Maintaining Bid Records

Developing even a straightforward bid can mean that you accumulate a mass of disparate information about the client, the contract and its context - faxes and e-mails, documents of all kinds, notes of meetings jotted down on scraps of paper, contact details entered into diaries and organizers, not to mention the knowledge that never gets written down but survives perilously in your memory. All this information may be highly relevant, but the next time you need to prepare a bid for the client, will it be readily to hand to make the task easier? Not unless you have a system for recording and managing the information and a means of storing it conveniently and securely.

Small-scale bids may call for nothing more sophisticated than a box file or card index. Complex tenders may require a database solution such as FileMaker Pro. The important point is to keep bid information in a structured form that allows immediate access and avoids the need to repeat basic research. That is the purpose of the bid record shown in Figure 8.3. It attempts to be comprehensive and so may look too daunting for everyday use; but it can be pared down to include only essential categories of information. The record can be supplemented by an archive of related information such as material gathered from marketing research and intelligence, plans and statistical reports, corporate documentation, etc. Records of bids for work overseas may involve the addition of further data entries, eg time zone information and visa requirements.

Office use	Project log no. File reference Date project registered Date file opened Manager responsible
Client data	Country / region Client title / department Client address and communication data (e-mail / fax / phone) Client contacts Past ref. / file nos. Regional / local material held Bid invitation: date received / acknowledged
Project data	Project outline (2 lines) Funding details (if applicable) Estimated duration Estimated start date Work location(s) Revenue assessment
Management data	Partner / Director / Associate responsible Bid manager Bid planning meeting: date Bid development worksheet? Bid response matrix? Quality management procedure Designated team leader Bid cost assessment Bid cost outturn
Submission data	Deadline: date / time Submission address Delivery action: mode and responsibility Fallback procedure
Association data	Associate(s) and contact data Subconsultants and contact data Lead firm
Research and intelligence	Project / client research: personnel Contacts / sources
Visit data	Date(s) Personnel on visit Visit leader Accommodation details and contact data Debriefing Visit notes received
Team data	Team structure: outline / agreed Team inputs and rates: agreed CVs: draft, editing, checked, agreed (signature?)
Text data	Transmittal letter: person responsible / draft / review / agreed Technical text: person(s) responsible / draft / review / agreed Summary: person responsible / draft / review / agreed Financial information: person responsible / draft / review / agreed
Graphics data	List of graphics Cover graphics: person responsible / draft / review / agreed Charts: person responsible / draft / review / agreed Photographs Graphics printing Printing details
Production data	Format: hard copy / electronic Word processing and illustration: person responsible / draft / review / agreed Design and page layout: person responsible / draft / review / agreed Hard copy covers Production control check: person responsible Binding / disk production Print order Distribution: client / internal Supply for delivery

Figure 8.3: Outline of a Bid Record, Showing Principal Categories of Information