Over the past 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of supporting hundreds of clients on bids of every shape and size, on all continents: major IT outsourcing and infrastructure deals, professional services proposals, fighter aircraft bids, lottery licenses, and even a mobile licence submission for the Solomon Islands. This has given me a rare insight into the bidding world. My mission as an external service provider has always been to contribute – not just transactionally, but strategically. Along the way, I’ve developed a pretty solid sense of where the real levers lie.
If I could offer just one piece of advice to the key decision makers of most organisations, it would be this: “Elevate bid and proposal management to a truly strategic level.”
Yet in most companies, bid management is still treated as a tactical, back-office function. The result? Missed opportunities and mediocre outcomes. For example, top executives rarely take ownership of the actual bid documents. They’ll sign off the solution or the business case, but not the very document that lands on the client’s desk! It’s as if they’ve forgotten that a bid is, at its core, a sales document – critical for winning new contracts and growing the business.
So, what does it mean to position bid management strategically? Hint: it’s not about redefining the bid process for the 31st time or buying the latest proposal software (even with all the AI hype).
Hire and retain top talent
- Bring (or develop) high-calibre bid and proposal professionals and compensate them accordingly
- Position bid managers as trusted advisors, not just coordinators
Establish executive sponsorship
- Assign a senior leader (C-level or equivalent) to own bid management as a strategic function
- Ensure bid decisions do not represent a “shoot at everything that moves” approach
Invest in resources and infrastructure
- Provide sufficient budgets, tools, and support functions (graphics, pricing, legal, SMEs)
- Focus on capabilities and provide training! And not just one day a year. It’s about skills, not just knowledge or technology.
Implement robust governance
- Define clear go/no-go criteria to avoid wasting resources on low-chance bids
- Establish regular executive reviews of both the bid pipeline and submitted proposals
Build a culture of continuous improvement
- Collect and analyse win/loss data to refine strategy
- Share lessons learned across the organisation to raise overall proposal quality
Foster cross-functional collaboration
- Involve sales, delivery, finance, and operations early in the bid process
- Break down silos so proposals reflect the best the company can offer
I know a few companies that have taken this strategic approach, and yes, they’ve seen order entries soar as a result.
In short: stop treating bids less like your admin function and more as your growth engine.
Christopher Kälin
Chris is a global authority on bid and proposal management. He was co-founder and chairman of the Germanspeaking APMP chapter and regional director for Europe/Africa. He is APMP-certified at Professional Level (CPP APMP) and is an APMP Approved Trainer. In 2013, he received the prestigious Fellows Award.
