What does the tender team of the future look like?

Bid teams, or tender teams, play a crucial role in submitting bids and securing contracts. With AI and automation increasingly integrating into work processes, what does this mean for the tender team of the future? This article explores the composition, roles, and skills required to thrive in the evolving landscape.

Bid teams, tender teams, submission teams: what are they?

Before we delve into the future, let's first understand what these teams do.

The goal of the bid team is to create the best proposal that meets the client's requirements and expectations. This process involves a thorough analysis of tender documents, identifying key requirements, and developing a strategy to address these needs

Skills required for a bid team

A balanced bid team can be the difference between winning and losing. To create a winning bid team, look for these essential skills:

1. Communication skills:

The ability to effectively challenge, motivate, or inspire team members when needed. A team that knows how to interact based on individual preferences can adhere to schedules much more easily.

2. Project management skills:

Structure is arguably the most important trait for a bid team. The ability to realistically plan the process and meet deadlines is vital.

3. Tender knowledge:

Tendering procedures are full of rules and guidelines. To submit a successful proposal, it is essential to understand how to approach these procedures systematically. Experience also helps maintain composure and focus.

4. Writing skills:

Bid writing is a specialised skill requiring a unique set of abilities.

A well-crafted proposal not only highlights your unique value proposition but also leaves the client with your solution as their top choice.

5. Technical knowledge:

You need to understand how your product is created, your service is delivered, or your solution is provided. If this expertise isn’t readily available within your team, establish systems to centrally share core information.

6. Strategic insight:

Winning one tender is great, but planning for the next is crucial. Strategic insight helps identify opportunities, navigate challenges, and align your offerings with client objectives. This insight can come from within your organisation or through external consultants.

7. Research skills:

A bid team must conduct in-depth research on the client, market, competition, and other relevant factors. This information forms the foundation of a strong proposal.

8. Creativity:

To stand out, your offer needs creativity. This includes proposing solutions that go beyond the conventional approach.

9. Working with AI:

AI already transformed the approach to RFPs and tenders in 2023 with several options. (Reuters). In 2024, the changes brought by AI and automation will, for the first time, have a drastic impact on bid teams.

To fully leverage the future ways of working and tools in bid management, it is essential to be proficient in using AI. This includes crafting effective prompts, knowing and utilising the right tools, and mastering the associated security risks.

The bid team: who does what?

A bid team comprises various roles, each critical to the success of a proposal:

Bid Director

The Bid Director is responsible for the overarching strategy across all bid processes. To create your best offer, you need to evolve from bid to bid.

They also oversee submission timelines and ensure the highest quality.

Bid Manager

The bid or tender manager develops the project plan, ensures it is followed, and maintains high standards for all tasks. They are well-versed in every detail of the tender and collaborate with management to craft a winning strategy. They also facilitate effective communication between departments and the bid team.

Writer

A skilled writer shapes a strong proposal, translating strategy and input into compelling text that resonates with the client.

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)

SMEs are specialists in the technical aspects of the proposal, often experts on the product, client, or context of the contract. They provide the technical knowledge and input needed for a credible submission.

Examples of SMEs include:

• Calculators
• Product owners
• Technical experts
• IT consultants
• Sustainability specialists
• Legal 
• Operations 
• Bid analysts
• Sales support

Less reliance on Subject Matter Experts

“My technical colleague no longer needs to write a piece about, for example, motivators. I simply ask Altura AI, it generates an answer, I make some adjustments, and then my colleague only needs to approve or provide feedback.”

• Marloes van der Liende, Tender Coordinator GMB

By using AI to search for topics you’ve already covered, you rely less on subject matter experts for your content. This not only saves you time but also spares your colleagues from having to immerse themselves in the situation to understand what you need.

Manage your bid team’s proposals differently 

A study by Harvard and Boston Consulting Group (computing.co.uk) revealed that BCG consultants were significantly more productive and efficient with AI assistance. They completed 12.5% more tasks, worked 25% faster, and delivered 40% higher quality outputs.

These are impressive results for a study focusing solely on generic AI solutions. Now imagine an AI solution specifically designed for bid management, like Altura.

Now that you know what your organisation needs and how to structure your bid team, it’s time to consider the options. Altura, a bid management software with advanced AI tools and project management capabilities, is a valuable addition to your team.

Altura offers a data-driven approach to bid management that is accessible without requiring extensive data analysis skills. It centralises your processes into a single, user-friendly environment. Discover how Altura can strengthen your bid team and make it more efficient with AI integrations.

The bid team of the future: the perfect mix

A strong bid team combines several key skills: a leader who can motivate the team, project management to maintain structure, and an effective way to gather and utilise information about the contracting authority. Creativity is also crucial to differentiate your proposal.

Research from Harvard and Boston Consulting Group shows that bid teams that leverage AI effectively can produce up to 40% higher quality proposals. This makes AI proficiency a leading factor in the future success of your tenders. Invest in the right tools to support your team and ensure they are prepared for the challenges ahead.