How Technology is changing Bidding

How Technology is it changing Bidding. And what’s to come...

Alex King, Sales & Marketing DirectorAmplio Software

Mitie Facilities Services LtdTuesday 20th May 2014

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Agenda

1. Welcome and Speaker Introduction2. Presentation – Technology - how is it changing the

way that bid teams work?

3. Questions

4. Future Events

5. APMP Updates

6. Networking

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Presenting the results of our bid technology survey:

Alex KingSales & Marketing Director,

Amplio Software

Tweet: @AmplioSoftware

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Fact: In 1214 Genghis Kahn breached defensive fortification 13,170 miles long. Known as the Great Wall of China…

… He bribed a guard to open the gates…

Lesson: Even in 1214, people were the critical link in the success of technology

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Does tonight's audience match our survey?

We surveyed 178 bid professionals to produce the data in this presentation

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Over half of the respondents came from:1) IT &

Software2) Consultancy3) Telecoms 4) Defence 5) Construction

Does this match our audience tonight?

What industry do you work in?

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64% of respondents are Bid Managers or Bid Directors.

Does this match our audience tonight?

What do you do?

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The current state of bids & technology

Is there such thing as a standard tool-kit for a bid manager? What benefits have bid teams gained? Have the changes been positive or negative?

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There are 4 tools that over 70% of respondents say they already have:1) A pipeline of

bids2) A database of

best practice examples

3) A library of past bid-text

4) A shared bid environment

This is our bid managers ‘standard kit’!

What do you do?

1) Electronic submission saves time we used to spend printing

2) Our teams are more geographically diverse

3) Our costs per bid have reduced

4) Our percentage of bids won has improved

5) We respond to more tenders

6) We respond to tenders in new countries

7) Our internal bid processes have become more efficient

8) We have better information management when producing a bid

9) It is easier to retrieve past bid data

10) We have better competitive intelligence

What benefits have bid teams experienced?

10 © 2014 Amplio Software

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There is a disconnect between the benefits claimed and reported…

Only 21% of companies said their costs per bid have reducedOnly 18% said their win rate had increased

What benefits have bid teams experienced?

However, 56% said that changes in the last 3 years had been generally positive. The most common answer was that there were a mixture of positives & negatives (41%)

© 2014 Amplio Software12

Comments from respondents

“things that make it more challenging are submitting hard copies as well as online submissions”

“Clients don't change their behaviour - they expect both electronic & paper copies, meaning we have to put in a lot more work to meet their needs”

“Apparent cost savings from technology will provide excuses for higher activity rates at the expense of qualification and better bid decisions”

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Summary: The current state of bids & technology

Is there such thing as a standard tool-kit for a bid manager?

Yes, there are 4 tools most bid managers have.What benefits have bid teams gained?

Information sharing has improved but win rates have notHave the changes been positive or negative?

Generally positive but a mixed response from most people

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The future state of bids & technology

What do people want to see more automated? What would have the quickest impact on bid performance?

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First we asked which bidding tasks would benefit from more automation…

…We compared this to the things people said would have the quickest improvement on bid performance

What you want to see automated

Note: Capture Management was ranked the 4th lowest task

1. Better qualification during Bid/ No Bid decisions 2. Better customer engagement in the capture phase 3. Better competitive intelligence 4. Better pricing decisions 5. Improved efficiency of bid reviews 6. Improving the quality of bid writing 7. Forming bid teams earlier 8. More senior management support to bids 9. Increased bid budgets

Quickest improvement on bid performance?


Better qualification during Bid/ No Bid decisions - 51%Better customer engagement in the capture phase - 45%Better competitive intelligence - 39% Better pricing decisions - 36% Improved efficiency of bid reviews - 35%Improving the quality of bid writing - 34% Forming bid teams earlier - 32%More senior management support to bids - 30% Increased bid budgets - 15%

Quickest improvement on bid performance?


Pre-BidPre-BidEarly in Bid PhaseDuring BidDuring BidDuring BidEarly in Bid PhaseDuring BidPre-Bid

Bid Pricing Decisions varied significantly depending on industry. 91% of Aerospace & Defence ranked it highly. Whilst only 27% from Services & Outsourcing said the same.

Bid team want tools that…

Bid Plan Scheduling Competitive Intelligence Cost Estimation

They believe the biggest improvements would be from…

Better Bid / No Bid Decisions More Capture Phase work Better Competitive Intelligence


Discussion Point

Is it the case that the current tools make us more efficient at bidding… but most of our problems occur before we start bidding? If so, are tools limited in how much they can affect win rate?

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Summary: The future state of bids & technology

What do people want to see more automated?

