Course Introduction:

This course is the ideal way to learn how to deliver high-quality bids within strict timescales, and effectively manage them in accordance with the required tender (bid) specifications. The program will enable delegates to accurately complete documents that support their company's tenders and proposals. It will ensure that all tenders fully meet the client requirements, and gives clear guidelines on how to make your organization's tenders stand out, and set them apart, from the competition.

Course Objectives:

• To understand the basics of bidding
• To recognize the bid cycle
• To establish the role of management (and the procedures) in the bid process
• To learn ways to identify your customer's position
• To understand how to 'qualify' the opportunity
• To learn how to determine the bid strategy
• To understand what the customer's explicit needs are
• Ways to effectively analyze the competition
• Understand how to build your bidding/tender team
• Establish a bid plan
• Make the document work for you
• To sell the benefits in your proposal
• Production of the bid/tender document
• Carrying out post-tender activities
• How to present to the customer (if this is allowed, under the bid/tender process)
• Negotiating the final deal

Target Audience:

Sales professionals, engineers, marketing professionals, project managers, business development managers, heads of departments, client servicing personnel, etc., and any other individual in charge of preparing a tender request.

Course Outline:

Day (1)

• What Is 'A Bid'?
• Different Terms Of Bid: Request For Proposal (RFP), Request For Information (RFI), Request for Quotation (RFQ), Invitation to Tender (ITT), Etc.
• What Is Bid Management?
• The Bid Process
• The Concept Of Effective Bid Management
• The Bid Team
• Creating An Effective Bid Team

Day (2)

• Identifying The Bid Stakeholders
• Checking Internal Feasibility
• The Bid Budget 
  > Bottom / Top Budgeting 
  > Top / Bottom Budgeting
• Analyzing The Bid Document
• Setting Objectives

Day (3)

• Assignment Allocation Amongst The Team Members
• Assessing Constraints
• Listing Activities: Work Breakdown Structures (WBS)
• Bid Time Management 
  > Time Scale 
  > Network Diagram 
  > Critical Path Analysis 
  > Gantt Chart
• Bid Specification Management

Day (4)

• Bid Risk Management
• Managing The Team
• The Communication Process
• Bid Closure
• Preparing The Final Document

Day (5)

• The Pre-Bid Meeting
• Bid Evaluation
• Bid Contract
• Post Tender Meetings / Clarifications / Negotiations
• Bid Closure
• Assessing Your Bid Management Skills Part of the course may involve delegates preparing bids relevant to their individual company, or organization. They will do this by implementing the learning from the course, in practical easy-to-follow steps that take them through the management of the complete bid process.