Written by Louise Carroll, Bid Coordinator, Tender Team [email protected]
The Role of the Bid Manager
It is the role of the Bid Manager, or Bid Coordinator, to smoothly manage a response to ‘Request for Tenders’ (RFT) or ‘Request for Proposals’ (RFP) issued by purchasing authorities and ensure that the solution proposed is complete and appropriate and results in the best proposal possible. Project Management, in other words.
This is a key role in the whole process as it over-arches all other roles; the Bid Manager must assess what information is required, coordinate the response material from all parties involved (including sub-contractors and joint partners), and ensure that the completed submission puts forward the best possible response in terms of completeness, appropriateness and that it demonstrates the best added value options to the purchaser. The Bid Manager must also make sure that deadlines are met as well as manage graphic design and visual presentation of hard copy and digital versions of the response documents.
Outsourcing the Role of the Bid Manager to Tender Team
Whether or not you have an in-house Bid Manager, the right outsourced tender specialist can manage this whole process from start to finish, from deciding whether or not to submit a tender, to getting feedback to understand what you got wrong (or where you went right) after a decision has been made. This can help immeasurably to improve a supplier’s methods and success rates. A visit with an experienced Tender Team consultant can establish fairly quickly how best a supplier can improve their tendering procedures and success rates, and target particular areas they feel are required:-
- Understanding the rules of tendering
- Undertaking a Bid/No Bid exercise to decide whether to make a submission or not
- Understanding the RFT, deciding timelines and responsibilities
- Selling your tender and pricing to win
- Timely management of tender activities
- Review of drafts and effecting improvement
- Methodologies and executive summaries
- Quality control and procedures
- Copy-writing, where appropriate
- Graphic design and presentations
- Obtaining feedback from purchasers when tenders are unsuccessful in order to improve in future
- Help with interviews and corresponding with purchasing authorities
- Give guidance with business and marketing development
- Provide insight and analyses of forthcoming opportunities, purchasers’ mindsets, best practice and dealing with purchasers
If you would like to find out more about our bid management services, please get in touch.
