Music to tender by
Tania Field, Principal Tender Specialist (Sydney)
Which tunes (or tools) do you use for deep concentration? Which songs support you to climb a mountain of work or overcome a challenging problem? Which playlist keeps your mind present (or, in my case, on a leash) to produce quality outcomes?
Next time you see a teammate toe tapping, bopping, clicking fingers, or dancing in their seat please use these cues as conversation starters to get inspiration from and learn what music motivates the team at bid time. Not only because it’s interesting, but because it is also fun.
Maybe your music preference is similar to one of my peers: Laura, who is curious about the benefits of binaural beats; Callie, who plays RnB, house, or pop music (but only the songs she knows or else she’ll focus on the lyrics); Ryan, who defers to lo-fi jazz or hip hop nearly every time; Roshan, who loves cheesy ’80s hits from the likes of Hall and Oates; or perhaps like Lou, you’re wired to the sound of silence (pardon the pun) for work that requires deep concentration.
After conducting what was an unbelievably reliable and official survey from 11 of my closest pals, it’s clear to me that there is no one-size-fits-all answer on music. So, rather than trying to define the ultimate playlist to support productivity; I’ve pulled together four different and unusual playlists (with supporting notes included) that you can press play on during your next tender – maybe one of these music ventures will spark a different kind of response or just pure joy.
Warning - this blog contains songs with lyrics.
Kick-off energy
Am I the only one that struts down the main road harnessing the power of a tune?
A good mate of mine with failing eyesight once shared with me as to how she knows it’s me when I’m walking towards her - it’s because of my swagger. I was chuffed with that. However, my lovely physio recently broke the news that I have a disco hip which is throwing out the alignment of my hips and causing lower back pain!
Regardless, these hips do not lie. I blast a couple of good tunes ahead of a kick-off meeting to get some big energy and fire in my belly.
Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves
Happy – Pharrell Williams
Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars
Thunderstruck - AC/DC
All I Do Is Win – DJ Khaled (feat. T-Pain, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg & Rick Ross)
Tunes for tendering
I don’t discriminate on the genre and age of a song. If there’s a bop, bass, lyric or singer that speaks to me then it’s in the rolodex, locked and loaded and ready to go. An old art school friend of mine once exclaimed to me, “You’ve always got a song in your head”. It might have been a subtle nudge to stop me singing however I took it as a compliment. I figure there’s always a chance to make a link between an event and a song – don’t you?
Whatever the day holds, this playlist covers it all so you can croon through the task.
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell
One Way or Another – Blondie
Le Freak - Chic
Shake It Off – Taylor Swift
Don’t Stop Believin’ - Journey
Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
Take on Me – a-ha
Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
You Really Got Me – The Kinks
I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty
Roar – Katy Perry
The Climb – Miley Cyrus
Lovely Day – Bill Withers
Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Rae
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours) – Stevie Wonder
Under Pressure - Queen, David Bowie
Diamonds - Rihanna
Titanium – Sia
Bulletproof – La Roux
Right Here Right Now – Jesus Jones
Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
Lonely Boy – The Black Keys
Total Control – The Motels
Lose Yourself to Dance - Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams
Kiss – Prince
Ride It - Regard
We Didn’t Start the Fire – Billy Joel
Submission day
This is the day that you have to block out the things that don’t matter because there’s really only one thing that matters, lodging.
Put your game face on and back yourself. You’ve led the team this far and know what you are doing and what you are made of. Maybe you need to give yourself a stiff talking to in the bathroom mirror as the precursor to one or two of the following songs which will deliver you to the ultimate mental zone you need - to get the job done.
Light On – Maggie Rogers
Girl on Fire – Alica Keys
Push It – Salt-N-Pepa
Break My Soul - Beyoncé
Back in Black – AC/DC
Firestarter – The Prodigy
Right Here, Right Now – Fatboy Slim
We Will Rock You – Queen
Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
Post submission celebration
You did it – you lodged. What else is there to say? Let the music do the talking.
Young Hearts Run Free – Candi Staton
Let’s Dance – David Bowie
I Wanna Dance with Somebody – Whitney Houston
Rock DJ – Robbie Williams
Rock Your Body – Justin Timberlake
Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet
Play That Funky Music – Wild Cherry
Be the One – Dua Lipa
Blinding Lights – The Weeknd
September – Earth, Wind & Fire
Disco Inferno – Syzz, Nora Van Elken
We Are Family – Cedric Gervais, Nile Rodgers
Need more than just the right soundtrack to nail your next bid? Whether you're in Sydney, Brisbane, or Perth, our tender writing consultants are here to support your tender planning, writing, and strategy. Get in touch with Tender Plus for expert tender services that help you win.
Or have a look at the Tender Plus team and what we do.