among your bid team and with other stakeholders. By working across your senior management, technical and sales and marketing teams, your bid team will produce a higher return on investment by writing better tender answers.
• Recognise and reward the achievements and contributions of your bid team.
• Seek feedback and learn from your successes and failures.

How Thornton & Lowe Can Help You with Your Bid Recruitment and Bid Writing Needs

At Thornton & Lowe, we are in bid writing, we employ one of the largest bid teams in the UK, which also makes us pretty good when it comes to recruiting bid professionals. We can help you overcome the challenges of recruiting a bid team and provide you with the best solutions for your bid needs. We can help you with:

• Finding and hiring the best talent for your bid team, whether you need a Bid Writer, a Bid Manager, a Bid Director, or a Bid Coordinator. We have a dedicated bid recruitment division, Bid Resource, that specialises in finding and hiring the best talent for your bid team. We have a large network of bid professionals and a proven track record of attracting winning talent for your bid team. This includes freelance and permanent roles.

• Providing additional bid writing support for your team, whether you need tender searches, bid administration, or bid writing services. We can provide you with flexible and scalable solutions to meet your bid needs. We can help you cope with the peaks and troughs of capacity and ensure continuity and quality of your bid process.

• Recruiting and training a trainee or junior bid writer for your bid team. We can provide them with bid mentoring, quality assurance, and ongoing support. This can help you achieve value for money and start to develop your in-house capacity.

We have a proven track record of helping our clients win more tenders and grow their business. We are passionate about bid writing and bid management, and we are committed to delivering the best results for our clients.

If you are interested in our bid recruitment and bid writing services, please contact us today. We would love to hear from you and help you with your bid needs – hello@thorntonandlowe.com - 01204 238046

Induction Training for your Bid Team

When you hire a new member for your bid team, you want to make sure they have a positive and productive start. That's why you need a well-designed induction training and process that covers all the essential aspects of your bid business.

An induction training and process is a way of introducing your new hire to your bid team, your company culture, your bid process, and your expectations. It also helps them acquire the skills and knowledge they need to perform their role effectively. With the nature of bidding too often a new bid writer, for example, is recruited in the middle of ‘madness’ and misses this vital stage, which allows them to perform better and increases retention rates.

How do you create a successful induction training and process for your bid team?

• Create a comprehensive induction checklist that covers all the topics and tasks you want to cover with your new hire, such as bid strategy, bid writing, bid management, bid tools, bid compliance, and bid evaluation.
• Include practical and interactive training sessions that allow your new hire to learn by doing, such as writing a section of a bid or reviewing a tender response.
• Systematically introduce your new member of the team to your bid team and other key stakeholders they will work with, such as clients, suppliers, or partners. Encourage them to build rapport and trust with their colleagues and seek feedback and support. They need to know who to contact, for what and when!
• Explain your company's vision, mission, values, and goals, and how your bid team contributes to them. Show them how their specific role aligns with the company's objectives and what success looks like for them.
• Collect feedback from your new starter and your bid team on the induction training and process, and use it to continually improve and refine it. Make sure you follow up with the new member of staff regularly and provide them with ongoing coaching and mentoring. The quality assurance process can often be a key tool in training and developing new members of your bid team, while they also support live projects.

‍You can create a great induction training programme for your bid team that will help your new members of the team feel welcome, confident, and motivated. This will result in a more effective and efficient bid team that can deliver winning bids for your company.

Bid Writing Training Plan and Competency Framework

A bid team training plan and a competency framework are essential tools when building a bid team. When recruiting a new bid writer, for example, a good training plan and competency framework will be tailored to the specific needs and abilities of the writer. Here is an example of a training plan and competency framework for a new bid writer, which you can adjust according to your own situation and preferences.

The training plan should cover the following aspects of bidding:

• The new bid writer should learn about your company's bid standards, templates, and processes, and how to apply them to different bids. They should also understand your company's culture, mission, values, and behaviours, and how they relate to bidding.
• They should gain an overview of the different industries and sectors that your company bids for, and the key challenges and opportunities that they face in each. They should also learn how to conduct effective research and analysis of new areas, sectors or ‘client types’ you are interested in.
• Developing their bid writing skills, such as storyboarding, gap analysis, compliance, structure, style, tone, and language. Many businesses use our bid writing courses as part of their induction training for their new bid team members to ensure consistency. They should also learn how to use your company's tender library and other resources to produce high-quality and consistent content.
• They should learn how to manage bid projects effectively, such as setting up the team, defining roles and responsibilities, creating and following a bid project plan, meeting deadlines, and managing risks and issues.
• The new bid writer should learn how to use your company's bid design and formatting standards and tools, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, to create visually appealing and clear bids that reflect both yours and the client's branding.

The training plan should also include the following elements:

• The bid writer should attend tendering workshops, or bid writing CPD sessions on the key aspects of bidding, delivered by experienced bid writers, managers, or trainers. These sessions should provide an overview of the topics, as well as practical examples and exercises.
• Working with or shadowing experienced bid writers on live tenders and frameworks, will help them to gain insight into the bidding process and further understand the theory in practice.
• The new bid writer should work on live bid projects, starting with smaller sections or a smaller role or simpler bids, and gradually increasing their role and moving to larger and more complex bids.
• Continued assessment and review of their drafts, performance and progress, based on the bid competency framework. This should help them to identify their strengths and areas for improvement, while setting goals for further development.

In this case, the bid writing competency framework should be based on the following principles:

• The actual requirements and expectations of the bid writer role, and the specific needs and preferences of your company and clients.
• Use clear and concise language, and avoid jargon and ambiguity. It should also provide examples and evidence of the expected skills and knowledge.
• Ensure consistency with your company's bid standards and processes, values and behaviours.

