Photo by Ryan Arnst on Unsplash
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
The origin of this wise proverb is widely contested, but the message of providing a helping hand-up, rather than a generous hand-out, is universally understood in relation to combatting poverty. The concept of creating long-term self-sufficiency as opposed to providing a short-term fix is often applied to many other contexts as well.
So, can this proverbial wisdom be applied to tendering? In our experience, it sure can. In fact, so much so that we’ve designed our services with both giving and teaching in mind.
Give someone a well-written bid response, and they might win a single contract.
Businesses often come to BidWrite seeking bid consulting support when they lack the time or internal capacity to create a winning response. They might also be new to tendering, finding it overwhelming and unsure where to start.
In such cases, we’ll agree what level of help the business needs to get their best possible tender submission in the box on time, and our Bid Consultants will get straight to work.
There is certainly a case to be made for this tangible and immediate form of bidding support. The benefit of our live bid support service is simple – we’ll help you create a strategic submission that’s aligned with bidding best practice, clearly articulates your value and ensures you have the best possible chance of success (with the least amount of stress).
Supplementing your existing capacity for a bid is a great short-term solution. You will almost certainly gain new knowledge by observation. Through having us work alongside you, you’ll see what it takes to create a superior quality, professionally prepared, fit-for-purpose bid and know what to strive for next time.
If you’re looking through a longer-term lens, there are other avenues your organisation can take to alleviate enduring bidding challenges and increase the self-reliance of your tendering team.
Teach someone to write persuasive, compelling tenders, and they’ll go on to win more business, more easily.
A complementary addition to BidWrite’s project-oriented bid consultancy services, Bid Academy focuses on creating a self-sufficient approach to sustainable tendering within your role or organisation.
Bid Academy’s range of tender response training courses aim to empower individuals and businesses to develop their skills and implement techniques that will see them winning more often, more easily, and more independently in the long run.
Our training has proven useful for Sales Managers committed to improving their tender win-rate, career-driven Bid Coordinators/Writers seeking professional development and industry-recognised qualifications, and multi-tasking Administrators or Executive Assistants looking to systemise proposal processes and improve efficiency.
Completing Bid Academy training will see you reap the long-term benefits of learning globally recognised best practice from some of Australia’s most highly qualified and experienced bidding coaches.
You’ll leave a Bid Academy short course, workshop or 12-week program feeling better equipped to drive quality into your tender responses and efficiency into your proposal processes – even if a tight deadline or demanding and complex project means you have to call on BidWrite for surge support from time to time.
A business case for both.
Over the years, our clients have proven there is an appetite for both immediate bid support and ongoing tender training.  In response, we’ve structured our business to include dedicated services for each, with BidWrite providing short-term bidding relief, and Bid Academy teaching skills to create long-term tendering sustainability.
Give someone a well-written bid response, and they might win a taste of success. Through the process they’ll grow an appreciation for the quality of the work required to win and may commit to lifting their standards.
However, teach someone to write a persuasive tender, and they’ll become well-versed in best practice bidding techniques and feel confident enough to write winning submissions themselves. And although this approach may require additional external resourcing from time to time, it’s a sure path to eventual self-reliance and long-term bidding sustainability.
Which should be your focus?
The path you take depends on your bidding maturity and longer-term ambitions.
Occasional bidders may see no need to develop internal expertise, instead opting to engage external tender writing support when required. In contrast, for organisations who rely heavily on tendering as a means of securing business, it makes sense to develop in-house bidding capabilities.
Whatever your approach, what we do know through our consulting and training work is that given the chance, individuals have an enormous appetite for improving their own skills and a willingness to better their organisation’s tender processes.
For those wanting to chart a course to bidding self-reliance, we’d love you to consider Bid Academy for learning a proven and systematic approach to winning more tendered business.
