| Always make it a top priority to understand precisely why you won or lost your previous bids, says bid strategist and writer, Jordan Kelly. |
| While the client-delivered debrief is the most obvious way to achieve a first-hand understanding of whether and where a submission hit the mark, or whether and where it didn’t, the value of a session is directly proportionate to how well each side prepares and participates. Here are some tips: 1) Get the feedback from “the horses’ mouths” i.e. the members of the tender evaluation panel . . . not second-hand, from personnel who weren’t directly involved in the evaluation, and who (worse still) may never had read your submission in detail. You’ll greatly increase your chances of this by targeting a (formal) email request to the most senior client organisation representatives, conveying the importance, to you and your team, of the debrief. 2) Plan your approach and questioning outline in the same detailed manner as you’d approach preparing the outline for a bid strategy formulation workshop. 3) Create comfort for the evaluators, by framing your questions such that answers are delivered as constructive criticism, rather than just criticism per se. 4) Exercise strong listening skills and ensure your full understanding of all elements of the feedback. 5) Take detailed notes and deliver a comprehensive debrief to your broader bid, sales and delivery teams. |
The No. 1 Way to Achieve Consistent Success in Tendering
