Do you really need to do a proposal at this time?

August 26, 2022 | Posted in: Win Tenders Bids Proposals

To do a proposal, or not? It may be the perfect time in your burgeoning client relationship to do a proposal to clinch that new business and some paid work. But as one respondent noted in our referrals research study: ‘Personally, I think proposals are an excuse not to have a conversation with our client.’ […]

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How to create value add services for tenders, bids & proposals

June 15, 2022 | Posted in: Win Tenders Bids Proposals

Value add services have become de rigueur for B2B services relationships and can be a positive, indeed tender-winning differentiator for your business. ‘Free of charge’ is music to clients’ ears given in the 21st century we’re all being expected to do more with less. And as we know, you have to give in order to […]

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How to write a winning executive summary for tenders, bids & proposals

April 26, 2022 | Posted in: Win Tenders Bids Proposals

The executive summary is often the most read and scrutinised section of  tender, bid or proposal submissions. However, in addition to pulling together a fully compliant and compelling bid (and under time pressure), it can be daunting to write an executive summary that helps clinch a ‘win’. This blog sets out some general principles, tips, […]

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Evaluating tender opportunities – is this a client you really want?

March 14, 2022 | Posted in: Win Tenders Bids Proposals

Evaluating tender opportunities can be tricky. There’s a real tendency to ‘go for it’ in many organisations at any ‘cost’ once an RFT/P is released. Evaluating tender opportunities – 5 lenses to try This blog shares 5 lenses (or frameworks) to help you think more critically when evaluating tender opportunities. This reduces your organisation’s risk […]

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Another 5 tender trends for the 2020s

February 1, 2022 | Posted in: Win Tenders Bids Proposals

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, JMA has observed some emerging tender trends that are becoming cemented as tender ‘realities’. This blog on another 5 tender trends for the 2020s will ensure that your organisation is prepared. As they say – forewarned is forearmed. TENDER TRENDS # 1 – Government at all levels […]

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By Adam Thorp

Strategic pursuits and the capture management process

June 11, 2021 | Posted in: Grow your business, Win Tenders Bids Proposals

While strategic pursuits, capture management, and bid management are all different disciplines, they are aligned to a common purpose – winning opportunities. Each is a critical step on that path, and in order to be in the best position to win each of these steps needs to be aligned and seamless in their handoff to […]

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By Guest Blogger

If you’re bidding for everything, how can you improve your chances of success?

December 11, 2020 | Posted in: Win Tenders Bids Proposals

One thing is certain in this post lockdown world: it is highly unlikely that any business will decline the opportunity to respond to an RFP. In fact, with revenues under pressure for most organisations, every RFP will likely be viewed as a genuine ‘opportunity’. This means that even for those businesses with a robust go/no […]

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How to manage a bid remotely – Part 1 – effective collaboration at a distance

April 27, 2020 | Posted in: Win Tenders Bids Proposals

In the wake of the ‘new normal’ COVID-19 has brought we are all learning new techniques and trialling different approaches to managing tenders, bids and proposals. Many bid teams who would normally work alongside each other have had to drastically adjust as the old onsite collaboration model has (for now) been turned on its head. […]

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Closed or invitation only tenders, bids and proposals

June 18, 2019 | Posted in: Win Tenders Bids Proposals

Firstly, what are closed or invitation only tenders, bids and proposals? In addition to the generally well-understood terms ‘tender’, ‘bid’ and ‘proposal’, there are ‘open’ and ‘closed’ processes, and then variations within each that can apply to professional services procurement. Open or public tenders, bids and proposals An open tender is just that, open to […]

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How to run a kick-off meeting for your tender, bid or proposal

May 7, 2019 | Posted in: Win Tenders Bids Proposals

As we have discussed before, the difference between a winning tender, bid or proposal and a loser frequently comes down to what you know before you write a single word … not what you find out after you’ve written the document. An effective way to know more about a client is to gather your team […]

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Feature article

Tender readability – tips to improve your tender presentation and some tender presentation no-nos

Tender readability – tips to improve your tender presentation and some tender presentation no-nos

Tender readability remains a problem for some in the 21st century. I still see submission documents that cling to a handful of really old hat tender presentation and formatting techniques. I suspect this is because some of these ‘rules’ are viewed as being more appropriate to a ‘formal’ style of document such as a tender. […]