Bid Writing for Project Managers

At what stage in the process do commercial projects go wrong? Some of the worst problems (unrealistic objectives, faulty assumptions, and poorly understood constraints) are 'programmed in' at conception when the bid is written, long before the project manager is brought on board. If the bid is misconceived, no amount of clever project management is going to recover the situation. Involving the designated project manager at the bidding stage is becoming the norm in many commercial organizations. Some make the project manager the bid manager so they can direct all aspects of the project's conception. Getting the bid right is the essence of planning for project success, and is the main theme of this book. However, many project managers are unfamiliar with the pitfalls of competitive bidding and don't know how to balance a compelling sales message against a realistic delivery plan. Bid Writing for Project Managers will guide prospective project managers through the bid-writing lifecycle, providing comprehensive guidelines and numerous tips on how to craft a winning bid and how to set the project up with the best possible chance of success.

David Cleden is a senior project manager, bid writer and consultant with more than 25 years' experience in the public services IT sector. In addition to writing bids and successfully delivering complex projects for a wide range of commercial clients, he writes widely on a variety of business-related issues. David's previous book, Managing Project Uncertainty, was the first title in the Gower series on Advances in Project Management.