Bid Support & Product Development

Whether your bid is for a tender or a business, Actium as product development consultants and property consultants has the skills and knowledge to support you. If you are looking to expand your business by developing new products, Actium as a strategic management consultancy can help there too. Our team will work alongside you to identify clearly the risks and rewards of various courses of action and provide the product development analysis and bid support that you require.

One of the most common reasons for projects to fail is the inaccurate estimation of costs in the initial bid support process, particularly cost of “risk events” which can adversely affect a project.

Bidding

Bids need to be competitive, comprehensive and thoroughly thought through. It is also important not to waste time and effort on bidding if there is no hope of success. Actium has a well developed bid support process which includes analysis of :

The potential client’s underlying needs - particularly in public sector bidding, a bid which addresses the political and social agendas of the public body is more likely to be successful than one which is merely technically competent
What this client wants from the project – do they want to be seen as ground-breaking, or solid and dependable? And why are they doing this project now?
What are the real selection criteria?
How do the other likely bidders compare?
If it is a large tender, developing a “theme” for the bid
Score the bid against criteria, and understand strengths and weaknesses and risks
Structure the bid so that it tells a persuasive story
At an early stage, the likelihood of success is estimated, and an action plan drawn up to address and overcome where possible any weaknesses in the bidding position which have been identified.

Product Development

Product development has much in common with preparing a bid, in that it requires a clear understanding of the market you are hoping to engage. In today's fast-moving business world, more and more activities which used to be considered core competencies are now classed as services, and outsourced. The correct packaging and pricing of services, combined with a clear understanding of which risks are being transferred and which are not, and robust Service Level Agreements will enable the development of products which are successful for both you and the purchaser. Actium as leading product development consultants have practical knowledge and expertise in this area, both for the external market and for internal clients, and our expertise and understanding of the issues including business case development will assist you in a smooth development process. We will help you develop products which:

Clearly meet the needs of your target market
Are appropriately priced
Gives you a clear understanding of the risk profile
Allow (if required) for price transparency

Actium has worked for several clients in both bid support and product development including:

Case Study 1: Equion – Product development and successful outsourcing bid for Surrey County Council
Case Study 2: MWB – Outsourcing bid for BBC property
Case Study 3: Land Securities Trillium – Landflex product development