You might have stumbled across this article because you’re interested in acquiring bid management support (BMS).
When it comes to BMS, broadly speaking, you’ve got two options; you can either hire freelance support or contract a bid management company. Now, the astute readers amongst us will probably guess where this article is going. “Contracts Advance Advisory (CAA) weighing up freelance support versus company support? There can only be one outcome!”. Well, yes, but for good reason. Let’s explore why…
1) There’s no such thing as a sphinx
In order to put together a compelling bid response, you’re going to need bid managers and bid writers in your locker. Stay well clear of any freelancer than tells you they’re the complete package. Like the sphinx, these people do not exist – or at least won’t be at the level you’d want to hire if you want to give yourself the best chance of winning an opportunity. The skillsets of these roles are totally different but utterly intrinsic to producing a high-quality bid submission. So now you’ve realised you need a bid writer and bid manager. How are you going to ensure they’ll synergise? How are you going to ensure they’re both available at the same time? These are questions that may dictate which freelancers you use. A concern that disappears in contracting support from a bid management company, like CAA.
2) Governance
A significant advantage in contracting a bid management company over freelance agents can be summed up in one word. Governance. When dealing with freelance agents, you’ll be responsible for ensuring/managing; process, standards/quality, relationships. When dealing with a bid management company, like CAA, we’ll do all that for you. We ensure our bid managers and writers conform to our best-practice standards so you can be sure you receive the same exemplary CAA standard every. single. time. Our associates work almost exclusively for CAA and our internal communications ensure that everyone works in synergy. To give you some proof, from July 2019 – January 2020, CAA did not lose an opportunity it managed on behalf of a client, winning 19/19 opportunities. Would it be too bold to challenge a freelancer to achieve such a feat?
3) Bid think-tank
When you hire the support of a freelancer, you get one brain. When you contract a bid management company, you get many brains. Why? Because bid management companies pool ideas and know-how. The value of this cannot be understated or replicated with freelance. When you’re next looking to contract additional support, consider this; would you rather employ an individual or an individual with access to a bid think-tank? I know which I’d choose.
Sam Darragh
Assistant Consultant
January 2020