CASE STUDY: ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY
For more than 200 years, St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn (Vinnies) has supported vulnerable community members facing homelessness, poverty or social isolation. Vinnies’ good works are funded through donations, Government funding and income derived from its commercial operations. Diversified income streams are essential to keep the Society’s many programs and services operating. When a large commercial opportunity appeared on the horizon that aligned with Vinnies’ key service delivery areas, it recognised an opportunity to broaden its funding base further, through securing a new and 100% external stream of commercially derived revenue.
However, tendering for commercial contracts occurs within intensely competitive environments to which Vinnies had no exposure. A specialised skillset needed to be developed quickly, to enable Vinnies to pit itself against seasoned commercial bid-winning teams.
Choosing carefully
The Society’s Business Development Manager, Elizabeth Heath recognised the challenges and sought to close this experience gap through specialised and practical bid response training. Not only did the training have to reflect the real world of tendering, it had to provide the opportunity to interact with experienced bidding coaches and a cohort of like-minded participants. Liz also needed the training to be delivered in a flexible format, allowing her to fit study around a very busy professional schedule.
Liz wasn’t looking for a two-hour ‘crash-course’ in tendering. To be competitive, she knew she needed to understand the whole bidding process from end-to-end, opting for the Bid Academy’s 12-week Bid Accelerator program.
The proof is in the pudding
There’s training for training’s sake – and training for result’s sake. In Liz’s case, it’s certainly the latter. Shortly after completing the program, Liz used her new skills and confidence to guide Vinnies to an 800-page tender submission for a multi-year commercial contract valued well in excess of ten million dollars. Even better – they’ve just been informed that they are the preferred supplier.
Reality, foresight and application delivers results
For many, the path to growing tendering revenue relies on a hit and hope approach, usually with more reliance on hoping than hitting. Liz took a meditated path involving a sage assessment of the situation, a determination to do something about it and a commitment to fully engage and apply her new skills. As a result, Vinnies has secured a new and significant commercial revenue stream, enabling it to treat even more vulnerable people with the respect and dignity they deserve. In the end, that’s what builds flourishing lives.
To learn more about our Bid Accelerator program, who it’s for, what you’ll get out of it, and how it can shorten your path to tendering success, click here.
