To Bid or Not to Bid
Getting the First and Most Fundamental Decision Right
(A comprehensive program to be customised for your organisation with personalised, online delivery by Jordan Kelly.)
When preparing to respond to a prospective client's formal market call,
the most important question to ask is . . . should I be bidding on this particular piece of business at all?
In this program, we identify and dissect all the ways in which a piece of business may, collectively, be deemed a worthwhile pursuit - both in terms of its viability and advisability, as well as in terms of your own capabilities and capacity.
And those that are best steered clear of.
DESCRIPTION:
A significant and growing proportion of larger organisations now operate according to formal, highly detailed, point-scored, specific goal or criteria-based, multi-review/‘multi-gated’, bid/no bid decision-making formulae.
However, some of these highly prescriptive processes place eye-watering complexity before basic logic and critical thinking. And, for all their sophistication, there is often no specific “gate”, part of the process, or time, at which a decision is made.
Truth be told, human nature and subjectivity are the usual default factors that end up dictating the decision anyway.
These highly prescriptive processes often don’t perform that well where the subject of a procurement is of a more “qualitative” rather than “quantitative” nature . . . in the case of a pure service delivery, for example.
The real value of a thorough and well-thought out bid/no bid decision analysis – whether highly structured or less so – results from asking the right questions (in a logically-progressing order) and seeking out well-researched answers . . . a customised, deep-thinking process during which a valuable perspective of the client and the opportunity is built.
When that is followed by a realistic self-analysis (against a detailed and comprehensive assessment of the actual value of the prize), the framework is in place for making a genuinely strategic, properly informed decision.
In the ‘TO BID OR NOT TO BID’ learning experience, we’ll steer away from unnecessary complexity in the bid / no bid process. But we won’t sacrifice anything in the way of thoroughness of our coverage of the core criteria and the considerations that should influence, or direct, a decision as to whether to enter an Expression of Interest (EOI), Request for Proposal (RFP) or any other form of competitive pursuit.
Ready to Power Up Your Pursuits?
Contact me to discuss my customisation of this core program in accordance with the specifics of your company, your industry, and your current business environment and its challenges.
