ACADEMY KNOWLEDGE BASE
I’m Jordan Kelly – a 'veteran' operative in the arena of formal business-winning submission processes (i.e. 'bids', tenders and proposals) . . . along with the planning and execution of proactive, broader-scale pursuits.
The multi-faceted skill set I have drawn on throughout my decades-long service to a vast array of household-name B2G and B2B (and smaller) enterprises to help them secure big-ticket, mission-critical projects, contracts and accounts, has been the fruit of a diverse corporate, consulting, and entrepreneurial, background. It has also informed and enriched my formulation and delivery of many bespoke training, coaching and mentoring programs for client organisations of all sizes.
One of my specialisations in the bidding arena has involved helping multi-national civil infrastructure contractors win non-price-based, consortium-bid, “project alliancing” or “collaborative contracting” projects. In this form of civil infrastructure contracting, client procurement agencies often team with consortia comprising multiple service providers to deliver projects against well-publicised Governmental imperatives.
Winning these (often nationally significant megaprojects) requires not only a detailed understanding of client-side strategies and priorities at the highest level, but also an understanding of the corporate strategies at play within the various competing consortia.
It further requires a level of differentiation unlike any other industry, to stand out amidst a competitive field in which almost every player can “do the job” – at least to an acceptable standard of project delivery.
I was, in fact, sponsored by the Australian civil infrastructure contracting sector to produce what is considered a seminal work in this area: the ‘Cracking the VfM Code’ duo, ‘How to Identify & Deliver Genuine Value for Money in Collaborative Contracting’, and ‘Cracking the VfM Code in Collaborative Contract Bidding: Value for Money … Understanding It & Articulating Your Ability to Deliver It’.
On the note of books, I’ve also written – for the benefit of all B2G and B2B sectors – a full portfolio of how-to books on high-value bidding. This includes my flagship, ‘Think & Win Bids: Winning High-Value, High-Stakes Bids through Superior Questioning, Listening and Thinking Skills’ – a work that some client organisations have made “required reading” for their bid, sales and marketing teams, internationally.
' . . . We have included your books for distribution to our teams around the world . . . '
Don Braid, Group Managing Director, Mainfreight Limited, New Zealand
Early Career Highlights
I’ve been in daily journalism and have been a trade journal editor (New Zealand), and an international industry researcher, competitive intelligence operative, public relations consultant, and marketing manager and brand manager (Australia).
My very early career days included my role as a (Government) ministerial press secretary and Governor General speechwriter (at 20, New Zealand’s then-youngest); my time as an industry-specific reporter and photographer, and my role as National Public Relations Manager for Australia’s then-largest wine group.
More novel CV inclusions were a series of multi-year, mobile and memorable assignments on behalf of two different corporate collectives that saw me stationed in the United Kingdom, the United States, South East Asia and South Africa, analysing the strategies and activities of the fierce global competitors of my clients’ industries.
I’ve also done a stint in the military . . . specifically, officer training in the Army Reserves, at Australia’s Royal Military College of Duntroon in Canberra (with an ardent desire to learn the secrets of military intelligence).
My first book (an industry-specific, hardcover text on public relations) was published when I was 24 – and I’ve since written and seen published, more than 20 books (mainly on marketing and bid-related topics).
