Bid Management Case Study
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Who are iLine?
iLine Technologies is a member of iGroup conglomerate – involved in all things trenchless.
Founded in 2012 in Northampton by Gary Houghton and Nick Sheehan, iLine is the UK’s leading specialist in culvert and gravity sewer. Relining works include:
- Highways;
- Rail;
- Local authority;
- Infrastructure;
- Process industries.
What did they need?
The tendering process can be time-consuming for a specialised industrial company such as iLine. Unable to sacrifice other business commitments and insufficient bid capabilities in-house – there was only one option.
iLine required a bid management company to help their business grow. They needed a company that could help them access and source tendering opportunities. They required a company which could assist them in writing high-quality tender responses.
So, why Hudson?
Our tender writing services are for companies who are struggling how to win a tender. Or for those who do not have enough time to examine an extensive specification.
Nick Sheehan, Managing Director of iLine, discovered Hudson via a simple Google search. Thanks to the work of our fantastic marketing team.
Initial contact was made to Hudson Discover via a phone call with our Client Engagement Manager, Jamie Peacock.
After iLine’s specific tender writing requirements were established, he was transferred through to our Head of Bid Management – Daniel Hall. Daniel heads our Hudson Succeed team.
Our Hudson Succeed team is made up of the following roles:
- Head of Bid Management;
- Bid Coordinator;
- Bid Management team;
- Tender Writing team;
- Bid Design team.
iLine could not have chosen a better bid management company to assist them. Our extensive knowledge, fantastic resources and win rate of 87% are highly commended. Our bid writers on hand to help with tendering for contracts.
TASK
What were the project specifics?
Leicestershire County Council released a tendering opportunity in November 2019. This was for ‘Bridge Arch Strengthening with Structural GRP Segmental Lining at City of Three Waters’. The anticipated contract value of this was a whopping £150k!
Super competitive, right?
iLine absolutely wanted to win this contract. Therefore, they required our specialised bid management services to assist with creating those compelling quality responses.
Responses that stood out from their competitors.
With every tender opportunity comes an elongated specification. And this one was no different!
With the preliminary stage of the contract due to start in January 2020, the tight deadline was approaching FAST.
What challenges did we face?
One of the most common challenges every bid management company does face is stringent deadlines. This was the main challenge during our partnership.
Nick Sheehan, our initial main contact, was on holiday during the major stages. Around the time of the submission date, iLine had multiple staff absent.
This made it difficult for the Hudson Succeed team to extract the relevant technical information from iLine within the timeframe. Technical information which could affect the quality responses significantly.
Action!
In order to work around the demanding deadlines of this bid submission, we formed a standardised but comprehensive bid plan. We complete this at the initial stages of any bid, so we can break down each question – what is it really asking?
By doing this, we could then accurately highlight exactly what technical material we required from iLine. The best contact within the company to gather that information was identified.
Leicestershire County Council set out quality questions that required information on iLine’s;
- Health and Safety policies and procedures;
- Resources;
- Staff training methods;
- Method statements;
- Innovative methods;
- Business continuity.
Health & Safety – example
Health & Safety is a huge factor in any construction tender opportunity. This is due to the construction sector being so high-risk and prone to hazardous situations. Hazards include:
- Working at height;
- Moving objects / machinery;
- Slips, trips and falls;
- Manual handling;
- Asbestos.
The first question within this tender was;
‘Briefly describe how your H&S policy is communicated to staff’.
Okay. From this question, we could work out exactly what material was required from the specialists at iLine. Essential information to create that compelling answer.
We needed to ask iLine questions such as;
- Can you provide your Health and Safety policy?
- Who is your designated Health and Safety Officer?
- What Health & Safety induction training do you offer staff members?
- What ongoing training is provided?
- Can you provide risk assessment examples?
- How changes in Health & Safety are communicated to staff, i.e. toolbox talks, staff meetings.
We take this methodical approach to all questions asked. Ensuring the question is fully answered and all the relevant points are covered. This process gains maximum points and produces that winning answer.
The finished bid plan was sent to iLine within 48 hours of them deciding on this opportunity. After giving iLine over 24 hours to digest the bid plan, we arranged a telephone interview.
We retrieved all of the technical information required for the quality responses, from the specific questions we asked. After this initial phone call, Hudson Succeed was able to leave iLine to get on with their day-to-day business commitments. We required no further input until the review stage of the process.
RESULT!
Our tendering efforts and expertise won iLine an impressive £100k contract with Leicestershire County Council. By being organised and determined, the Hudson Succeed team gathered all technical material in enough time. We turned that material into a high-quality narrative. A narrative that fully adhered to the specification requirements and aligned with the evaluation criteria.
We submitted this bid 24 hours before the deadline.
iLine were so pleased with our Hudson Succeed team and our bid management company as a whole. They wanted further assistance with new opportunities.
iLine came across a new business opportunity on our Hudson Discover Construction Tenders portal. This was to be awarded by Vale of Glamorgan Council for Surface Water Sewer Re-lining and Restoration Works.
We are still waiting for this result. But we are extremely optimistic.
Testimonial
Nick says: “I came across Hudson via Google search on ‘tender assistance’ as our company were struggling to put together the quality submission when presenting a bid. From my first contact, Hudson were brilliant. After a few questions, they grasped the basics of our business and the industry sector we operate within. They took the stress and hassle of putting together the supporting documentation which now goes with the final submission. They left me to get on with what we do, and they needed very little support or input. In fact, they manage the whole tendering process from start to finish, and even submitting the bid. Jonny, in particular, drove the submission and was wonderful to work with. And on the first venture together, we were successful on a £100k tender. Highly recommend these guys”. – Nick Sheehan, Director at iLine (iGroup).
For more client testimonials, see our testimonials page.
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