Ask The Expert

Holger is a bid manager and writer, and a personal / team performance coach. He spends most of his time supporting construction clients bidding for civil infrastructure and building projects, but his transferable skills have led to his work in the medical, charity and security arenas also. He works with businesses of all sizes to help them win more work.

Holger’s clients are UK-wide, spanning the whole experience range – those unfamiliar with formal bidding at one end of the spectrum, to those requiring final editing of bid responses at the other. His clients’ bids have ranged in value from £10k to £1.5bn. He operates as a key member of bid teams to help them create submissions that make an impact. Holger does this using his 24 years’ experience of the construction, professional services, and research and development disciplines to create convincing messages.

He became a freelancer in 2013 after being made redundant often enough for his work-winning and presentation skills to have become a central part of his own survival. He finds nearly all his work by being recommended and by being consulted by past clients.

Holger is a qualified coach, but he also mentors and trains to provide a flexible service to meet clients’ different requirements between bids. For example, he coaches in presentation skills to help people become more confident for tender interviews, technical presentations, meetings and conferences.

His research background, combined with his business management training, enables him to propose innovative material to include in clients’ bid responses. Holger keeps an open mind, which means he draws on his own and others’ diverse experiences.

A self-confessed writing geek, Holger has a passion for conveying messages concisely, supported by strong examples and case studies. This is one of the ways in which he increases the impact of his clients’ bids. His background in business development and growing opportunities pipelines during his employed years is a main asset that helps him understand his clients’ bid challenges. As a chartered civil engineer, he understands the practical world of construction.

Holger is a former winner of the Chartered Institute of Building’s Construction Manager of the Year Award, and of the Elsevier Science Publisher’s Prize, both in the Innovation category. He is widely published in journals and in a book on advanced materials.

Outside of work, Holger loves mountain walks, cycling, weight training, and reading thriller novels.