Branding doesn’t have to slow you down. Learn how to embed creativity into your proposal process - fast, focused, and effective.

Branding isn’t just a design exercise, it’s a strategic tool that starts at capture. Discover how early branding shapes client perception and sets your bid apart.

Measuring and reporting social value is crucial for demonstrating your commitment and impact. Laurence Higgens shared his expertise on this topic during a recent briefing to the SP team. This blog provides practical tips for bid and proposal managers on how to effectively measure and report social value.​

Government contracts increasingly emphasise social value, making it a key factor in the bidding process. Laurence Higgens, a social value expert, discussed this trend in a recent briefing session with the SP team. This blog explores the role of social value in government contracts and provides tips for bid and proposal managers.​

Delivering social value in bids can be challenging, especially for organisations new to this concept. In a recent briefing to the SP team, Laurence Higgens shared his experiences and strategies for overcoming these challenges. This blog delves into his insights and offers practical advice for bid and proposal managers.

Have you ever wondered how the skills from journalism, public affairs, and ghost writing can elevate your proposal writing? These disciplines are not just about writing; they are about crafting a narrative, engaging the audience, and delivering a clear, concise message. Denise Mullen, our new team member, brings a wealth of experience from these fields, making her an invaluable asset to our proposal team.

The UK government's Procurement Act is in full swing and brings with it a significant emphasis on market engagement, recognising its critical role in ensuring successful procurement outcomes. This blog explores the details of the guidelines on market engagement and their implications for both bidders and buyers.

Delving in to the details of the new UK government KPI requirements. The UK government's Procurement Act introduces stringent guidelines on Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reporting, aiming to enhance transparency, accountability, and performance in public procurement. These guidelines require contracting authorities to set and publish at least three KPIs for public contracts with an estimated value of more than £5 million. This blog delves into the details of these requirements and their implications for bidders and buyers.

The UK government's Procurement Act introduces a significant shift from Model Award Criteria (MACs) to Missions, reflecting a broader political agenda aimed at driving economic growth, energy efficiency, and breaking down barriers to opportunity. This change necessitates a rethinking of bidding strategies to deliver real value and align with the new missions. Read more about it here: PPN 02. ​

Navigating the UK Government's AI guidelines: implications for bidders and buyers Read our views on the impact of PPN 017 on bidding into the UK public sector. The UK government's recent guidelines on AI transparency in procurement, outlined in PPN 017, targets ensuring ethical and responsible use of AI in public sector procurement. These guidelines aim to enhance transparency, accountability, and fairness in the use of AI technologies, which are increasingly becoming integral to procurement processes. They are a must read for those bidding in to the public sector.

In the ever-evolving landscape of bids and proposals, generative AI has emerged as a transformative force. To harness its potential effectively, it's crucial to adhere to a set of guiding principles that ensure its use is strategic, ethical, and aligned with business objectives. Drawing from the insights from a recent AI survey from our own research, here are the foundational principles for integrating generative AI into your bidding process:

Strategic Proposals is committed to staying at the forefront of innovation in proposal development, so we're exploring applications of AI in our proposal development process.

In today's competitive bidding landscape, social value has become a critical component for winning contracts. Laurence Higgens, a social value expert, recently shared his insights on this topic during a briefing given to the SP team. This blog explores the key points discussed and provides actionable advice for bid and proposal managers to help maximise evaluation scores in bids and make a real difference to the customer and their communities.​

The challenge for managers is to instil a culture of learning and adaptation, drawing lessons from past bids to refine future strategies. This process of reflection and analysis is crucial for evolving practices and staying ahead in a competitive landscape. ​

Leveraging technology is a game-changer in our world​. The challenge is like a surfer balancing on the top of an ever growing wave of tech. Staying on top of the wave and abreast of the latest tools and software is key to success and streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency. But that's easy said than done. Bid and proposal leaders and managers must navigate an ever-evolving tech landscape to find solutions that can give their teams (and wider groups of subject matter experts and sales) a competitive edge. ​

Building a collaborative team culture is a vital challenge for bid and proposal managers. According to our ProposalBenchmarker data, creating a positive team environment is one of the areas that sets the very best bidding organisations from the rest. It's the foundation upon which successful, winning proposals are built. A team that works well together, sharing knowledge and resources, is more likely to produce a winning bid. However, fostering this kind of cooperation and trust within a team is not always straightforward. ​

Resource coordination is a critical challenge in bid management, where managers must juggle conflicting priorities and finite resources. The ability to balance the demands of multiple bids, each with its own set of tasks and deadlines, is essential for ensuring that each proposal receives the attention it deserves. And by the way… if you can't give it the right level of attention – guess what – don't push it. No bid it. ​

Navigating the murky waters of ambiguity is a common challenge for bid and proposal managers. The task of managing uncertainty in client requirements or project scopes is daunting, as it can significantly impact the direction and quality of a proposal. Ambiguity can stem from vague project outlines, fluctuating market conditions, or unclear client expectations, leaving managers to make strategic decisions with incomplete information. ​

In the intricacies of bidding, every step, every move counts. But what happens when there's a missing link in the chain? Much like a strong metal chain, the strength of a bid lies not just in its individual components but in their connection, their seamless integration, creating an unbreakable sequence of strategies and tactics that leads to you winning. ​

Enhance proposals by applying product management principles: storytelling, personas, communication, and market insights.