You need a bid manager if you run an average of fewer than two tenders, RFPs, or bids (all types of bids) per month.
This answer applies to companies with an order value (Sales Order Value, one-time cost + monthly cost * term) of between €100,000 and €2,000,000 per bid. If you have a lower average order value, double the number of bids per €25,000 less. If you have a higher order value, then at one per quarter, a bid manager is already of great importance.
The reasoning behind this calculation is straightforward. Order value is a good indication of the complexity of bids. The higher the value of a contract, the more demands and questions customers make. And more requirements mean more work for your bid manager. Even purchasing paper clips requires a lot of questions if that’s a lot of paper clips. A lot of money is involved.
Therefore, the turnaround time of a bid is longer. A bid manager’s duties do not stop with the submission of documents. You can read more about the bid management process here: The process of bid response. Therefore, the longer the lead time, the longer a person works on it. A bid soon runs for three months. That means you need a bid manager when a new one lands on your desk every six weeks.
Of course, you can also use an intermediate form. Bid Management is a profession, which means there are also many specialists to hire for bid manager tasks. Again, you have generalists and hyper-specialists. The hourly rate varies widely. The less experienced bid manager will assume about €80 per hour, and the genuinely senior bid manager with specialist experience will soon cost €150 per hour. And, of course, the number of hours for a bid is also hefty. If you necessarily want to win a bid or make significant strides in winning bids, then hiring a specialist bid manager is the perfect first step. Even before you hire a bid manager. Not only do they take care of much of the bid management. They also provide valuable input for your bid process and content pieces.
Want to learn more about bids? Below each links to articles:
