BidWrite

Brisbane Principal Consultant David Harvey had a fantastic night meeting and presenting to Queensland Leaders Pty Ltd alumni last week.

David shared his insights on how to shift tendering work-winning practices from a reactive to an intentional mode. His key message was that although it feels natural to seize an emerging opportunity with both hands, there are key things you need to know, and do, to ensure you have the right mindset and best chance of success – before you begin.

Our thanks to Queensland Leaders for the invitation, and for hosting such a great evening.

Knowing how Brisbane 2032 intends to conduct its procurement is vital if you want to win the once-in-a-generation contracts that will help support the delivery of this global event.

At the recent Queensland Government Small Business Expo, Principal Consultant David Harvey and Senior Consultant Nicole Coleman's interest was piqued by a presentation from Rob McRuvie, Director of Procurement for Brisbane 2032.

This led to them documenting three procurement derived insights for suppliers bidding for Games contracts. Read the full blog to discover the path ahead and as a supplier, what you should focus on to be competition ready: https://ap1.hubs.ly/H016GXQ0

Let’s see what really makes our Bid Academy's two comprehensive tender training programs unique.

𝗕𝗶𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 casts a wide net. Covering the full bid lifecycle over 12 modules, you'll learn everything from how bid metrics provide visibility over the performance of your bidding function, right through to developing a winning story, selling your value through persuasive content, the power of good graphics, and closing the deal.
📩 Request your info pack to receive a breakdown of your learning outcomes https://ap1.hubs.ly/H0160Gw0
🛒 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬 https://ap1.hubs.ly/H0160s70

𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗶𝗱 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 is a very focused deep-dive into the craft of writing bids. Across 9 modules, you'll be guided through the techniques needed to turn complex information into clear, persuasive and compelling bid responses. Step-by-step, you’ll learn how to sell your solution through better writing.
📩 Request your info pack to receive breakdown of your learning outcomes https://ap1.hubs.ly/H0160FC0
🛒 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟵 https://ap1.hubs.ly/H0160s80

Both programs harness decades of bidding experience and are led by some of Australia’s most experienced tendering professionals. Along the way you’ll also benefit from sharing knowledge and experience with a cohort of professional peers.

If you're still unsure about which program suits you, our Bid Academy coaches are happy to help. Book a discovery call on our website - https://ap1.hubs.ly/H0160s90

Bid Solutions' 25th Bidding Quarterly edition, Frictionless — The Stakeholder Issue, provides an antidote to the 'us vs them' sentiment that can develop as bidders try to manage inputs from the many stakeholders needed to contribute to a successful bid.

In his contribution to this issue, 'Stakeholders, Seagulls and Survival', Nigel Dennis advises that clarity and a calm process beats heroic chaos every time.

You can read Nigel's article and the full BQ25 magazine here ➡️ https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0-3Hm0
Or, read Nigel's article on our website here ➡️ https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0-3-S0

Congratulations to our five newly APMP Foundation certified professionals pictured below!

Last week, Nigel Dennis had the pleasure of training and welcoming this cohort to the APMP certified community.

This group now joins hundreds of others across Asia Pacific who have completed their APMP Foundation training through our Bid Academy.

We're thrilled for this group and are certain their new skills will bring immense value to their careers and their organisations' pursuit of winning valuable tendered work.

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗣𝗠𝗣 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶? Head to our Bid Academy website for more information about our APMP Foundation workshop and to join an upcoming intake 👉 https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0Z3WV0

If you supply goods and services to Government buyers, you’ll often see calls for feedback on new policy frameworks or service delivery models. Senior Consultant Shelley Spiker recommends this as 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 — 𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱.

If there’s an opportunity for consultation and you have something meaningful to contribute — take it. But how do you ensure your feedback’s is more than just noise?

🎯 𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲
Don’t respond to everything just to boost brand recognition. Choose the topics where your expertise truly moves the needle.

💡 𝗘𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆
Demonstrate quickly why the issue matters to your organisation and your customers. Articulating why builds immediate credibility with policy makers.

🔍 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀
Your input should focus on the Department's desired outcomes. It's about solving their problems, not pitching your services.

📈 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
If you believe a policy should operate in a certain way, prove it. Use statistics, case studies and real-world examples to translate your opinion into evidence-based feedback.

By engaging early to help shape policy, you aren't waiting for a tender to arrive — you're helping define the requirements you'll eventually be responding to. This gives you a significant head start when the formal bidding process begins.

𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘴, 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘉𝘪𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳: https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0YSFQ0

The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a once-in-a-generation, legacy-building opportunity for local organisations. But with thousands already vying for the many opportunities published to date, the competition is far from "business as usual."

