Building rapport and buy-in from stakeholders during the tender process
Kaitlin Wiffler, Senior Tender Specialist (Brisbane)
Effective and persuasive stakeholder management is often overlooked, yet it is a fundamental skill in successful tender management. To deliver a compelling tender response that satisfies the client’s objectives, Bid and Submission Managers must possess influencing skills that inspire sometimes dispassionate subject matter experts to provide their best contributions to the bid.
The most valuable tender content often comes from the technical minds of operations personnel, those with on the job experience and direct client interactions. However, these individuals can often be the hardest to engage with during the tender process. Common pushback may include: “I don’t have time for this tender around my day job”. This is where the art of influence and rapport building becomes critical.
One of the most important roles of tender managers and writers is to extract key information from SMEs that adds value, demonstrate capability and showcases a strong track record to support the overall tender strategy. The best way to achieve this, and to gain buy in, is through building rapport.
Why rapport matters in tendering
Whether you’re an internal bid professional or an external consultant, tendering timelines are tight and you’ll often be required to engage with new SMEs who you have not engaged with previously. You have a short window of time to establish trust and credibility. Without rapport, SMEs may be disengaged, provide minimal input or fail to meet their deadlines – jeopardising the quality and competitiveness of your submission.
Tips to building rapport with stakeholders:
1. Engage with stakeholders individually, not just in group check in meetings:
Rapport is built one on one. While group tender check ins are a necessary part of ensuring the progression of the tender response, they are rarely an opportunity to build rapport. Schedule individual sessions with SMEs to gather data and discuss ideas. If these meetings are done virtually, encourage cameras on to humanise interactions and build trust
2. Stay calm and focused:
Anxiety or panic can quickly erode stakeholder confidence. Approach conversations calmly. If you don’t know the answer to a question, be honest and advise you will investigate further after the meeting and come back to them
3. Prepare in advance:
If speaking to unfamiliar stakeholders makes you nervous, draft a personal agenda. This ensures your thoughts and discussions points remain structured, helping you to lead the conversation effectively and ensure that key discussion points are not missed
4. Understand Stakeholder needs and expectations:
Effective engagement starts with empathy. Bid teams often involve stakeholders who are still engaged in day to day duties on site, in addition to working on the tender. Make yourself available at a time that suits the stakeholder, this may be early in the morning or late in the afternoon around their client commitments
5. Communicate the value of their contribution:
A fundamental part of building rapport is recognition of value. When SMEs provide information, let them know how the information will be utilised in the tender. When SMEs see the bigger picture, they are more likely to invest their time as they feel recognised and valued, and
6. Follow up and acknowledge effort:
After meetings, send stakeholders a short email to summarises key points and next steps. A simple thank you is a great way towards reinforcing positive relationships.
Tendering is not just about responding to questions and making the deadline. Building rapport with stakeholders is the foundation of identifying high quality content that differentiates your bid from your competitors. By investing time in fostering these relationships, you can transform a reluctant SME into an enthusiastic contributor.