The framework for capture management has been firmly established over the last decade, with formal accreditations launched and methodologies refined. Today you can pursue a career which has capture management at its core rather than as an accessory to bidding. I hadn’t considered at the start of my career that capture was my calling. Then came a very particular day which changed everything.
I heard of an exciting bid imminently coming to market. When I learned we didn’t have a well-established relationship and strong position with the client, I was more disappointed than getting the tape measure in a Christmas cracker. What followed was the usual series of team pressures with hard bidding on the back foot. We won! But the bid was as challenging for everyone involved as wrapping and delivering all your gifts on Christmas Eve. Sound familiar? I realised that capture might have changed this story. And this is where my capture career started.
I liken capture to training for a race. Usain Bolt won his 100 metre races before he touched the start line. He knew his start was his competitive weakness so he trained for that explosive beginning. By the last 10 metres, no one could catch him. He didn’t want to be second and neither do I! Competing without preparation is like auditioning for a festive play without learning your lines or understanding your audience. What is the point in competing if you haven’t put in the hard yards in training to win?
Capture management is not new. Capture Past? It has been around as long as Ebeneezer Scrooge. But capture as a career choice is new. I had earned my proposal management, writer and designer stripes by then, but the excitement and complexity of positioning-to-win really called to me after this experience. Perhaps it was my calling rather than coincidence. A bright star leading the way. Either way, capture management is my Capture Present: a challenging, exciting and highly rewarding career.
As for Capture Future? All I want for Christmas is for others to choose capture, rather than arriving by chance or expecting it to be delivered on a reindeer-drawn sleigh. If you know capture might change your chances of winning great contracts, why not get capture educated in 2025 and add it to your repertoire?
Nicki Dodds
Nicki is one of the UK’s leading practitioners in Capture Management with 20 years’ experience in proposals, work winning and market development. She is also the winner of the inaugural APMP Capture Excellence award. Nicki leads capture planning for strategic pursuits at WSP, focusing on coaching teams to understand client motivations, craft value propositions, and build high-performing, client-focused teams. She shapes winning strategies and delivers award-winning capture and bid training.
