Making An Effective Bid

Many people waste a great deal of time writing bids or tenders that are not successful. Even worse, they may succeed in gaining funding for a project or service where the plans and budgeting are poorly thought through in relation to the implementation or application. That can be a very costly mistake if the funding you gain is insufficient but you are stuck with developing the project or service. "Making an Effective Bid" outlines everything you need to know for writing successful bids and tenders. It is full of tips and advice and introduces ideas for building up contacts, setting up networks, organising potential collaborators and avoiding pitfalls. Examples of successful and not-so-successful bids are included to fully illustrate the concepts. With practice, you should become more adept at writing bids and gaining funds that further your work and career. This book is a vital guide for those in health and social care who are required to, or want to, make a bid or tender for resources - for money, work, staff, equipment, research, educational activities or a new service. It will help you to develop a greater understanding of making successful bids, and go on to compose a bid or tender with the essential ingredients to succeed. "This book is for anyone working in health and social care who is required to, or wants to, make a bid or tender for resources- for money, work, people/staff, equipment etc or research, educational activities or a new service. This will include academics, and health and social care personnel. It will help you to develop a greater understanding of how to make a successful bid, and go on to compose a bid or tender with the right ingredients to succeed. So buying the book and spending time reading it should be a great investment." - Ruth Chambers, in the Preface.

How To Write Bids That Win Business brings together over 30 years of know-how in creating and crafting successful bids for tendered contracts. This book is an invaluable guide for bid managers and bid writing teams. It shows you how to: - create a bid writing strategy that plays to your organisation's strengths - increase your success rate by focusing on bids you are more likely to win - avoid at the outset bidding for contracts you don't want to win - embed robust bid writing management systems that deliver results time after time - ensure you follow the three golden rules for bid writing success Based on extensive research, How To Write Bids That Win Business explains what bid evaluators are really looking for, by deconstructing the questions asked and explaining how to answer them to achieve top scores. Parts I to III guide you through the complete bid creation process, providing the tips, techniques and tactics for maximising your effectiveness at the shortlister interview. In Part IV the book examines the forces shaping the future of bid writing, and outlines the three key factors for success in the years to come. Co-authors Martyn Curley and Stephen Oldbury, co-founders of Bidwriting.com, have advised many UK business-to-business organisations across 35 commercial sectors. David Molian was for many years Director of Cranfield School of Management’s renowned Business Growth Programme and has consulted for numerous companies on developing their brands and growing their businesses. He is a Criticaleye Thought Leader and remains a visiting Fellow at Cranfield. If you are looking to take your organisation’s bidding performance to the next level, improving profitability and morale throughout the business, How To Write Bids That Win Business is the book you need.

Acquire the necessary skills to win business through proposals, bids, tenders, and presentations—this hands-on guide is your partner for success You have in your hands the collected knowledge and skills of the professional proposal writer. Proposal writing is a profession — a growing and increasingly important one and an essential part of a broader group of business development professionals who plan and execute strategies for businesses who want to obtain new customers. Proposal writers have a professional organization — the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) — and their best practices are the foundation for this book. Proposal writing is a skill you can learn, practice, and master; you can even go through a professional certification process to prove your mastery. Writing Business Bids & Proposals For Dummies is your no-nonsense guide to finding out what professional proposal writers know and for applying it to your own business. If you're a small- to medium-size business owner, a first-time proposal writer in a medium-size company, or a sales representative, you know that a written proposal (printed or electronic) is still a common, personal, and effective way to win business. Written in plain English, Writing Business Bids & Proposals For Dummies will help you to: Know the difference between reactive proposals (the RFP or request for proposal) and proactive proposals Focus on the customer by going beyond their requirements to address their true needs Know your competition through research and analysis Write persuasively to develop a winning business proposal Plan and use a repeatable proposal process Incorporate a lessons learned aspect to your proposal process Use tools and templates to accelerate your proposals Motivate and lead your proposal team to ensure they're on the same page Use graphics to enhance your proposals Learn ways to automate your proposal development process And a whole lot more Additionally, you'll gain access to ten templates for building a proposal, find out ten common misconceptions about bids and proposals, and add a compiled list of online resources to your toolset. Grab a copy of Writing Business Bids & Proposals For Dummies to start sharpening your proposal writing skillset.

