How I Work

Win more tenders.

So what do you get when you work with me? (The answer is in the headline.)

When you work with me you can expect:

A higher tender win-rate. Although I can’t guarantee you will win every bid, if you apply my seven principles of winning tenders, over time your win-rate will go up. You will systematically win a higher proportion of the contracts you bid for. In management-speak, your tendering will become more cost-effective; in everyday (US) speech, you’ll get more bangs for your bucks

To make more money. Tendering more efficiently (and this includes not pursuing lost causes) will result in your winning more contracts with lower ‘opportunity cost’. In other words, your existing clients and services won’t suffer from resources being diverted to a tender you may or may not win. And you'll bid for the right kinds of contract: contracts that will boost your bottom-line, rather than deplete it.

To work the proposal process to your advantage. You can’t win if you don’t understand the process. Working with your bid team, we can demystify the process by breaking it down into successive steps. You’ll see how they all hang together, and how one step builds on the success of the previous. In the private sector particularly, tenders are not a document so much as a competitive influencing campaign. Part of the key to unlocking private sector bids is knowing how to influence the decision-makers and position yourself in a good light so that they vote for you.

A path through the public sector procurement process. Many people are put off bidding for public contracts by the onerous processes and bewildering language: ITT, EoI, RFP, PQQ, OGC, balanced scorecard, restricted procedure, competitive dialogue (see my jargon-busting Glossary). Completing a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) for the first time is stressful, time-consuming and easy to get wrong. Let me guide you through the minefield of public sector procurement. And I can help you assemble a war-chest of key documents, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time you tender for a public contract.

To learn how to write more compelling bid documents. Most proposals are dull, uninspired, uninspiring, poorly structured and riddled with buzz-words and management-speak. Documents like this are death sentences to the reader and the bid. You’ll learn how to write powerful, clear and concise bid documents that the client will actually enjoy reading. That positive perception — allied to crystal-clear benefits — will help you either win the bid or get you short-listed for the presentation (or 'pitch').

To learn how to prepare and deliver a winning presentation. Once you’re invited to the ‘beauty parade’ (not all tenders have one, but many do), you need to produce a winning performance on the day. It’s not about charismatic presenters, whizzy graphics or clever slides. It’s about each member of the presenting team knowing their stuff inside out, having confidence in their expertise, and trusting each other. I can help you weld a group of stroppy partners or managers into a team that carries the day.

My approach to winning tenders is based on these beliefs:

Winning tenders takes energy. Often part of my job as a consultant is to energise and re-charge a flagging bid or bid team. Maybe they’ve run out of steam. But half-measures and low energy levels don’t impress clients. Besides injecting new ideas and impetus into a bid, I remind clients that winning is exciting. We all know tenders are hard work, but focusing on the excitement is a great way of engaging the team and making the process more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Winning tenders takes commitment. If you expect to win tenders by dabbling, think again. Most tenders demand high (sometimes extraordinary) levels of management attention, resources and commitment. They’re also awarded on marginal differences. If you’re not prepared to do what it takes to win, don’t bid. Over-dependence on me is a bad thing. If you need to come back to me every time you bid, I haven’t transferred much learning to you. My aim is to share best practice with you and your team so that eventually you can run on your own. That way you’re more likely to refer me to other potential clients with a glowing testimonial. I want you to become a raving fan.

Why me?

There are many procurement and tender consultants out there. What makes me special? Why should you hire me?

With my help, you will achieve measurable improvements in your win-rates. For instance, I helped a global professional services firm double its win-rate in 18 months. And because I believe in my ability, with long-term clients I often link part of my fees to results. So I only get my full fee if they win the contract.

My approach works because it's based on extensive experience and research on more than 90 major tenders across a raft of industries. I'm not only good at producing winning bid documents, but also at analysing the ITT, helping the bid leader select the team, preparing meetings with client decision-makers, coaching the team for the presentation, and conducting post-proposal research. I know what wins tenders and what doesn't and have distilled that insight into the seven principles above. These are core to virtually any tender, regardless of contract value or sector.

I train clients quickly in tenders best practice. Because I’m a trainer as well as a consultant and used to dealing with diverse groups of people, I can transfer the core principles easily. Clients ‘get it’ fast (as you can see from their testimonials). So whether it’s busy partners in a law firm or middle managers in a recruitment agency feeling pressured to get results quickly, I can work with them and help them to win tenders more efficiently, with less stress, less conflict and lower opportunity cost.

Now that you have a better idea of the results you can expect if you work with me and how I might work with you, next go to the Products & Services page to learn about the specific services and programmes I offer.