The die is cast

We all know that bid management is both an art and a science. But did you know it can also be an exercise in contortion? If you don’t believe me, try managing a major bid from your bed – with your leg in a cast! Which is precisely what M-IT Mthombo's bid manager Izane Cloete had to do when I visited her. A simple fall down two teensy weensy steps resulted in an operation, leaving her with a metal plate and five screws permanently implanted in her fibula and more pain than any living human being should ever be subjected to. Oh yes, and an unfinished bid response.

At risk review meetings it is often (flippantly) discussed what one would do when the proverbial Putco bus - or any other large lethal vehicle, for that matter - runs over a key member of a bid team. The conclusion is usually that “We will make it work, if it happens.” And now, I can unequivocally state that they did make it work. From the chief solution architect making house calls to the MD’s Executive Assistant stepping in as bid administrator – they made it work. One bid response packed, wrapped and delivered on time. Now, of course, they wait for the super-fast wheels of government to turn out a decision.

Now that you know that risks to a bid team are real; especially if your bid resources are limited, what can you do about mitigating them? Here’s what worked for M-IT:

1. Policies and procedures:  Follow strict but user-friendly policies and procedures for bid management. Keep bids centrally stored on a secure server where they are accessible to all the bid team members. Make daily offline backups part of the success formula. Teach the team the filing conventions so that they can easily access what they are looking for.
2. Culture: Don't keep progress (or problems) to yourselves – share with the team to encourage creative solutions. Trust each other to step in when needed. Know that you can rely on each other as you have a common goal.
3. Into the deep end: And of course, there is the fire test. You will never know what your team is capable of until you put them to the test.
   

Each bid team is different. Some have massive resources and capacity, others don’t. Whatever your size and capabilities, I hope you have the right measures in place to handle a potentially disastrous situation with the same finesse that they did. Well done M-IT!