Winning gold on this global stage requires more than just a compliant bid. It takes discipline, planning, and investment. To stand out, you need to start with a focus on building the strategic foundations of a winning campaign.

In our latest blog, BidWrite Principal Consultant David Harvey details how to navigate this complex landscape through the lens of our Three Cs framework.

If you want to know how to apply the Three Cs to your own Olympic pursuit, 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 👉 https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0Y2P60

Earlier this week, Brisbane-based David Harvey and Nicole Coleman attended the Queensland Small Business Expo.

The day comprised a collection of insightful sessions delivered from the likes of the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Queensland Government Procurement, and the Department of State Development and Infrastructure and Planning.

As a business whose purpose is to help others succeed, the clear message we took away is that small business has a vital role to play in Queensland’s future, especially the delivery of the Brisbane 2032 Games.

But that opportunity comes with a caveat… it will favour those who are prepared.

𝘚𝘰, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦?

1️⃣ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆: Read the latest Queensland Procurement Policy and register into the various procurement portals commonly used by QLD buyers, for example Gateway by ICN, QTenders, and VendorPanel. Seeing real opportunities gives you a real-time view of what’s happening in your market, as well as visibility of what’s on the horizon.

2️⃣ 𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Winning government work helps build the proof points needed to win larger and higher profile contracts. Improve your chances of getting your foot in the door by being clear about the benefits and discriminators of your goods/services, and quantifying both your performance and the benefits generated for others.

3️⃣ 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Another clear message from the day was that many tender responses don’t meet the mark and get excluded early. The remedy? Tap into the range of free Qld Gov resources available or seek assistance and training from bidding experts – it’s their ‘day job’ after all.

The Queensland Small Business Expo proved that there is very real and very significant opportunity for small business – and a lot of support – right across Queensland. The opportunity is there. Now is the time to get ready!

The BidWrite team had a fun-packed few days at the APMP ANZ Chapter Conference in Melbourne last week! A thousand thank yous to the Chapter for their enormous efforts organising this fantastic event.

It marked our 6th time supporting the APMP ANZ Chapter as a core conference sponsor. We’re very proud to contribute to the growth of the chapter and our team jumped at every chance possible to support this event.

Here's a look at what the BidWrite team got up to 👀

🎓Thanks to the 11 professionals who joined one of our two in-person APMP certification workshops held prior to the conference. BidWrite Director and Bid Academy Coach Nigel Dennis started the day delivering APMP Practitioner training and in the afternoon — a Bid Academy first — delivered the new APMP AI Micro-Certification. Congratulations to all AI Micro-Certification participants for passing their exams and we wish the best of luck to Practitioner participants when they complete their exam at a later date.

🤝Thank you to all the friendly faces who stopped by the BidWrite booth to say hi to our Melbourne team, grab a stress busting fidget spinner and offer an answer to the question "What's a bidding skill you have that's difficult for AI to replace?" Our team really enjoyed discovering how bidding professionals use AI in their roles, hearing the perspectives shared and theorising about what this means for the future of bidding.

🎤As well as supporting the opening address for APMP members and MCing the awards ceremony, Nigel Dennis inspired members to imagine what the future of bidding could look like. In his session, Nigel looked back at our profession's journey to date and how key innovations have shaped our work along the way. With AI innovation front of mind of all attendees, Nigel tapped into his 30+ years' experience to propose his futuristic vision of a day in the life of a bid team.

🎤Managing Consultant Jas Menzies facilitated a panel exploring neurodiversity in the workplace. Jas, alongside BidWrite Bid Consultant Zoe Simpson and two other panellists, dove into real stories and statistics on how neurodiversity is often masked in the workplace and offered bid professionals practical ways they can show up for neuro-diverse team members at work.

Phew! The conference was certainly value-packed and absolutely nailed its brief. A final shout out to Essential Experiences for all their hard work in delivering such a great event.

Congratulations to our latest graduates from Bid Academy's Certified Bid Writer program!

Academy coaches Nigel Dennis and Shelley Spiker loved teaching the cohort, and were especially delighted to receive this fantastic feedback from Bernadette Paje, Bid Manager at WSP:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘪𝘥 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘌𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘪𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴.

𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨-𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭. 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴.

𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘉𝘪𝘥 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘥-𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬-𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴.”

It’s great to hear that our graduates feel so well-prepared to apply their new skills, and to know that these work-winning skills will make a difference not only for their careers, but for the organisations that are lucky to have them onboard.

If you want to take your tender writing skills to the next level, 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗶𝗱 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟭𝟮 𝗠𝗮𝘆 ➡️ https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0PG0H0