Bid writing is changing fast, but the role isn’t disappearing. It’s expanding.

In an AI-enabled world, the biggest challenge for bid teams isn’t a lack of expertise. It’s getting the right expertise out of the business in a way that’s efficient, consistent, and sustainable.

In this Lunch & Learn, Leonie Thomas tackles one of the most persistent challenges in complex bids: securing high-quality stakeholder input without chasing, conflict, or burnout.

Leonie will share practical, experience-led approaches to interviewing, facilitation, and expectation-setting that improve the quality of bid content and the health of working relationships, helping bid teams deliver stronger responses with far less friction.

The session also draws on insights from the APMP UK Bid Writing Focus Group, where recurring challenges around SME engagement, contributor input, and bid team dynamics are being explored across the profession.

What you’ll learn in this session

• Why traditional stakeholder engagement approaches often break down
  
  
• Practical techniques for stronger stakeholder conversations and interviews
  
  
• How to improve the quality, consistency, and usability of contributor input
  
  
• How to reduce last-minute firefighting and avoidable tension during delivery
  
  
• Tools to protect time, boundaries, and working relationships in high-pressure bid environments
  
  

About the Speaker

Leonie Thomas is a freelance bid writer and mentor with 20+ years’ experience in work-winning. She specialises in high-value, complex bids across construction, infrastructure, engineering, and rail, helping teams shape strategy, clarify messaging, and produce evaluator-focused responses under pressure.

She also leads the APMP UK bid writer focus group and supports bid teams and writers through training, mentoring, and masterclasses designed to build confidence and capability.

‍Event details

When: Thursday, 26th February, 11:45–14:00
Where: Colony Fabrica, 269 Great Ancoats St, Greater, Manchester M4 7DB

Agenda:‍

11:45 – 12:30: Arrival, lunch and networking

12:30 – 13:30: Presentation and Q&A

13:30 – 14:00: Networking

‍Catering: Lunch included

This community Lunch & Learn is hosted by Altura, the full-cycle bid management platform that helps modern bid teams manage, create, and optimise proposals to win more complex deals.

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