When choosing the ‘All I Want for Christmas’ concept for BQ20, I wanted to be mindful that not everyone celebrates, recognises or feels included in this holiday. But it turns out Christmas is almost ubiquitous – only 18 countries* in the world do not mark it in some way.
The proliferation of Bid and Proposal functions makes it feel like we have developed an equally ubiquitous ‘bidding’ profession. Formal procurement is driving an uplift in bidding activity in every corner of the world and BQ now has readers and followers across six continents. But it is worth noting that around 90% of those working in bid and proposal roles aren’t part of any formal professional body. They are precisely the people we want to reach, support and invite on the open-source journey to share insights and guidance.
For me, Christmas is a time for reflection. I find myself yearning for our industry to be more open to new methodologies, practices, technologies and behaviours. By diversifying our knowledgebase, we can learn and develop more quickly as a profession.
And there is so much to look forward to in 2025 to drive that progress! Under our BQ banner, we will deliver the first annual UK National Bid Awards. Our latest UK Salary Survey will launch to gather data on current salary trends, benchmarking (for employers and employees) and the overall state of our industry. Our BQ Research & Development (R&D) hub will be opened, welcoming contributions of professional insights and research from our entire global audience to help foster a collaborative environment for innovation and growth.
So, what do I really want for Christmas? Peace on earth and good tidings for all seems apt if somewhat ambitious. In the bidding context, I would happily settle for a level playing field for our global practitioners. Equal opportunities for one and all. We have to take the entire industry on the journey to better practices to build an open-source, inclusive profession that will ultimately deliver the universal respect we deserve.
BQ20 is absolutely loaded with Christmas crackers and presents galore. With 31 brilliant articles, our panel of experts have once again generously delivered their wisdom and experience to help you develop industry leading knowledge and skills and, ultimately, win more often.
Wishing all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2025.
* Source: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-that-celebrate-christmas
Martin Smith
Martin is passionate about helping clients win new business. With increasingly savvy procurement professionals, more competition and new technology changing the way we bid, it is his job as Managing Director to ensure Bid Solutions provides market leading people, tools, software, training and solutions to help you win more.
