We love Spring. Everything feels brighter, and it’s a season that quietly invites change. In bid world it’s easy to fall into familiar patterns. Reusing and reworking what you’ve written before is tempting. But like Spring we see each bid and every question as an opportunity to grow. Growth can feel uncomfortable. But so [...]
It’s a familiar pattern in bid teams. The ITT lands and someone says, ‘we’ve done this before’. Same sector, similar scope, familiar questions. That’s usually when thinking starts to narrow. You move quickly to win themes. You assume you know what the client will care about. The bid isn’t rushed. It’s structured and professional [...]
The world of bidding isn’t always easy. It can be intense, demanding, and make you want to tear your hair out. But, there is so much more to love than hate in the world of bidding. As Valentine’s day approaches, we’re reminding ourselves of what we love about the world of bids. Creating new [...]
Another series of ‘The Traitors’ has finished, and this time - spoiler alert - a couple of Traitors won. Not by dominating the Round Table, but by reading the room, knowing when to speak, when to stay quiet, and when to reach for a shield. All of this sounds so similar to ‘the world [...]
Great bids rarely start when the ITT lands. They start earlier, in the quiet. When others are taking it easy, long before anything’s been written, it’s time to get ready. Chefs have a name for this: mise en place. Everything in its place before the heat goes on. It isn’t about being tidy for the [...]
Bidding is a bit like surfing, you need to enjoy riding the waves when they come and embrace the calm of waiting for the next set to roll-in. When it’s busy in bid world you need to get organised fast. Mobilise your team, build momentum through early bid strategy and answer plan sessions and get everyone [...]
Who’d have thought actors and musicians weren’t the only ones putting on a show? Bid teams do it all the time. (Usually) without the applause or the costumes. At ShineX, we often say bidding is equal parts art and science. The science is fairly obvious: process, compliance, deadlines etc. The art is trickier. It [...]
Winning requires the perfect blend of reality and fresh thinking. Stay stuck in the “real world” and you’ll get bogged down in the challenges, limit what you propose and you end up playing it too safe. Jump too far into “bid world” and you’ll be glossy promises with no substance. The magic happens in [...]
