What is a bid manager?
If you’re new to the world of bid writing, perhaps dipping your toe into putting your name forward for contracts, you may have come across the role of Bid Manager. But what does a bid manager actually do, and why are they pivotal to the writing and submission of a winning bid proposal?
Who is a bid manager?
As defined by the APMP (Association of Bid Proposal Management Professionals), a bid manager is “responsible for managing a bid or proposal opportunity from qualification to contract award”.
A bid manager is a strategic sales professional responsible for overseeing the entire bid process, from identifying opportunities to submitting winning proposals. They act as the conductor, orchestrating a team of experts to craft compelling responses to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and secure lucrative contracts for their company.
What does a bid manager do?
It’s a bid manager’s job to oversee the entire bidding process from start to finish, from selecting the relevant bids and liaising with the client to gain all the necessary information, to managing the team of writers who will be producing the final submission. Where necessary, bid managers will also contribute to the content of the bid. They may also have other responsibilities throughout the bid process, including:
- Partner identification
- Risk management
- Stakeholder management
- Customer relationship management
- Strategy and proposal development
- Legal review
- Price development
In order to do this effectively, a bid manager will need to have a deep and thorough understanding of the commercial and operational aspects of a business. This specific knowledge will give them the skills they need to not only write some parts of the bids themselves, but to also ask the right questions to the potential client, know how to articulate answers in the most effective way, and choose the best-suited writers who can enhance the bid.
It’s also vital that a bid manager has a strong idea of what the tendering organisation is looking for in terms of a provider. This means that they will not only be able to put forward the most suited prospects, but also ensure they put their best tender proposal.
What skills do you need to be a bid manager?
Hard skills
- Proposal writing – While bid managers won’t handle the entire writing process, they will need to have the ability to write clear, concise and persuasive proposals that resonate.
- Project management – As it is the bid manager’s ultimate responsibility to keep the bid process on track, ensuring that deadlines are hit are a must, so bid managers may need to juggle multiple tasks at once.
- Technical understanding – While not an expert in every field, a good bid manager has a solid understanding of a company’s offerings, and the industry they operate in. An understanding of technical jargon can be a big plus.
- Financial knowledge – Bid managers need to be comfortable with costing projects and ensuring proposals are financially sound.
Soft skills
- Organisation – As they will often be juggling multiple proposals at once, bid managers will need to have an up-to-date knowledge of where each project is up to.
- People skills – A bid manager will be deadline with a lot of people on both sides of the proposal, so strong interpersonal skills are a must. As the bid manager, your job will be to lead the team, so it’s important you’re all pulling in the same direction.
- Attention to detail – A keen eye for detail is needed to ensure all proposals are flawless and not only tick spelling and grammar boxes, but also meet all the proposal requirements.
- Problem-solving and adaptability – Bid processes can be dynamic, requiring quick thinking and the ability to navigate challenges effectively.
What qualifications do you need to be a bid manager?
While there’s no specific degree requirements to step into a career in bid management, many employers will want to see an undergraduate degree, usually in a relevant subject such as English, business management or sales and marketing.
You could also study a subject relevant to the industry you want to specialise in, such as IT, civil engineering or housing.
Ultimately, a degree is not a dealbreaker and shouldn’t hold you back from applying for relevant roles. Above all else, employers will want to see strong language and communication skills, attention to detail, and leadership.
What salary can you expect to earn as a bid manager?
According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a bid manager can range from £39,000 to £55,000 per year depending on experience.
Why is it important to have a bid manager?
Bid and tender management can sometimes involve contracts that are worth hundreds of thousands, so a competent and experienced bid manager can make all the difference. A bid manager has the expertise needed to craft a winning proposal, ensure that responses align perfectly with a client’s needs, and to stand out from the competition to get that tender win over the line.
A bid manager can be an invaluable asset to driving business growth, and transforming proposals into successful, long-term partnerships.
Here at BWS, our team of in-house bid writers have years of experience in crafting winning bids; they understand what it takes to ensure that best practices are followed, and your very best foot put forward every single time.
Thinking of submitting your business for tender contracts? Get in touch with our team today to discuss your requirements, from bid preparation to bid management, and discover how we can support you to win more contracts.
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Syed Hasan
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We engaged Bid Writing Service to support our submission for the GMC tender, aiming to drive potential growth for our business. While we are still awaiting the final outcome, we can confidently say the service has been excellent and well worth the investment. Special thanks to Jessica, Peter, and Francesca, whose professionalism, responsiveness, and attention to detail greatly contributed to the strength of our submission. Their collaborative approach and expertise made the entire process smooth and reassuring. Highly recommended for any organisation seeking expert bid support.
