Don t fail the client s test

Don't fail the client's test

The bid specification ought to be the outcome of a structured process of project design, through which the client organization defines its requirements correctly, identifies the objectives of the contract unambiguously and gauges the practical demands of the work accurately. You will not need reminding that this is not always the case, and at times you may be justified in complaining that the information coming from the client is vague, imprecise and incomplete. But contractors often fail to appreciate that, when clients invite them to prepare a competitive bid, they are not just asking for a list of services and personnel and a price quotation: they are also setting up a test of approaches and ideas.

An essential part of this test is seeing which, if any, of the bidders has a really perceptive understanding of the client's situation and requirements, and can offer fresh ideas and creativity. In a competitive arena it is not in the client's interests to do the bidders' thinking for them. It is unreasonable to expect the client to tell you everything there is to know about the context of the work: you have to contribute research and intelligence of your own. The client's specification should be regarded as the minimum that bidders are expected to know. Marks are never awarded simply for quoting the client's words verbatim, which after all does no more than show that the people who prepared the bid can read. The challenge lies in applying your insight, ideas and experience in a distinctive way that establishes the benefits that you and only you can bring the client.