This framework will differ depending on the experience and level at which they are recruited. If we were to classify the types of bid writers, you could recruit and expectations when it comes to their levels of skills and knowledge:

• Foundation: The bid writer has a basic understanding and awareness of the key aspects of bidding, and can apply them to simple and straightforward bids, with supervision and guidance. 1 year or less bid writing experience.
• Intermediate: They have a good understanding and application of the key aspects of bidding and can apply them to moderately complex and varied bids, with some guidance. 2 to 5 years' experience.
• Advanced: The bid writer has a comprehensive understanding and mastery of the key aspects of bidding, and can apply them across multiple bids and sector, with minimal or no supervision and guidance. 5 years + experience.

Here is an example timeline of how the training plan and competency framework could be applied over six months to monitor the progress of a new bid writer, which you have recruited:

Throughout the entire six-month period, the new bid writer should engage in continuous learning, attend relevant training sessions, and engage with their mentors and experienced colleagues. Regular feedback sessions, open communication, and transparency are essential for success in their role. Remember this is only an example of how a high performing bid writer would develop if recruited into your business.

Bid Team KPIs & Performance

Whether you have a bid team of one, a large team or outsource your bid writing you need to measure their success in order to both understand your win rate and continually challenge, develop and improve the team. This will help you win more contracts and grow your business. To do this, you need to use data and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

What are Bidding KPIs?

Bidding KPIs are numbers that show how well you are doing in important areas. They help you track and assess your performance. They help you make better decisions and achieve your goals. There are many KPIs you can use for your bids and proposals, and you need to choose the ones that matter most for your business and your bid team.

Which KPIs should you use?

Here are some of the most important KPIs for your bid team:

1. Win rates: How many bids are you submitting? How many do you win? At Thornton & Lowe we think it’s important to monitor this based on the same criteria used in your bid no bid strategy.
2. Proposal volume and turnaround time: How efficient are you as a bid team? This needs to be considered and compared against win rates, values and the complexity of the bid.
3. Cost of bid writing: This is the money and resources you spend on creating a proposal. It shows how well you manage your budget and resources.
4. Quality score: This is the score you get for your tender submission, usually for public sector tenders and frameworks. It shows how well you meet their needs and expectations.
5. Customer satisfaction: This is the feedback you get from your other teams who work in collaboration with the bid team. It shows how happy they are with your service and how likely they are to work with you again. Take a look at our bid service testimonials as evidence of our customer satisfaction.

You need to have clear metrics in place when you hire a bid team or a single bid writer or bid manager. This will help you set expectations for the role and measure their performance. A bid team can be a costly investment, so you need to know what you are getting for your money.

How to Manage your Bid Team's Performance

Managing your bid team's performance is not just about numbers. It is also about people. You need to motivate and develop your bid writers and coordinators. You need to align your bid activities with your organisational goals. Some key tools and processes we use include:

• SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. You need to set SMART goals for your bid team that are aligned with your business objectives and strategy. You also need to communicate these goals clearly and regularly to your bid team.
• See the Bid Team KPIs above, which need to be monitored regularly ensuring you celebrate their successes.
• To win tenders consistently you need to have the best team possible, and this means investing in them and their skills and knowledge.
• Accountability is key! You need to trust and respect your bid team. You need to empower them to make decisions and take ownership of their work.
• Create a positive and supportive culture for your bid team. You need to make your bid team feel valued and appreciated by monitoring workloads closely, providing opportunities for career development and as part of the quality assurance process ensuring it is challenging but also productive.

Procurement Legislation and Changes to Bid Team Requirements

Another important aspect of bid writing is to be aware of the procurement legislation and regulations that govern the public sector tendering process. These rules aim to ensure fair competition, transparency, accountability, and value for money for the taxpayers. However, they also pose some challenges and opportunities for bid writers and bid teams.

One of the recent trends in public sector procurement is the higher use of frameworks, which are pre-approved lists of suppliers that can provide goods or services under specific terms and conditions. Frameworks can reduce the time and cost of tendering, as well as ensure compliance with the relevant laws and standards. The Procurement Act is creating additional changes, such as a reduction in direct awards, from frameworks, which are contracts awarded without a competitive process. Direct awards can be justified in certain circumstances, such as urgency, exclusivity, or low value. However, due to the increased transparency and reporting requirements, and the public scrutiny of public spending, direct awards will become less frequent and harder to obtain. This means that bid writers must prepare more bids and face more competition (mini competitions or call-offs).

A third challenge is the increased level and requirements for preliminary market engagement (PME), which involve consulting with potential suppliers and gathering information about the market conditions, needs, and solutions before launching a tender. Supplier engagement and market testing can help public sector buyers to design better specifications, evaluate proposals, and negotiate contracts. However, they also mean that bid teams are likely to be expected to invest more time and resources into this process and formally building relationships, providing feedback, and demonstrating their capabilities and value propositions, through this formal PME process.

A fourth challenge is the higher level of post-tender negotiation and flexibility, which allow public sector buyers to question, challenge and change their requirements and ask for updated tender pricing. This can help to achieve better outcomes, address changing needs, and resolve issues. However, bid teams must be prepared to adapt to changing expectations, provide additional information or evidence, and redevelop their proposals or tender responses.

All these challenges imply that the future of bid writing and bid teams will be an increased workload and a broader set of skills. Therefore, planning your future bid team recruitment requirements is key.

Thornton & Lowe can advise and support you in this process, whether providing additional bid writing or bid management capacity, or guiding, advising, recruiting, and training your future bid team! We have extensive experience and expertise in public sector procurement, and we can help you to achieve the best results in this competitive and complex environment. Contact us today to find out how we can assist you.