This article first appeared in Bid Solutions’ Bidding Quarterly periodical in November 2023. I found it a wonderful challenge to pivot into bid consultancy after 20 years’ civil engineering and business development, and it’s been a privilege to support clients’ bids for the 11 years since. Martin’s announcement of the theme for BQ17 had me […]
Holger Garden
♫ Chain, Keep Us Together ♫
This article first appeared in Bid Solutions’ Bidding Quarterly periodical in July 2024. That line from the chorus of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain reminds me of a procuring customer’s remark: “We have to pull the market for solutions that pull us in the right direction.” I like the notion of the bid process being a […]
“We’re All in This Together”, High School Musical
This article first appeared in Bid Solutions’ Bidding Quarterly periodical in November 2024. Bid teams work hard to create proposals set on the stage of logical reasons why theirs is the best show in town, often recruiting freelance team members who bring a firm grasp of how to integrate seamlessly. I ask myself key questions […]
A Thousand Splendid Nones
This article first appeared in Bid Solutions’ Bidding Quarterly periodical in July 2025. In BQ19 I referred to the bid lifecycle as a value chain, using the metaphor of the chain pulled tight so each link (process step) works to full potential. Healthy tension aligns process steps with the team goal, generating maximum value. But […]
Using AI to Buy Back Thinking Time in Bidding
This article first appeared in Bid Solutions’ Bidding Quarterly periodical in February 2026. The informative articles in Bidding Quarterly 3, 15 and 23 gave us great background to AI in bidding. In my applications of AI, using Blue Edge AI (bid-specific platform), ChatGPT, and Copilot, I’ve benefited from rapid bid document interrogation and subject matter […]
Taking A Steer From Coaching: 35 Questions For Self Development
You’re busy addressing others’ priorities, but what about your own? In the bidding world, we spend our time helping others to achieve their goals – e.g. a bid writer supporting her / his client to prepare a winning bid so that the organisation can deliver products and / or services to enable the end client […]
Preparing For Your Bid Presentations in 2018
An important part of the bidding process is the step after you submit your knock-out tender, when you deliver your post-tender presentation. This is when your client’s decision makers will be even more convinced of your credibility for the job, or left with doubt about how realistic your tender promises were. When preparing presentations to […]
Show Your Public Sector Client That Your Bid’s The Best
The rock and the hard place for the procurement team Public sector procurement teams find themselves in the difficult position of having to balance economic austerity and the ever-increasing wave of outsourced services. While fidgeting for comfort in that usually uncomfortable place, they have to deliver strategies founded on increasing value for money and quality, […]
Make Bid Assessment Easier for Your Clients
The woes of an overloaded bid assessor “Some poor soul has to read all this!” We’ve heard that – and more colourful versions – said by members of bid teams several times over the years, referring to the numerous pages of documents submitted to clients. If a writer perceives a reader as having to ‘wade’ […]
Writing Concisely In 2015
Less is more Happy new year, everyone! We’re now well and truly ‘in the swing’ of 2015 and I’ve seen the expected wave of new year’s resolutions from people determined to lose weight, stop smoking, eat less unhealthy food and various other excellent changes aimed at achieving admirable goals. The issue with saying we want […]