William Wordsworth wrote “Heaven lies about us in our infancy,” evoking images of youthful creativity fading with maturity. While he wasn’t thinking about bidding, his depiction of youthful vigour constrained by “Shades of the prison house” mirrors our industry. The innovations that birthed Magna Carta, double-entry bookkeeping, law and accountancy have since solidified into structured, institutionalised practices. While tradition ensures credibility and consistency, rigid adherence can stifle fresh thinking and dynamism amidst rapidly changing environments.
The bidding consultancy industry now stands at a crossroads. Rapidly growing and still youthful, it exudes the energy and flexibility necessary to adapt to shifting client needs. AI advancements, in particular, have turned traditional methods on their head. While bidding consultants naturally look to established frameworks to ensure predictable outcomes, there’s a danger in codifying best practices too soon.
The impulse to formalise best practice and thus better serve our clients is certainly the right one. Initiatives like PAS360 serve to drive the industry onwards by defining and recognising the methods and structures that produce the best results. However, to rush toward rigid professionalisation – before fully grasping how AI and other disruptive forces promise to reshape our field – would be to risk baking in inefficiencies or, worse, stifling the very creativity that keeps us sharp. Our work centres upon meeting the requirements of procurement authorities, whilst understanding and articulating our clients’ strengths. We provide fresh perspectives, identify strengths and meet specific challenges with specific solutions.
Clients value consistency and clear standards; they want to see a logical approach rather than improvisation for its own sake. Maturing constructively calls for a balanced approach, producing a set of institutions and standards that are grounded in experience, but are flexible enough to interrogate, integrate, and embrace emerging technologies.
As with a child’s endless curiosity, our industry’s openness to new ideas can be a powerful asset. It allows us to spot unconventional solutions and pivot quickly – qualities that mature sectors and established companies sometimes lack. Yet this same dynamism can be lost if we impose overly stringent structures too early. In Wordsworth’s words, those “Shades of the prison house begin to close, Upon the growing Boy”, confine our options and limit our ability to innovate.
True maturity in bidding will come when we combine the best of both worlds: the reliability and authority that foster client confidence alongside the inventiveness that drives meaningful change. Again to Wordsworth, by remembering that “the child is father of the man,”* we keep in mind the “heaven” of our infancy while evolving toward the clarity and accountability that befit a profession in its prime.
* https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45536/ode-intimations-of-immortality-from-recollections-of-early-childhood
Jesse Morgan
Jesse founded Hillhouse Morgan to help transform his clients’ expertise into successful proposals. He has spent the last two decades helping clients win more bids in infrastructure, medicine and energy. He has authored several books and has an extensive background in consulting, communications and journalism. Jesse is also a trained lawyer, allowing him to help clients navigate procurement’s complex legal landscapes.
