Tender submission team meetings – so much more than a check-in.
Tania Field, Principal Tender Specialist (Sydney)
There is more to submission team meetings than just a quick check-in. They are an essential part of the governance and management framework of a tender.
This blog outlines core aspects of these meetings, highlighting their purpose and outcomes.
Purpose of submission team meetings
The Submission Manager is responsible for scheduling and facilitating submission team meetings.
These meetings – along with the program and management plan – are essential to the project management of a tender. These tools will help a manager to track and report on progress.
If you think your bid is too small for a submission team meeting, think again. These meetings work for all tenders (e.g. EOI, RFP) with durations that span 4-6 weeks, six months, or several years. (E.g. the Unsolicited Proposal Process can carry across several years.)
Timing and frequency of meetings
The cadence of meetings will be set by the Submission Manager and should consider:
Relationship to the full timetable of meetings (e.g. leadership team, interactives, technical meetings)
The complexity of the tender (i.e. is this a joint venture or public private partnership)
Size of the team (i.e. more time is required for larger groups)
Information needs of the team (i.e. what support does the team need).
In most cases we recommend a minimum of one or two meetings per week.
Participants - and requirements for participation
Any individual that is linked to the write-up of the tender, should attend these meetings. This includes the Submission Manager, Workstream Leads, Tender Writers, and Graphic Designer/s.
In some cases, the meeting participants will include Subject Matter Experts. This will be dependent on the complexity, size and information needs of the tender and team.
For a meeting to be effective, a standing Agenda, with a clear outline of the inputs and outputs is expected.
Participants should come prepared to inform the team of their progress. An update should cover:
Overview of progress in relation to the next program milestone
Identify challenges and clarify support required (if any)
Share important updates that might affect another team member
Share examples of outstanding work to inspire and motivate the team
Inform of any updates to tools and templates i.e. tender specific terminology.
Outcomes of submission team meetings
We can summarise the outcomes and benefits of these meetings as follows:
Informs of the status of the tender
Highlights key risks or challenges that require urgent attention and action
Identifies aspects of the process that need to be modified or changed (i.e. resourcing)
Facilitates team cohesion, culture and productivity.
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Tender Plus offers tender strategy, tender management and tender writing support nationwide via our talented teams in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. Reach out to find out how we can help you win business.