The origins of procurement date to around 3,000 BC when Egyptians were scribing orders for the two million limestone and granite blocks needed to build the Great Pyramid. By the 15th century, the first printing presses were publishing the first rudimentary sales catalogues and price lists. The Continental Congress of 1775, commissioning military supplies in New Jersey, was the first recorded use of advertising to solicit proposals. Napoleon introduced the world’s first formal legal procurement framework. Then in 1980 Margaret Thatcher introduced compulsory competitive tendering across UK civil construction. In short, the practice of writing proposals to win contracts is hardly very new.
Despite this history, proposal writing is perceived as a vocation still in its relative infancy. Compared to accountancy giant Deloitte, about to enjoy its 180th birthday, our nearest equivalents like Shipley (founded in 1972) or Strategic Proposals (1987) are relative whippersnappers. British universities offer over 2000 different courses in accountancy, yet none offer a course in bid writing. The first pre-schooler to earnestly say that “When I grow up, I want to be a bid writer” has most likely not been born. And unlike accountants, we invariably have to fully explain to close friends and family what our job title means.
It’s hard to say exactly why bid writers are such late developers. APMP has made steady headway in establishing itself as a recognised membership body (though it arguably still only counts the minority of practitioners within its number). Our profession has progressively swelled its ranks, the number of UK registered companies offering proposal writing has mushroomed and, let’s be honest, our career remuneration potential is far from shabby.
Perhaps we just need more time to fully mature. Writing is, after all, a highly subjective discipline. It is difficult to truly bottle what good writing practice is, let alone clone it into some sort of career blueprint for future generations. So what does maturity look like?
Personally, I’d like to see an improvement in our collective ability to constructively lobby commissioners and be seen as critical contributors to procurement design. I’d like to see stronger career paths for young people (there are still only three UK providers offering the Level 3 Bid & Proposal Co-ordinator Apprenticeship). I’d like to see a greater standard of transparency for success (because we all say we are great at proposal writing, even though most bids statistically lose). I could go on, but it’s a wish list that is way too long for the permitted word count of this post.
So, what do you think? It’s surely a topic that warrants healthy debate. What do we need to do as a profession to fully fill out and blossom? Over to you!
Jim Carley
Jim Carley is the Business Development Director for Shaw Trust, a national charity providing employability, education, and independence support primarily for people with disabilities and limiting health conditions. He was formerly the Founder and Managing Director of Carley Consult, an award-winning bid consultancy, which he subsequently sold, and has over 25 years’ experience in proposal writing and bid management.
