What does a Bid Manager do?

Sounds like an odd question. And it should have a very straightforward answer. But it is a question I get asked often when I tell people that I am a Bid Manager.

A broad definition of bid management, adapted from the bidsolutions.co.uk definition of a Bid Manager, is:

“the management of an opportunity from initial identification of a customer requirement through to contract renewal strategy. Within this model, the Bid Manager will assemble and manage a bid team that has the skills to prepare and submit a winning bid, whilst taking ownership of the end-to-end bid process.”

In my experience however, the way each organisation defines bid management can differ. For some, it might mean the process of tendering; for others, its writing responses to RFPs. Some may see it as organising teams and tasks, or simply managing the creation/collation of documentation required to respond to tender requests. Others may see bid management as something entirely different altogether.

As it differs for every company, by extension, so the role of the Bid Manager can also be defined differently, organisation to organisation, and also by individuals within an organisation. Having worked as a Bid Manager for over 16 years, within 4 organisations and also internationally, I have first-hand experience of the variety of ways the Bid Manager has been defined, and the expectations this can place on the role:

• The Bid Manager is responsible for managing the bid documents and making sure a compliant response is submitted
• The Bid Manager defines the bid strategy and identifies the win themes
• The Bid Manager is the person who writes the responses
• The Bid Manager creates the plan and manages the team to it
• The Bid Manager ensures the defined bidding process is followed end-to-end, and tasks/actions completed
• The Bid Manager makes sure the reviews are arranged and actions captured/closed

The above points are all correct in their own way, however they do not individually represent the totality of a Bid Manager. In my experience, there are three key profiles of Bid Manager, represented in the diagram below.

Each of these represents the main role of a Bid Manager that an organisation may be looking for within their bid function, depending on their definition of bid management:

The Consultant focuses mainly on the strategic elements of bidding, from taking a front seat during qualification and bid strategy activities, to ensuring submissions are aligned to the defined strategy as part of the review process. The consultant will typically work with the sales lead to develop a robust win strategy for each bid and ensure win themes are clear and compelling, providing challenge based on their insights and experience. They will also have the requisite understanding to resolve complex technical, strategic and business issues as the bid progresses. The Consultant will look to lead all colour reviews, and challenge and support their sales leads to ensure the bid strategy is robust, and drive continuous improvement, through ongoing strategy review and post-bid reviews, both internally and with customers.

The Project Manager is the process-oriented version of the Bid Manager, focused on managing the end-to-end bid in accordance with the organisations defined bid processes. They manage virtual bid teams and inputs, typically engaging with sales, marketing, solution teams, finance, commercial, legal and project management to ensure a joined up and holistic bid. From an operational standpoint, the Bid Manager owns the tracking and management of risk throughout the bid, controls the clarification process with the customer, and manages the bid budget providing monitoring and reporting as needed. Ultimately, the Project Manager makes sure that timescales are understood by all, and deadlines are achieved at each step of the bid process, including all internal governance, to ensure the on-time submission of a compliant bid.

The Author focuses on content. They take ownership of the proposal writing aspects of the bid, from review and rewrite of content provided by the bid team, to ownership of some or all content for the response, ultimately taking full control of the end product – whether that be an RFP response or an unsolicited proposal. The Author creates storyboards and guidance for content writers, and can contribute to the written proposal directly either through writing specific content themselves, or invoking an interview-type process to elicit detailed information from the wider team to be able to draft all responses themselves. Finally, they conduct editorial to ensure the final response is of the highest quality. This role extends to owning the creation of presentations as part of the full bid process.

As the diagram shows, these profiles can overlap - each profile, whilst dominating in one aspect, is likely to show traits from another. For example, an author may also be a good at project management, showing an ability to manage inputs to a clear plan, with deadlines and dependencies; a consultant may show aspects of strong authoring, however limiting their contribution to review and focusing on areas where they are might be an SME. But it is the skills within their dominant profile that makes them attractive to an organisation, depending on what that organisation is looking for i.e. do they want a Bid Manager who is an exceptional writer, a good team and process manager, or someone to work with senior leadership to drive a strategic bid approach?

There is however a fourth type of Bid Manager in the diagram, where all three profiles align to create a well-rounded approach to bid management - the All-Rounder.

Much like a cricketer who can bat, bowl, and field, the bid All-Rounder can contribute and add value across all three areas of focus, and do so without necessarily being an expert in any single area. They can facilitate bid strategy, ensuring solid level of diligence is applied against the requirements and competitors, and the key messages are defined without being the person who owns or even derives them; they can develop a clear bid plan and manage the team to deliver against it, managing tasks, dependencies and deadlines in a collaborative way, reporting effectively and addressing issues efficiently; they can structure the proposal content and help SMEs and authors to develop strong responses aligned to the requirement and strategy, providing review and editorial, and tailoring content where suitable. And they can do all of this on every bid, or jump into a bid to cover one specific aspect.

Most All-Rounders are likely to have an area of expertise, but the best Bid Managers can cover all three areas well. By doing so, they provide leadership and value across the entire bid cycle, supporting delivery of outcomes at all stages. This is my preferred way of explaining what I do when people ask me the question – so what is a Bid Manager?

I recognise however, that this is not a universal truth. Going back to my earlier point, the definition of a Bid Manager is different for different people and organisations. So, what’s your way of explaining what a Bid Manager is/does? Is there a profile of Bid Manager that I've missed? Share your thoughts below.