Search for help with a tender and you'll find plenty of firms offering "bid writing". Look more closely and many of them are offering something broader. Most agencies that offer bid writing are in fact consultancies that provide bid management and strategy services, with writing as one part of the package.
There's nothing wrong with that. But a bid writer and a bid consultant do different jobs, and knowing which one you need can save you time and money.
What a bid consultant does
A bid consultant usually works at the strategic and management level. Their work might include:
- deciding which opportunities to pursue
- developing win themes and a bid strategy
- managing the bid process, timetable and contributors
- running reviews and preparing for presentations
- improving an organisation's overall approach to bidding, sometimes with training
Many consultancies also write, either with their own staff or by bringing in freelancers. But the core of what they offer is direction and process.
What a bid writer does
A bid writer focuses on the response itself. They read the tender documents, work out what the buyer is asking for, gather information from your subject experts and turn it into clear, compliant, persuasive answers.
That covers planning each response against the evaluation criteria, drafting, editing and making sure the finished submission reads consistently. Experienced bid writers also know how to present evidence so evaluators can find it and score it, and how to write within tight word limits without losing the key points.
Why the difference matters
If your organisation already has a bid strategy and someone to manage the process, paying for consultancy on top can mean paying for things you don't need. What you're usually short of is writing capacity, especially when several deadlines arrive at once.
On the other hand, if you're unsure whether to bid at all, have no process in place or need someone to coordinate a large team, writing support alone may not be enough.
The question to ask is simple. Do you need someone to decide and direct, or someone to write?
When a bid consultant makes sense
A consultant is often the better choice when:
- you have no bid function and need one set up
- you need help deciding which opportunities to go for
- a large, complex bid needs a dedicated bid manager to run it
- you want to review and change how your organisation bids over the long term
When a bid writer makes sense
A freelance bid writer is often the better choice when:
- you have a bid manager or team but not enough writing capacity
- a deadline is approaching and the drafting needs to start now
- a bid calls for sector or technical knowledge your team doesn't have
- you want specific sections written, such as the method statement or social value response
- an existing draft needs reviewing, rewriting or completing
In these situations, you need an experienced writer who can work alongside your team and fit into the process you already have.
Why bid consultancies use bid writers too
The distinction between writing and consultancy is also why bid consultancies often bring in freelance bid writers. When a consultancy wins more work than its own team can write, it needs extra capacity quickly, from writers it can trust with its clients.
For a consultancy, the ideal source of writers is one that won't compete with it. A supplier that only provides writers, and offers no strategy, management or training of its own, can support a consultancy's clients without any risk of taking them over.
Where Just Bid Writers fits
We're bid writers, not bid consultants. We don't offer bid management, strategy or training. We supply experienced freelance bid writers, matched to your sector, your scope and your deadline.
That makes us a good fit for in-house bid teams that need more writing capacity, organisations that need specialist knowledge for a particular bid, and bid consultancies that need reliable writers for their own clients.
If you know you need a writer, tell us about your bid and we'll line up freelance bid writers who fit. If you're still deciding, call us and we'll talk it through honestly, including when a writer isn't what you need.