"The Contractor Fight" is what HGTV host and best-selling author Tom Reber calls the battle between your ears. We all have stories and experiences that have formed us into who we are. We are what we think, and the battleground is our mind. The Fight is not with the people you think are "cheap customers." It's not with the unlicensed competitors or the "illegals," as many contractors think. The Fight is with yourself. Sadly, most of the struggles contractors have are self-imposed. It's friendly fire. The negative ways we think about ourselves and our worth... friendly fire. The growing debt, working too much, small bank account... friendly fire. Winning the Fight is a choice. You're noble and full of integrity. You bend over backward to serve your family and clients. You have taken it on the chin more times than you can count. Now, it's time to get yours. Earn what you're worth. Create a business that serves you and energizes you, instead of one that beats you down. Choose to own your crap and get better today.

"Mastering the Bid: Strategies for Successful Tender Management" is a comprehensive guide designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the competitive world of bid and tender management. In this book, readers will embark on a journey through the intricacies of the bidding process, learning invaluable strategies and techniques to enhance their chances of success. The book begins by demystifying the bid and tender process, providing readers with a clear understanding of its purpose, stakeholders, and key components. From there, it delves into the various stages of tender management, offering practical insights on everything from identifying opportunities and assessing bid requirements to crafting compelling proposals and negotiating contracts. One of the book's standout features is its emphasis on strategic thinking and planning. Readers will learn how to conduct thorough market research, analyze competitor strategies, and tailor their bids to meet the specific needs of potential clients. With a focus on value proposition and differentiation, the book empowers readers to position their bids strategically, maximizing their chances of standing out in a crowded marketplace. Furthermore, "Mastering the Bid" provides guidance on building effective bid teams, fostering collaboration, and leveraging technology to streamline the bidding process. It also addresses common challenges and pitfalls encountered during tender management, offering practical tips and solutions to overcome them. Throughout the book, real-world case studies and examples provide context and illustrate best practices in action. These insights, coupled with actionable advice from industry experts, serve to enrich readers' understanding and enhance their capabilities as bid and tender managers. In summary, "Mastering the Bid: Strategies for Successful Tender Management" is an indispensable resource for professionals seeking to elevate their proficiency in bid and tender management. Whether you're a seasoned practitioner looking to refine your skills or a newcomer seeking guidance, this book offers a wealth of knowledge and practical strategies to help you succeed in the competitive world of tendering.

Submitting a Winning Bid. Guide to making a Construction Bidding with Examples. If the work or service awarded comes from a faulty bid, you have not earned a job; you have earned a complication. For a construction and assembly industry to be financially viable, it must achieve positive economic outcomes in the work or services it provides. When the work or service awarded comes from a faulty offer, the company is unlikely to become profitable. To start a lucrative business, it is essential that the bidder submit a properly evaluated bid in every tendering process or competition. In the book, Winning Bid Submission outlines the steps to get a reliable bid. This manuscript is particularly interesting owners, shareholders and coordinators of tenders construction and industrial assembly contractors or subcontractors, and all members of organizations performing tasks related to the formulation of proposals or tenders in the context of tenders or price competitions. Submitting a Winning Bid. Guidelines to improve the accuracy of your offer with examples. Bidding at prices away from the market average undermines the proponent's business relationship with the customer. When the bidder presents a budget that is too low and has the misfortune of being awarded the work, it will inevitably have to face negative financial results because expenses will exceed revenues. If the bid has a very high value compared to the competition's proposals, it will probably be excluded from price competition. This situation, although less severe than the previous one, has a negative effect on your assets because of the increased expenses. The conclusion is that when we quote, we need to carefully analyze each stage to submit a reliable offer. Submitting a Winning Bid. The purpose of submitting a winning bid is to give the reader a complete and useful guide to support their budgeting. This manuscript details the main aspects to consider at each stage of developing a proposal in order to achieve the desired reliable budget. To quote, it is necessary to have your own experience in construction and industrial assembly and to use emotional intelligence to reconcile criteria with other colleagues or specialists to increase knowledge of what is being cited. Guidelines to Making Construction Bidding with Examples. This guide is based on the exceptional experience of the writer. The author of this book, worked during a large part of his professional life as a manager and construction director, on site, in different chemical process plants, refineries, gas pipelines, compression plants and thermal power plants in the country and abroad, finally created and presided over a construction and assembly company. Throughout his career, he has prepared and examined hundreds of estimates for the refurbishment of industrial plants and new facilities. Decide to apply the suggestions made in this publication, and your economic proposals will no doubt be more precise.

