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The draft of the British Standards Institute specification document for bid and proposal management was issued in early April 2023. Sponsored by the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) and written by Bid Craft Limited, in conjunction with a number of organisations, including the Local Government Association, BSI PAS360 (Bid and Proposal Management – Code of Practice) is an exciting step towards the creation of a worldwide industry standard. By defining good practice specifically for the Bid and Proposal Management industry, it is a powerful way to establish integrity throughout the profession.

BidCraft’s Founder and MD Jon Darby commented:

“What started as an idea scribbled on a whiteboard has become a major new reality for the whole bid and proposal profession.

We saw a gap that we quickly realised would benefit everyone – bidders, buyers, industry, and government.”

Closely aligned with the APMP Body of Knowledge, widely regarded as the ‘gold standard’ of bidding practice, BSI PAS360 aims to benefit organisations engaging in bid and proposal management by providing guidelines for businesses to help them to establish an effective bid function with their own clear processes to increase their likelihood of winning the contracts they submit proposals for. It is not intended to recommend proprietary methodologies, processes, or techniques an organisation implements as part of its bid and proposal management practices.

Once complete, the BSI-produced standards will be used to petition the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) for their approval of the bid and proposal standard in the United States.

An essential part of the business delivery lifecycle

The proposed standard highlights the importance of the bid and proposal management process as part of the wider business delivery lifecycle and outlines the 5 pillars of bid and proposal management:

  1. Leadership and the essential buy-in from the organisation in relation to the bid and proposal management vision, both in a wider context and in relation to individual opportunities
  2. Governance within an organisation and how it works with other business functions
  3. Practices defining the stages and milestones delivered by bid and proposal management
  4. Information gathering
  5. Capability with regards to roles and responsibilities within the bid management function and the type of skills, knowledge, and experience needed to best support the team

 

Recognition across all sectors

A key element of the document is that it is intended for use by all organisations (regardless of size, type, or geographical location). This is an important addition. Whereas organisations used to bidding in the public sector will be familiar with formal procurement processes (particularly that stemming from OJEU), it is clear that more and more organisations in the private sector are mirroring these. It is also invaluable to help put SMEs bidding for public and private sector contracts on a level playing-field with their larger competitors. By defining good working practice, roles, and responsibilities it allows all organisations to create a clear and consistent approach to responding to bids in a cost-efficient manner with improved win-rates.

The inclusion of representatives from education, skills and professional bodies is recognition of the ever-increasing recognition of bid and proposal management as an essential part of strategic business development.

The full proposed document can be viewed here: British Standards Institution – Project (bsigroup.com)

For assistance in ensuring your bidding meets the same high standards, please contact AM Bid for information about the services we can provide.