In my experience, most stakeholder engagement problems at the bid stage are symptoms of bigger, earlier causes. By the time a bid team is chasing SMEs, attempting to engage with Sales or trying to align Execs in the bid phase, the real issue has already happened upstream – in targeting, in key account management and in capture.
We need to stop treating stakeholder engagement as a bid-stage activity if we want fewer firefights, fewer blockers and fewer “us vs them” moments. The earlier we engage, the easier everything becomes.
The real pitfall: engaging stakeholders too late
Bid teams often inherit a situation where:
- Sales have (at best) already shaped the deal without insight
- SMEs are surprised by the opportunity
- Delivery teams have not been consulted on feasibility
- Execs only appear at the red review stage
- Procurement is treated as an obstacle, not a partner
None of this is a stakeholder management problem. It is a timing and focus problem. When engagement begins at the kick-off, you are already compensating for misalignment that is months old.
How getting upstream diffuses friction
Something powerful happens when organisations invest in market insight, considered targeting, KAM, and capture:
- Stakeholders understand the opportunity before it becomes a bid
- Risks are surfaced early, not 48 hours before submission
- SMEs contribute to shaping a valuable solution, not just filling gaps
- Execs see the strategic context, not just the cost
- Bid teams stop chasing and start leading/shaping
Early engagement creates shared ownership and trust. And trust removes 80% of the friction we see in the bid room.
A practical upstream engagement model
We use a simple funnel-based approach with our clients:
Market Insight – Targeting – KAM – Capture – Bid
At each stage, stakeholder engagement has a different purpose:
- Market insight – alignment on where the organisation can win profitable and sustainable work
- Targeting – bring sponsors, sales, delivery, and finance into the decision on which opportunities matter
- KAM – build relationships that reduce surprises and increase long-range intelligence (and repeat business)
- Capture – collaborate to co-create the most valuable solutions with clients and your aligned team
- Bid – execute, refine and close the deal smoothly, not in a scramble
We should never submit a proposal to strangers. By the time the bid starts, the hard work is already done.
The bottom line
Stakeholder engagement is not a bid skill. It is a growth-system imperative.
We need to move the conversation upstream – where relationships are built, expectations are set and winning actually begins – if we want fewer conflicts and more wins with less friction.
Jeremy Brim
Jeremy works with leadership teams and business owners as a consultant and advisor to plan and deliver sustainable growth through analysis and interventions across the sales cycle. Jeremy has also taken on leadership of the Bid Toolkit, bringing with him a wealth of bidding knowledge and desire to help businesses of all sizes improve their win rates.
