Bid Manager Facilities Management

Salary: £48,000 – £54,000 per year

Bid Manager Facilities Management – Home based UK – £40-45k plus benefits

My client is a leading IFM service provider who are urgently seeking a Bid Manager to add to their growing team in the UK. You need to have a track record as a bid manager working within the FM sector and preferably have international experience. You will be responsible for coordinating the bid function across Europe, compiling data and putting bid responses together. The role requires someone well organised with strong admin and communication skills.

Purpose of the Job

▪ To actively manage the tender process for medium and complex multi country/regional bids
▪ The Bid Manager will be tasked with effectively developing, implementing and utilizing standardized methods and tools to guide regional/local teams through tasks and activities to achieve highly productive, reliable, predictable and cost-effective client sales proposals.
▪ As such, this role will be responsible for organizing, coordinating and managing sales bids, this will include planning and coordination beginning from initial client targeting and research activities through the proposal stage, to the point of contract signature.
▪ Ensuring client and our bid framework procedures and governance are followed to deliver a compliant, compelling bid on time, and ensuring bid documentation is of a high standard, is clear, appropriate to the project, and communicates the agreed win strategies and win themes.

Characteristics

▪ May be required to work within specific budget restrictions on a bid by bid basis
▪ No direct reports, but co-ordinates sales teams, subject matter experts and other bid contributors
▪ International and/or multi country/regional experience – management of complexities, divergent interests, cultured in different geographies
▪ Higher volume of relationship management and at higher levels within the organisation to work effectively across borders
▪ Management across geographies

Context and main issues

▪ Is a key member of the bid project team for multi country/regional and high priority bids
▪ Champions the use of, and carries out all work in line with, the defined bid framework procedures, governance and processes
▪ Takes ownership for the end to end process, reporting back at each milestone and checkpoint
▪ Creates, issues and manages response templates; establishes the bid timetable
▪ Identifies and highlights risks, assumptions and opportunities within the tender processes
▪ Guides the bid project team to identify strategy, value proposition and win themes, and to develop solutions appropriate for the bid
▪ Drafts, controls and consolidates the bid response ensuring the structure complies with the client request
▪ Creation of content and bid writing is a key output of this role

Key responsibilities include:

▪ Oversee the end-to-end bid management process for medium/large-scale regional business development opportunities
▪ Manage multiple ongoing bids to client timelines, directing the various bid teams’ activities on a day to day basis.
▪ Establish program management for each bid, then own and run the bid and co-ordinate the work of the bid team. Organize and chair regular bid team meetings.
▪ Follow the internal bid approval process; ensure governance effectively provides the decision-making support needed for the bid process.
▪ Identify, analyze, track, manage, escalate, and resolve risks that impact the bid team’s ability to meet the client timelines and/or requirements.
▪ Act as a single point of contact for all problem solving and internal clarification questions.
▪ Co-ordinate with other administration teams, such as HR, legal, finance, and bid production.
▪ Monitor and report progress against each line of the bid plan/timetable. Consult regularly with leadership and keep stakeholders up to date on project status, changes, and potential issues and resolutions.
▪ Assist with the development of the go-to-market strategy for each bid. Work with sales, operations and finance teams to architect solutions that meet clients’ needs as well as ours. Challenge the bid team to continually rethink and refine these strategies to address client needs and evolving market dynamics.
▪ Oversee the development of the response for RFIs, RFPs, Yellow Pads, individual site solutions, and other client communications as part of the bid process. Populate standard answers, guide subject matter experts in the development of their assigned responses, and author certain answers that do not currently exist anywhere inside the organisation.
▪ Manage and grow relationships with internal stakeholders across the operating countries.
▪ Act as liaison with external client stakeholders during the bid process (including consultants, client sourcing and senior personnel) from initial receipt of bid documents through bid submittal, on-site presentation sessions and follow up activities.
▪ Ensure that all the necessary management reviews are carried out during the bid process and they are attended by the appropriate people with the necessary information.
▪ Arrange post bid/lessons learnt reviews and implement resulting actions
▪ Be professional in communications with all employees, clients and customers and ensure that confidentiality of information is maintained
▪ Ensure consistently high standards are maintained in all bid response documentation and sales materials through use of templates, and thorough content reviews including proofreading and formatting checks
▪ Work with segment sales teams to identify, populate and maintain segment specific bid content within the content library to ensure appropriate materials are available for use in all bids. Also, provide constructive feedback on centrally managed library content.
▪ Support the development and refinement of the bid framework tools and processes by providing feedback and ideas and taking an active role in bid management professional family meetings

Accountabilities

▪ All client requirements including the bid submission are responded to within the required timeframes
▪ The defined bid framework tools and processes are followed by all bid team members throughout the bid
▪ Bid submissions are compliant with client requirements and are compelling, hang together as a concept, clearly articulating winning strategies, win themes and the solution
▪ Bids are well planned with responsibilities, expectations and timescales made clear to all stakeholders
▪ Bids are thoroughly reviewed prior to submission

Person Specification

▪ Of graduate caliber ideally allied to the areas of FM, PFI/PPP, Business, Sales or Marketing; alternatively, 5 years’ experience within a bidding environment.
▪ Fluent English and other European language(s).
▪ Excellent presentation, verbal and written communication skills
▪ Ability to participate effectively in business development teams in both strategic and tactical methods.
▪ Computer literate: Microsoft Office including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Project and Sales/Marketing Tools.
▪ Excellent motivational skills, with an ability to motivate and direct a remote team, including Senior Executive leaders, many of whom will not be based in the same office and are not direct reports.
▪ Ability to create, analyze and interpret contractual, financial, technical and operational data. Able to understand the principles and key themes/messages from a solution and ensure this is translated throughout the various communications during the bid process.
▪ Ability to plan, prioritize, and organize in a high-pressure, time-sensitive environment. Have a high level of management ability and awareness of customer focus. Able to understand and apply contemporary technology and techniques to improve deliverables.
▪ Awareness of critical market trends. The ability to leverage market and industry research into actionable intelligence; convert findings into applied, specific information and suggestions that add value to sales strategy and client value proposition development.
▪ Knowledge of our go-to-market strategy, position in the marketplace and the comparative strengths and weaknesses of competitors’ services and/or products, and the ability to apply this understanding to new business opportunities.
▪ Sound experience and good understanding of proposal production for large-scale bids.
▪ Proven negotiating and influencing skills.
▪ The ideal candidate will have a high level of project management experience, an understanding of practices and structure, the ability to draw upon global resources, and be able to work independently.
Please note: the role will require a flexible approach to working patterns

Competencies

▪ Customer Focus
▪ Business Insight
▪ Cultivates Innovation
▪ Drives Results
▪ Manages Ambiguity
▪ Nimble Learning
▪ Being Resilient
▪ Communicates Effectively
▪ Collaboration
▪ Persuades
▪ Ensures Accountability