If you're a bid manager, work in bid management, or want to recruit a bid manager, you need to keep up with the latest developments in this fast-changing field. Bid management is all about winning tenders and formal contracts, and that means you have to adapt to new technologies, regulations, and expectations. At Thornton & Lowe, we're a bid management consultancy that helps businesses like yours to excel in public sector tenders. We offer advice, direct support (outsourced bid management), recruitment services for freelance and permanent bid managers, and training to help you achieve the best results. In this article, we'll share some of the key trends and tips you need to know to succeed in bid management.
What's New in Bid Management and Recruitment?
1. Bid Managers Are in High Demand
More and more businesses are looking for bid managers who can write winning proposals and deal with the complexities of public procurement. At Thornton & Lowe, we've seen a surge in demand for bid management professionals, across interim and permanent roles, especially in industries that often bid for public sector contracts. If you want to succeed in this competitive market, you need to have a skilled bid manager on your team. Bid management roles differ from being focused more on hand-on bid writing and management, through to complete tender management.
2. Bid Managers Need a Range of Skills
The role of the bid manager is not just about writing proposals. It's also about managing projects, overseeing finances, and developing business relationships. Bid managers have to juggle these tasks while creating compelling bids. Via Bid Resource, our bid recruitment agency, we advise businesses to look for candidates who have both industry knowledge and bid management expertise.
How to Use Technology to Improve Your Bid Management?
Technology is changing the way bid managers work, offering tools that make their jobs easier and more efficient. We encourage businesses to use these technologies and any tools which can enhance their bid management process:
1. AI and Automation
AI and automation can help bid managers with tasks like finding tender opportunities and generating responses based on previous bids. These tools can improve decision-making and accuracy, letting bid teams focus on the strategic aspects of their proposals.
2. Collaboration Tools
Many bid teams now work remotely or in hybrid settings, which means they need digital tools to stay connected. Tools like Microsoft Teams and cloud-based document management systems can help bid teams communicate, coordinate during the bid process and ensure effective tender management.
3. Data-Driven Insights
Data analytics can provide bid managers with insights into their competitors, their performance, and the market trends. These insights can help bid teams refine their strategies and increase their chances of winning competitive tenders.
How to Stay on Top of Procurement Legislation and Requirements?
Procurement legislation and regulations are constantly changing, affecting how public sector tenders are run. It's vital that bid teams stay informed about these changes to remain competitive.
1. Higher Use of Frameworks
Frameworks are lists of suppliers who have been pre-approved to provide goods or services under certain terms and conditions. Frameworks can make the procurement process faster and cheaper, while ensuring compliance with the rules. At Thornton & Lowe, we help businesses get on frameworks and maximise their chances of being chosen for contracts.
2. Reduction in Direct Awards
The new Procurement Act is making direct awards (contracts awarded without competition) less frequent and harder to get. Direct awards can only be justified in some situations, like urgency, exclusivity, or low value. Because of the increased transparency and reporting requirements, bid teams will have to prepare more competitive bids and face more competition.
3. Increased Preliminary Market Engagement (PME)
PME is when public sector buyers consult with potential suppliers and gather information about the market before launching tenders. PME can help buyers design better specifications, evaluate proposals, and negotiate contracts. However, it also means that bid teams have to invest more time and resources in building relationships, providing feedback, and showing their capabilities and value propositions.
4. Post-Tender Negotiation Flexibility
Post-tender negotiations are becoming more common, allowing public sector buyers to change their requirements and ask for updated pricing. This can help achieve better outcomes, address changing needs, and resolve issues. However, bid teams have to be ready to adapt, provide more information or evidence, and rework their proposals when needed.
These changes mean that bid managers or bid management teams will have more work and need more skills to stay competitive. At Thornton & Lowe, we can help you plan your bid recruitment and training strategies to meet these challenges.
How to Manage Remote Work in Bid Management?
Remote work has become more common in bid management, bringing both benefits and challenges. At Thornton & Lowe, our bid management team is a mix of remote, hybrid and full time office based bid managers, coordinators and writers. We've observed the following impacts of remote work on bid management:
1. Flexibility and Focus
Working remotely can give bid managers more flexibility and a quieter environment, which can help them focus on writing detailed proposals. This can lead to higher productivity and job satisfaction.
2. Communication Barriers
However, working remotely can also create communication barriers, especially when dealing with multiple stakeholders across different departments. Clear protocols and the use of collaboration tools are essential to keep everyone on the same page about the goals and deadlines. When training and developing a new bid team, 'face to face' time is important, so if your goal is recruit a high performing bid team, rather than a single bid manager, this should be considered carefully when shortlisting your candidates.
3. Wider Talent Pool
Remote work has also opened up the talent pool for bid management roles, allowing businesses to recruit professionals from different locations. This has always been a challenge for us but with the ability to recruit on attitude and ability, rather than location has enabled us to grow our team faster, while still ensuring controls are in place to manage quality and support the remote working bid managers we directly employ.
Want to speak to our Bid Recruit Experts?
See our Bid Resource DivisionHow to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in Bid Manager Recruitment?
Diversity and inclusion (D&I) are crucial for the success of bid teams, as they can bring more innovation and quality to the proposals. At Thornton & Lowe, we're committed to promoting D&I in bid manager recruitment and we offer tailored advice to help you build diverse and inclusive teams. We are Founding Members of Neurodiversity in Business, Proud Members of the Association of Mental Health First Aiders and a Disability Confident Employer.
1. Inclusive Hiring Practices
We encourage businesses to adopt inclusive hiring practices that are open to the benefits of all candidates. By widening your recruitment efforts and eliminating bias, you can benefit from a wider range of perspectives in your bid team.
2. Building an Inclusive Workplace
We also offer support in creating an inclusive workplace culture, where all team members feel valued and empowered to contribute to the bid process. We can help you foster an environment of trust, respect, and collaboration in your team.
What Skills Do Bid Managers Need for the Future?
As the bid management profession continues to evolve, the skills required for success are also changing. At Thornton & Lowe, we highlight the following skills that bid managers should focus on developing:
1. Digital Literacy
Bid managers need to be proficient in using AI-powered bid software, data analytics tools, and digital collaboration platforms. These skills are becoming more important as technology shapes the bid management process.
2. Strategic Thinking
Bid managers also need to contribute to their company's overall business strategy. Strong strategic thinking skills will help them align their bids with the long-term goals of the organisation.
3. Advanced Project Management
Project management skills are still essential, with a growing focus on methodologies like Agile and PRINCE2. We offer training to help bid managers improve their project management skills and lead successful bid teams. This is also linked for a drive for efficiency, as well as continuous improvement. Bid templates and library systems becoming expected to save time and allow time to be focused on adding value.
4. Adaptability and Resilience
With public sector procurement becoming more flexible and dynamic, bid managers need to be adaptable and resilient, able to respond to changing requirements and navigate complex tender situations. We provide support to help bid managers stay agile in this fast-paced field.
By keeping up with trends, using technology, and developing skills, businesses and bid managers can position themselves for success in the evolving world of bid management. At Thornton & Lowe, we're here to help you through every step of the process, offering expert advice, support, recruitment, and training to ensure your team is ready to win public sector tenders. Contact us today to find out how we can help you succeed.
While it's not always the case, in most businesses a bid manager will still either lead on bid writing or support and guide the quality of written tender responses.