Bid Plan Scheduling, Competitive Intelligence & Cost EstimationWhat would have the quickest impact on bid performance?

Bid / No Bid Decisions, More Capture Phase engagement, better Competitive Intelligence

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What changes need to happen?

…


At Amplio, we recognise at least 10 different types of bid automation tools

The tools are generally stand alone and do not yet integrate fluidly

Types of Tools available

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Digitisation of the Finance Function

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Digitisation of the Finance Function


Big Data could be revolutionary to competitive intelligence

It requires a change of mind-set from ‘why’ to ‘what’

Big Data


This Big Data example from Mail Chimp showed that more emails are opened at 3:45pm than 9am

However, the data gives no explanation why

Big Data Example

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Summary: What changes need to happen?

New Technologies will enable greater benefits (e.g. Big Data)The Sales & Marketing function will develop more common standardsThese common standards will enable more integrated tool-sets

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What is in the way of change?

What are the end users most concerned about when adopting new technology?What stops organisations investing in more technology?

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Most users are concerned about the benefits & implementation of new technology…

… Most users do not believe the underlying concepts are flawed

User concerns

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Uncertainty over benefits actually tops ‘lack of budget’ for the most common barrier…

…In a 2011 Shipley Survey; only 51% of companies were confident they knew how much they spent bidding!

Barriers to investment

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Summary: What is in the way of change?

What are the end users most concerned about when adopting new technology?

Lack of benefits, linked to implementation, and cultural change What stops organisations investing in more technology?

Uncertainty over benefits & lack of budget – but are they linked?

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QUESTIONS:

A write-up of the full results & tonight's comments will be added to my blog:

www.ampliosoftware.com/blog

http://www.ampliosoftware.com/blog

www.apmp.org www.ukapmp.co.uk© APMPUK Limited 32

APMP Top Member Benefits

Professionals join the APMP to be a part of a community and to take

advantage of the association’s benefits.

Our members tell us the top five benefits they value most…


The #1 Benefit: APMP Certification

Professional Certification Programme

Level Industry Position Career Position

Foundation Starting point for professional growth Proposal professional with 1 to 3 years experience

Practitioner Extensive knowledge of best practices, demonstrated through rigorous, detailed assessment of experience and mastery of applying an expanded set of competencies

Experienced proposal professional with 3 or more years in profession

Professional Advocate and thought leader in their organisations

Senior proposal professional and BD professional with 7+ years of experience


The #2 Benefit: Knowledge sharing

APMP’s website, www.apmp.org is an electronic library featuring hundreds of archived presentations, articles, and templates that demonstrate best practices in the workplace

http://www.apmp.org/


The #3 Benefit: Annual UK Conference & Awards

Themed 2-days

Inspirational speakers

Training

Case studies

Prestigious awards and black-tie awards ceremony


The #4 Benefit: APMP Publications

APMP has three publications:

The APMP Journal

The Reporter is the official e-news weekly

The Perspective an electronic quarterly newsletter

http://www.apmp.org/?page=PerspectiveHome


The #5 Benefit: Chapter Events

The UK Chapter hosts over 15 networking and speaker events annually, covering topics of strategic importance to bid professionals.

Wednesday 11th June in London

Courageous Insights – Winning Bids

John Iland from VCE Global at Tata Communications, Old Bailey

Tuesday 1st July at the Royal Ascot Golf Club

SUMMER BARBECUE and ROOM 101… FOR BIDS run by Jon Williams

And in Autumn… important stuff for those targeting public sector contracts: procurement rule changes made simple

'The premier personal development event for the bid & proposal professional‘

• APMP UK’s Skills Development Summit dates announced for 21-23 October• DAY 1: Three certification courses DAY 2 & 3: 25 speaker sessions and

workshops• Tickets for one and two day packages now available. For more than five

delegates attending both days, including the Awards dinner, please contact Heather Bennett at [email protected] for a quotation.

• Four top quality keynote speakers including Professor Lord Winston, IVF pioneer and leading broadcaster on science and Michelle Mone OBE, founder of international lingerie brand Ultimo and voted the most powerful woman in business

• Tickets held at previous years’ prices • Black Tie Awards & Networking Dinner• Prime location venue with hotel offering APMP UK discounted room rates• 10% Launch Discount available until 31st May – book now to receive the full

discount

MORE INFO : www.conference2014.apmpuk.co.uk

mailto:[email protected]

http://conference2014.apmpuk.co.uk/

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The UK Chapter of APMP is a non profit organisation run by voluntary members. Any person willing to dedicate some of their time and ‘get involved’ is asked to contact one of the Chapter Officers (details on our website).

Contact details:

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How Technology is changing Bidding