We all know working on bids and proposals is like being inside a pressure cooker. A successful outcome relies on seamless collaboration and the collective effort of a team that values responsibility and transparency at every stage of the process. Accountability is essential.
To me, accountability means owning your role and delivering on your commitments – especially deadlines! Do you (personally or as a team) agree that no one’s time is more important than anyone else’s? Each task, no matter how small, is part of a larger chain of events. An entire submission might be at risk if one person misses a deadline and either doesn’t communicate their challenges or assumes someone else will compensate and/or do their work for them. Even minor delays can result in a domino effect leading to rushed final reviews, overlooked errors and, ultimately, a submission that falls short of its potential.
Meeting deadlines is a cornerstone of accountability. Everyone (and that includes senior team members or decision makers) should be adhering to agreed timelines. They should also be able to proactively communicate, raising any issues as soon as possible to allow more time for resolutions to be implemented. Because guess what? Silence will ensure nothing gets resolved.
Admitting to mistakes is equally important. Yes, everyone makes mistakes – but not everyone handles them the same way. Please be the person who acknowledges a mistake quickly and openly – not the person who sweeps things under the rug and hopes no one notices. Denying or hiding an error erodes trust and wastes valuable time. Teams that foster a culture of accountability encourage honesty and focus on solutions rather than blame.
So how can you establish or maintain accountability for yourself or your team? You’ll need to reflect on your behaviours and ask:
- Are you consistently meeting deadlines, or are you relying on others to adjust around you?
- Do you communicate effectively, or do you assume people will wait for your work without question?
- Are you acting ethically?
Accountability and ethics are deeply intertwined. Accountability is a mindset that sets the foundation for consistent, high-quality results in every bid and proposal. Ethics ensure you act with integrity and do what’s right even when it’s inconvenient. Ethical accountability ensures fairness, transparency, and respect for the collective effort, especially in a world where cutting corners and prioritising personal gain is becoming the norm.
Together, accountability and ethics build trust, maintain professionalism, contribute to higher quality outcomes and achieve greater success.
Lisa Readman
Lisa is an expert Content Evaluator and APMP Certified Practitioner as well as a highly skilled proofreader and copy editor of bidding, sales and marketing documents. Her bid and proposals career began in 2003 and she established her own business (Readman Writes) in 2018 after 15 years as a Bid Writer, Bid Coordinator and Knowledge Manager.
