Our client was an Irish multidisciplinary project management‑led building consultancy. They had a growing public sector pipeline and clear ambitions to strengthen their work‑winning capability.
Why did the client use our Fit to Bid services?
EiB successfully supported our client to secure a previous contract, demonstrating strong potential and commitment to growth. Through this engagement, opportunities were identified to further enhance the client’s internal bidding capability, particularly around structure, consistency and confidence in bid best practice. Following this project, John Ennis, Operations Director for EiB Ireland, recommended Fit to Bid as a proactive step to help the client build a more robust, repeatable and scalable approach to bidding.
What were the client requirements?
Our client recognised their bidding activity was largely reactive, which placed pressure on teams and limited the opportunity to fully demonstrate quality and value. They were keen to introduce greater structure, clarity and accountability into their processes. Their objectives were clear: to improve bid quality, reduce last‑minute pressure and create a more sustainable and effective approach to tendering which supported their long‑term growth.
What kind of assessment did we conduct?
Our Fit to Bid assessment used a structured questionnaire to explore the client’s end‑to‑end bid lifecycle. Through collaborative engagement, we reviewed success rates, existing strengths, areas for development and growth aspirations. This enabled us to establish a clear strategic baseline and prioritise targeted, high‑impact improvements aligned to the client’s business objectives.
What trends did we identify?
The structured assessment highlighted a number of opportunities to further strengthen our client’s bidding approach:
Strategic alignment
There was a strong underlying alignment between tendering activity and business objectives, presenting an opportunity to formalise this connection and provide clearer strategic direction.
Opportunity selection
Opportunities were often pursued reactively, therefore introducing a more disciplined framework would support better prioritisation of high‑value bids.
Market and competitor intelligence
Market awareness and competitor tracking were in place but informal. The team had the capability to develop this into a more consistent and value‑adding insight function.
Processes and resources
Elements of a tendering process were emerging; however, formal documentation and consistent application would help embed best practice across the organisation.
Technology and tools
Collaboration platforms and AI tools were used selectively, and the bid library was at an early stage of development. More systematic use of SharePoint and version control would further improve efficiency and control.
Bid quality and review
Quality assurance and review processes existed but were informal. Time pressures often compressed review stages.
Commercial integration
Commercial and quality teams worked well together, with pricing strategies tailored to each bid. Earlier development of commercial strategy was identified as an opportunity to further reduce risk.
Governance and compliance
Policies were well maintained, and compliance was managed through informal checks. Introducing structured compliance matrices would strengthen governance and assurance.
Continuous improvement
Lessons learned and feedback were captured informally. Embedding these into a structured improvement cycle would support continuous performance enhancement.
What recommendations did we make?
To build on these foundations, we made 10 clear, practical recommendations designed to formalise and strengthen the client’s tendering processes, reduce pressure on teams and improve bid outcomes. These included:
- Formalising strategic alignment between tenders and business plan objectives
- Implementing a structured opportunity evaluation process
- Strengthening market and competitor intelligence
- Documenting and embedding clear tendering processes.
Our diagnostic report expanded on each recommendation, providing clear, practical guidance on implementation and embedding change within the organisation. For example, to support consistent tendering processes, we recommended and delivered targeted training for bid team members and SMEs to establish a shared understanding of best practice.
Results
Following receipt of the diagnostic report, our client engaged EiB to deliver bid writer training in line with our recommendations. This training equipped both the bid team and SMEs with enhanced skills, confidence, and practical tools to support implementation. As a result, our client was better positioned to deliver higher‑quality submissions through a more structured, collaborative and less pressured bidding process, laying strong foundations for improved consistency and future success.