As a recruitment agency looking to grow and take market share, you know it makes good business sense to retain an accountant and lawyers’ services. They provide expert advice to support your business.
So, why not retain a bid management company to do the same? No one would ever submit their year-end accounts without the accountant preparing them first. And that is the point; by law, you can’t. Unless you are trained and qualified, only an accountant can prepare and submit accounts.
Why treat a bid with any less significance or importance than your company accounts? Winning bids and tenders can add significant monetary value to any recruitment business.
I had this exact discussion with a client recently. They had a bid worth £15 million to them and would leave it with an untrained and unqualified person to prepare, write and submit the bid.
This conversation got me thinking about how little some businesses are prepared for current and upcoming bids simply because they do not prioritise them.
Everything is left to the last minute, and then there is a realisation that no one has the information, time or expertise. A bid can sometimes be the only information a client sees about you. You need to invest time and have the expertise at hand to present yourself in the best possible light. A bit like choosing the best accountant that suits your business.
However, everyone thinks ‘it can’t’ be that hard. I’ll do it at home over the weekend. It won’t take long at all!!!!’ Take the same attitude to your year-end accounts, and the taxman cometh.
Invest the time to engage and retain a bid management company. Don’t be surprised with the time and effort needed to write and prepare a bid, as it can be as unwelcome as a tax bill.