The Winning Bid is an easy-to-read practical guide which will teach the reader how to think like a professional bid manager. It gives essential advice on, amongst other things: PQQs and bid readiness, GIVE analysis, competitor analysis, grantwriting and funding bids best practice, freedom of Information as a research and continual improvement tool, a view from the buyer's side - featuring feedback from buyers on their experiences of being on the receiving end of bids, measuring bid performance over time, virtual team management, sharing bid best practice with other Bid Managers through APMP membership and accreditation, LinkedIn groups, the new Cabinet Office feedback channel. It will appeal to anyone engaged in bidding activity, from the bid novice to professional bid managers.

This fast-paced book walks you through the entire buying and selling life-cycle in just the first chapter. Chapters 2-7 then provide the detailed process inputs, proven tools and techniques, and desired outputs for all three phases and each of the seven key steps which both buyers and sellers must accomplish to achieve business success. Chapters 8, 9, and 10 each provide a thought-provoking discussion of proven effective best practices to improve buying and selling. Each chapter provides best practices in solicitations, bids/proposals, and contracts in a different marketplace. Chapter 8 addresses best practices in the U.S. Federal Government Marketplace. Chapter 9 provides best practices in the U.S. Commercial Marketplace. Finally, Chapter 10 discusses buying and selling best practices in the Multi-National/Global Marketplace. This one-of-a-kind book provides both breadth and depth of practical guidance, which few books have ever delivered. Plus, the authors have included numerous excellent interviews of buying and selling business professionals, from both the U.S. Government and industry. The interviews alone are worth the price of this book. If you are a business professional involved in any aspect of buying or selling products, services, and/or solutions, then this book is a must buy, read, and do!

Managing Bids, Tenders and Proposals shows suppliers and vendors how they can gain competitive advantage by being more effective and productive when pursuing sales opportunities and competing to win new contracts. Suppliers and vendors can also learn how to identify and reduce delivery risk and commercial risk. Responding to requests-for-tenders (RFTs) and requests-for-proposals (RFPs) is frequently a challenging time for the supplier and vendor bid teams. Within tight timeframes, they must finalise their win strategy, determine their delivery plans and create compelling documentation that responds to the customer's questions and requirements. This essential reference work explores what needs to happen when responding to RFTs and RFPs and explains the essential knowledge needed by the bid teams. In clearly written and well-structured chapters, Managing Bids, Tenders and Proposals addresses everything a bid manager or bid team member needs to know. Understanding profit, pricing, value and risk are essential for competitive pricing and profitable business. How customers manage their procurement programmes drives the lifecycle of a sales opportunity. Sales governance based on objective criteria identifies the right opportunities to pursue. Knowing what to look for in RFPs and RFTs helps to structure powerful bid responses. Understanding contracts, finance and business cases protects the commercial position of the supplier or vendor. Mastering these topics makes bid management a complete discipline that places a premium on leadership and managerial skills. Not only are the fundamentals of bid management captured simply and concisely, Managing Bids, Tenders and Proposals also explains how to plan and manage a bid response. Additional chapters define what makes a bid response compelling, as well as how to write and review bid documents to best position your bid, tender or proposal. Managing Bids, Tenders and Proposals introduces the Bid.Win.Deliver Framework, a new and unique approach for responding to sales opportunities. In 16 procedural steps, the Bid.Win.Deliver Framework guides bid teams through the development process from identifying a sales opportunity to developing a compelling and competitive bid response. Any supplier or vendor in any industry that submits bids, proposals and tenders will benefit from adopting the Bid.Win.Deliver Framework. The framework provides a clear roadmap for implementing best-practice bid management at suppliers and vendors in any industry or market. The Bid.Win.Deliver Framework equips any professional with the skills to lead and manage a bid response. For experienced bid managers, the Bid.Win.Deliver Framework provides a common reference for discussion, reflection and professional development.

While it is becoming increasingly common for contracts to be awarded through formal procurement processes, smaller business are missing out. Without the training and confidence needed to write a successful bid or proposal valuable business can be lost. Bid Management is an easy-to-read practical guide which will teach the reader how to think like a professional bid manager. It covers the basics of how to find opportunities, understanding the rules of the game and how to get to know your customer. It also gives essential advice on how to compete with other bidders, present a deliverable and profitable bid, project manage your bid, work out a pricing strategy, clinch the deal and learn from success as well as failure. With an insightful interview with the Director behind the London 2012 Olympic bid, Bid Management uncovers the myths of bidding and teaches all the skills needed to get noticed, retain existing clients and win new ones.