S S Ten Slides in Ten Minutes: Bid Management versus Project Management [Capturing the Hearts and Minds of Prospects & Clients]

Presented by:

Bill Graham CP.APMP

June, 2014

bill.graham@sales-synthesis.co.za

Craft Proposal Client Adjudication Identify Qualify Delivery Submit

The Client Engagement Process needs to be Robust

• Solid Win Strategy

• Bid Centre Support

• Organisational Teamwork

• Relevant Solution

• Selling on Value and not Price

• Industry

Knowledge

• Understanding of

Client’s Business

Strategy

• Good relationship

with Key

Decision-makers

• Resonating Win

Themes

• Solution

supporting

Client’s Business

Imperatives

• Building Track

Record

• Execution

Investment

• Robust Service

Delivery

• Professional

package

• Word Perfect

• On-Time

Submission

Robust Capture Plan Relevant Solution Resonating Submission

Professional Proposal / Bid Management Process

2

Underpinned by a Virtual Team

Bid Management is a process in the Sales Phase of the Service Delivery Life Cycle

Prospecting Lead

Generation Qualification

Scope Solution &

Services

Submission/Bid Crafting

Submission to Client

Bid Management

Account Management

Sales

Product Development & Commercialisation encompasses all aspects of the business

Sales Operations supports the complete Sales Phase

Solution Architecture

Products

3

Multiple Business Units are involved in Bids

Legal

Finance

MSA, T&Cs Schedules, Regulatory Tax advice

P&L Review/s Tax implications

Review Gate Review Gate Review Gate Review Gate

Content providers are resources from various organisational units – creating a Virtual Bid Team

4

A Bid Manager Liaises with many Units of an Organisation

Sales [incl. AM]

Solution/s Architecture

Commercial

Prospect Lead gen. Qualify

Design

Craft Bid

Pricing

P&L

Review Submit

Bid Management

Legal/ Contracts

Regulatory

Regions Cost/Price

Sales

Technical Design

Finance

Legal

Partners

Specialists SMM/SME

Technical Solution

5

Note: The actual matrix will depend on each organisation and their internal structures

Underpinned by professional ‘Project Management Style’ Tracking

Major Differences between Bid Management & Project Management

6

Bid Manager: A professional resource capable of playing many of the roles required during a bid: Capture Manager, Proposal Manager, Bid Support, Bid Assurance, QA, Reviewer etc.:

• Relevant Bid Strategy & Capture Plan [Developed from the Account Plan] • Bid Control Plan [Crafting and Management thereof] • Resonating Win Themes / Golden Thread [Developed across the Submission Content] • Validating that the solution supports the Client’s Business Strategy/Imperatives • Building track record • Relevant reviews/sign-offs • Professional packaging • Timeous submission • Focuses on the crafting of Client Resonating Content

Project Manager: A professional resource who is responsible for the planning, organisation, resource management and discipline pertaining to the successful completion of a specific project or objective:

• Focuses on an Action Tracker [Typically MS-Project – Gantt Chart] • Focuses on Deliverables [ticks the boxes and escalates] • Does not focus on the actual content – rather the delivery of content etc.

On time, within budget

On time, within budget

These reviews are designed to help select the right opportunities to bid, confirm win strategies, address proposal and performance risk, and support development of high quality, winning proposals.

Source: Shipley Associates

• Purple Team: Assesses the probability of winning (Pwin) and alignment with organisational goals

• Blue Team #1: Reviews initial capture strategy and capture plan

• Black Hat Team: Predicts competitors’ solutions

• Blue Team #2: Reviews updated capture plan and solution set

• Pink Team: Reviews storyboards and mock-ups to confirm solution set and to validate

proposal strategy

• Green Team: Reviews cost/price solution

• Red Team: Reviews final proposal draft—including price—to predict how the customer will score

the proposal

• Gold Team: Approves final proposal and price

: Compiles lessons learned from capture planning through proposal development to

contract award

Professional Sales Organisations Support ‘Formal Reviews’

7

Reviews are Organised/Managed/Facilitated by the Bid Manager

Factual knowledge is an

imperative

Internal politics is self-

destructing

Know your real competition

Relationships are key to successful engagements

Higher profitable opportunities, the

higher the investment

Merely Answering Client Questions will not a Winning Submission make…

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Use intensive analytics to determine the correct growth strategies and territories [qualified opportunities]

Flatten the organisational structures as much as reasonably possible [rapid relevant structures for decision-making]

Move everything possible to a national level - with global ‘virtual’ teams [obtain national value and leverage globally]

Be aware of belief systems and allow for ‘all user/s’ interaction [spread the decision-making to the correct entities]

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* Indicates support & structures required to ensure development of winning submissions

Project Management is Key to the Professional Delivery of the Solution

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• Once the bid has been won – and the contract signed – the Project Manager takes over the delivery (sometimes called ‘Build’) phase of the project

• For large complex bids, it is good practice to have the Project Manager involved during the bid phase so that ‘full alignment & continuity’ is achieved.

Many and diverse Bid Team members are necessary for ‘Success’

The Bid Manager is like a Conductor

of an orchestra. He may be able to

play particular instruments but he’s

actually there to pull all of the inputs

together to create a wonderful piece

of “professional music”.

The Bid Manager is a Maestro.

The Bid Manager is NOT merely an

administrator !

Summary: The Bid Manager is the Key Focal Point for Bids

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For best results the Bid Manager functions alongside the Sales Operations function.

A Bid Manager is a fundamental

necessity for large, complex, strategic

opportunities.