Office Staff
I recently had the pleasure of working with BWS on a bid, and I wanted to share my overwhelmingly positive experience. Their expertise and guidance were truly exceptional and instrumental in our success. Throughout the entire process, BWS provided unwavering support and demonstrated an impressive depth of industry knowledge. I genuinely believe their contributions were the key to our successful bid. Without hesitation, I would wholeheartedly recommend BWS and certainly plan to collaborate with them again in the future.
Andrew Hobbs
We engaged Bid Writing Service to support us in responding to a public tender opportunity. The service provided was simply exceptional. Well organised, proactive and responsive, accurate, punctual and of course very well written. This is a quality company with some really excellent client facing members of staff. Thank you Rhiannon, Francesca, Thea, Georgia and Lauren. Brilliant first impression and thoroughly recommended !!
Joseph Palmer
We've been working with Lauren and Rhiannon at Bid Writing Service for a few months now and they have been great! They are super responsive to emails and are always there to guide/support us through the process. As soon as a tender get released that matches our industry Lauren sends it straight over even if it's an evening or weekend so we have piece of mind knowing we won't miss any tenders! Thank you Lauren & Rhiannon
Ross Nicholson
Rhiannon was very switched on when it came to giving our company advice around bid writing. She produced drafts in a swift and professional manner which was important to us when the deadline was approaching fast.
Vanessa Varoujian
Incredibly professional, responsive and dedicated. Great to have a team who take the time to get to know the business and our ethos, and understand the pressures of tender and bid writing for a small organisation.
Vinceo Ferlita
Crown ices Ltd.
One of the best companies we have worked with. From our first conversation to the completed work. Always on hand for any questions we had, very knowledgeable and timely. Would use again and would highly recommend. Thank you for your hard work and such excellent service. Crown ices Ltd.
James Barber
I can not recommend BWS highly enough. Our first call with Luke was professional and built an immediate trust in the business. Lauren then took on our project at short notice with a 48 hour turn around time. She went above and beyond to ensure it was completed on time. We are now going to have a conversation about building a bid library and them becoming our exclusive supplier.
Chris C
Lauren from BWS went above and beyond to support us with our tender on extremely short notice. Her dedication, professionalism, and willingness to assist at all hours were second to none. Lauren's expertise and responsiveness made what could have been a stressful process smooth and efficient. I cannot recommend her highly enough for anyone needing reliable and high-quality support.
GMS SERVICES LTD
We have used BWS to assist with our bid writing services. Not only does this provide us with vital resources when there are multiple tenders we want to bid for, it also provides a quality bid which is written by engaging bid writers who are interested in our business and helping us succeed. They become a part of our business. We would highly recommend their services and many thanks to George Flower who has delivered a brilliant service for us.
Andrea Gascoigne
Recently won a nice project with the help of BWS, found them easy to work with and will use again.
Barry Chapman
We used this company as part of our growth strategy, in that they, and I mean Lauren Moorhouse as their lead, created from scratch a comprehensive Bid Library. This is an excellent process to begin this new phase of our development, to gain more work and raising our branding profile. The whole system, was great to see how it grew into the formidable tool that it is, which we now have at our disposal, with an increase in our confidence to bolster our turnover.
B&E Boys
We employed BWS to assist with our bid writing and knowledge management resources. The team were always very professional and flexible in working around our schedules whilst maintaining agreed deadlines. We would recommend BWS to others who are looking for a ‘fresh set of eyes’ on any business development material. We will be working with BWS in the future.
Matt Webb
We engaged with BWS to assist with a bid on a civils project and were very pleased with the work they delivered. There was always clear communication and documents were produced within the agreed timeframes and cost. Being the first time working with a bid writing company they immediately put as at ease and gave us confidence that our submission was as strong as possible which gave us the best chance. Thanks to all the team at BWS!
Nick Heath
Compass Fuel
We dived into the world of tenders, and Lauren made the process fairly simple for novices like ourselves. Wouldnt hesitate to use their services again. Nick Heath - Compass Fuel
Josh Lownsborough
Working with Kyle has been a pleasure , He has been working weekends and evenings to get the job ready in time, His responses are superb and he is a real professional at his job. I hope we win the contract and I will certainly use Kyle again in the future
Matt
My organisation has only recently started working with BWS and we have already seen a win! The team are always professional and work around my schedule. We will continue to work with BWS for future bids, thanks BWS team!
Tracey Gordon
Excellent, efficient and professional service from Lauren & Rhiannon. Would 100% recommend and will definitely use again.
James Bell
Great service. Quick turnaround and well written bid. Fingers crossed for a successful tender outcome.
Chris Davy
We used BWS and found them very quick and efficient, well worth using and will do again
Anele Griessel
Rhiannon was friendly, listened, and clarified our questions. Thank you very much
Mirela Stefan