Amanda Reid-Young

Have you spent a day writing a response to a word- or page-limited question in a proposal? And then spent two days eliminating the unnecessary words to bring it back within the limit? And then realised how much better the short version is? Customers limit word and page counts for exactly this reason. They want

2020 has seen us wrangling with all the administrative challenges of working from home. Telecommunications networks are feeling the strain. So are parents who are working remotely and sharing the space with children kept or sent home from school. Teleconferencing contends with competing demands. And some of you are struggling for the first time with

Many organisations tell us that they have a defined business development process – but only for specifically selected opportunities. Teams muddle through on other opportunities as best they can. To really switch on your organisation’s business development potential, you need to commit to a single, flexible, tailorable, scalable process – and for your leadership team

Have you ever used a previous Executive Summary and done a “search and replace” for the customer name? Yes, admit it! Every time you do that, you are effectively throwing out the work already done by your business development team. Instead, use Shipley tools including the Bidder Comparison, the Integrated Solution Worksheet and the Strategy

When you are bidding for a complex opportunity, you may want to pursue it with other organisations in a formal or informal teaming arrangement to improve your chance of winning. Select teaming partners using selection criteria based on customer requirements and issues. Identify probably selection criteria, including technical, management, past performance, cost, timing, funding, regulatory,

Cover letters are not officially part of a submission, but they represent another opportunity to reinforce your messages. If the cover letter is likely only to be read by the person who accepts delivery, use it to list the contents of the submission and to confirm compliance. If the cover letter is likely to be

You cannot assert a discriminator unless you understand your customer, your competitors and yourselves. A common problem is lack of accurate competitor data when you claim that an aspect of your solution is a discriminator. When you do not know specifically what your competitor offers, discriminate your features against other criteria, like national averages, independent

…practice standing on your head. Non-compliance is the easiest way for the customer to eliminate an unwanted bidder. To ensure your proposal is compliant, prepare compliance checklists for all formal bid requests. Compliance checklists are lists of bid request requirements and customer questions that you must answer in your proposal. For a large request, this

In addition to including a compliance or response matrix in every proposal, explain any deviation from the structure provided in the bid request. A good way to do this is to add an explanation at the beginning of a major section, on the compliance matrix, or any other place where your organisation might be unclear.

The physical design of your proposal emphasizes or de-emphasizes your messages much like body language, word dynamics, and facial expressions in conversation. A well-organised, visually appealing design helps evaluators find what they need to know rapidly and easily, while reflecting your organisation’s professionalism. Visual elements entice readers, the organisation is easy to follow, answers are