Breaking bad bid habits
Time and again, I see professional services clients falling victim to bad bid habits. Abraham Lincoln allegedly said (but actually didn’t): “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Proper planning, organisation, shared accountability, and a sense of urgency is a must if you […]
Continue ReadingHow firm policies can give you a competitive edge
If your professional services firm wants to win work with government, insurer, banking, telecommunications, or large corporate clients, it’s increasingly important to have documented firm policies and procedures in place. Requesting copies of your policies and procedures is becoming very common in RFTs. Tenderers want to gauge risk, as well as assess how efficiently and […]
Continue ReadingSize of the prize: how to dimension tender, bid and proposal opportunities
Many clients come to JMA excited about tender, bid and proposal “opportunities” and wanting help. It never ceases to amaze me how many are eager to throw everything into a bid without first establishing the value of potential revenues – that is, the size of the prize. This is often true, even when they are […]
Continue ReadingWinning government tenders – 5 factors you must address
If your firm has decided to pursue public sector clients as part of your business development strategy, you’ll need to understand and address some common concerns in order to win government tenders. All levels of government (Commonwealth, state, and local) have overriding interests and concerns about appointment of their external professional advisors and service providers, […]
Continue ReadingWhen is a tender not a tender? When it’s a “competitive evaluation process”
With the recent political kerfuffle around Defence Minister Kevin Andrews’ “competitive evaluation process” to procure new submarines, I thought it was a good time to review the different types of professional services tenders. According to Andrews, “Tender has a very specific meaning. We have to evaluate a whole range of issues … I’m not going […]
Continue ReadingWin more clients with a better tender strategy in 2015
With the four big Australian banks due to call for legal services tenders this year, several insurance tenders long overdue and the Victorian Whole of Government Tender for legal services imminent, not to mention Defence Minister Kevin Andrews “competitive evaluation process” (not a tender) afoot, there’s certainly lots on for 2015. Here are some of […]
Continue ReadingPlaying the long game to get on the list for invitation only tenders
We’re often asked how firms can get on the list for “by invitation only” tenders. If the tender request is already out, sometimes a cheeky approach direct to the procurement powers can work. Sometimes. Usually it doesn’t. So how can you and your firm make it on to the radar of these large consumers of […]
Continue ReadingAlternative tenders – show clients what they want
Use alternative tenders as a competitive edge. In formal bid and tender processes, responses are often constrained by word limits, irrelevant questions, meaningless measures and procurement’s lack of imagination. So, how can you get a jump on your competitors and not only win, or retain work with a major client, but also end up with […]
Continue ReadingWhen to walk away from a tender “opportunity”
In the last 20 years, formal procurement has crept into just about everything large organisations purchase, from the simple and commoditised (stationery) right through to the complex and intangible (professional services). It’s a system that providers are stuck with for now, especially when it comes large consumers of professional services (government, banks, insurers, listed companies […]
Continue ReadingExhibits A through Z: essential evidence for your tenders and proposals
Our experience with clients, from lawyers through to not-for-profits, is that when it comes to tenders, bids and proposals winners are separated from losers by strong, evidence-based submissions. Resonant stories packed with specifics are what sell. Those compelling and credible stories are based on evidence. If your business depends on winning new work or retaining […]
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Feature article
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. […]
