Bid Writing for Beginners: The Importance of Upskilling Your Team

What do you need to know about bid writing for beginners?

When it comes to bid writing for beginners, you need to know how to upskill your team. If you upskill your team properly, then tendering can open many doors – and win you contracts!

First things first, what do we mean by “upskilling your team”?

Simply put, upskilling means adding more skills to your workforce. You might notice certain gaps in your team’s abilities, or weaker areas that need improvement. By upskilling your team, you’re addressing and improving these areas, giving your team a more well-rounded skillset.

But why is upskilling your team so important for bid writing?

If you want to know about bid writing for beginners, then upskilling your team is crucial.

Not just anyone can write winning bids from the outset. To be successful in bid writing, your team will need to have certain skills.

Bid writing is all about showing buyers that your company deserves to win the contract. But it’s not enough to just say you have a certain skill. To secure contracts for your business, you’ll need to show buyers evidence of the skills you’re writing about.

Another reason to upskill your team is that – in the long-run – it will save you money. It might seem easier to hire new talent and quickly fill any gaps in your workforce, but this can be costly. You have to factor in the cost of recruitment, training and paying more wages. Generally speaking, it’s much cheaper to develop an existing staff member’s skillset.

As well as being cost effective, upskilling your team will improve employee satisfaction. If your staff members don’t feel like a valued part of the team, they might stop engaging with your company. You’re much more likely to retain staff if you provide them with opportunities for learning, development and growth.

What skills are needed to succeed in bid writing?

To be successful in bid writing, you need to have a way with words. You need to write persuasive, compelling tender responses that convince the buyer to choose your company.

But what other skills does it take?

If you want to learn about bid writing for beginners, you’ll need to show these skills across your team:

Organisation
Dedication
Excellent communication
Be able to keep your composure
Ability to research.

1. Evaluate your team’s existing skills

The first step in bid writing for beginners is to evaluate your team’s current skillset. You can’t upskill your team until you know exactly which skills are missing.

What skills are your team lacking? To identify any areas for improvement, you need to conduct a skills gap analysis. There are different ways to do this, but this usually consists of employee interviews, performance reviews and assessments. You can do this yourself or seek help from an external consultant.

Once you’ve evaluated your team’s skills, you can plan a successful upskilling strategy.

2. Speak to members of your team individually

As well as evaluating your team’s skillset, you should speak to each member of the team on a one-to-one basis. Talk to them about the necessary skills needed for bid writing for beginners.

They might have a particular career-path in mind and want to learn certain skills to help them get there. Or maybe they’re struggling and need extra support in certain areas.

Work with your team to create individual strategies for growth and development. Why not introduce Personal Development Plans (PDPs) so employees can track their own learning?

3. Reflect – individually and as a team

A key part of upskilling is to reflect on your learning and development journey – both individually and as a team.

It’s not enough to learn new skills – you need to reflect on what this means for your company. How have those skills helped you meet your company’s goals? Which areas still need further development?

Reflecting on the upskilling process will allow you to plan for ongoing development – which means a higher chance for success!

4. Make use of in-house talent

Another thing to consider in bid writing for beginners is to make use of existing talent in your workforce. It’s a great way to upskill your team – and save the company time, money and resources!

Establish an internal training programme based on the different areas of expertise that already exist in your team. Not only will this facilitate the team’s learning, but it will encourage collaboration and teamwork, giving you a stronger workforce.

5. Support learning with online resources, courses and seminars

As we’ve already established, when it comes to bid writing for beginners, upskilling is key.

You know the importance of evaluating your employees and communicating with your team. But how do you actually develop new skills?

You need to complement your skills gap analysis, PDPs and internal training programmes with online videos and resources. You can develop a range of “soft” skills through in-house talent and collaboration. But to write successful tender responses and win bids, you’ll need help from an expert Bid Writing Team.