Just as a chameleon changes its colours to suit its background, a successful bidding team needs to pivot its approach depending on the stakeholder. This article looks at who the typical stakeholders are and how the bid team adapts its behaviour to those groups. We conclude by emphasising that pragmatism and adaptability is the key to bidding success.
Introduction
A good place to start is to use the RACI matrix in stakeholder mapping. Bidding teams often have the following stakeholders and our behaviour to each of these groups is clearly quite different.
Responsible – (Internal) Bid and delivery teams
The Responsible teams must collaborate. The bid team creates the bids and other related proposal submissions. The delivery team provides us with the pricing and delivery strategy. We work together to drive the submission. This requires flexibility, patience, and creativity. We are nimble, cooperative and laser focused on meeting deadlines.
Accountable – (Internal) Business leads
For the Accountable teams, business leads are accountable for ensuring their areas are ready to respond to new bidding opportunities, including requests for proposals, prequalifications, presentations and any other client-led requirements. The bidding function supports this by maintaining the availability and systems setup to be able to react swiftly and reliably. We need to be dependable and steadfast.
Consulted – (Internal) Global headquarters and regional leads
For global headquarters and regional leads, we are a different beast. We are the custodian of brand, of internal governance and the driver of constant quality. We need to have the data correct and at our fingertips. The consulted stakeholder is not in the weeds so needs to feel secure in the knowledge that the bid team is on top of everything that is being submitted. We need to enable the consulted to have that crucial helicopter view.
Informed – (External) Client decision makers and procurement teams
External clients sit nicely in this category. We engage with client decision makers with fluidity and calm. Our output is consistent and reactive. We are the swan, gliding seamlessly across the water (whilst unbeknown to them frantically working to keep up under the surface!).
The Bidding Chameleon
The ability to wear all these hats at any one time is the key to success. The bidding chameleon has no room for dogmatism, as a frustrated stakeholder is not an easy relationship to manage. Instead, a flexible approach and the ability to align with the differing agendas of the various stakeholders leads to the bid team being reliable and depended upon to deliver results, internally and externally.
Michael Brown
Michael Brown is a seasoned bid professional having won multiple projects across the built environment throughout Europe, the Middle East, APAC and North America. He is passionate about leading global teams to deliver top quality proposals and pitches to multinational clients.
