𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐛𝐢𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 – 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧-𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞?

Friday’s webinar was packed with insights, experiences, and honest reflections on career moves in bidding. With perspectives from Louise Rowe, Chris Vincent, and Richard W Smith, we explored the realities of staying in-house, stepping into consulting, and navigating the evolving bid job market.

Here are three key takeaways:

📌 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.

Companies are still balancing in-house teams with consultants, but economic factors, restructures, and tighter budgets mean freelancers must be strategic about where and how they position themselves.

Some sectors, like defence and facilities management are seeing more demand, while others remain cautious.

📌 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐧.

AI is being explored, but it’s not yet replacing bid professionals. The best bid pros use AI to enhance their work, not rely on it. Hiring managers are looking for strategic thinkers, great writers, and strong collaborators - skills AI can’t replicate.

📌 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤.

If you’re making the move, your in-house network won’t necessarily become your client base. Many consultants underestimate this, assuming their old employers will hire them back. The best strategy is to expand your network beyond past colleagues, actively engage on LinkedIn, and be intentional about marketing your expertise.

If you registered for the session, you’ll receive a recording soon.

Big thanks to Louise, Chris, and Richard for sharing their insights and for everyone who contributed to the discussion!

2024 was a great year

From monthly webinars and growing our community, to connecting with professionals like you who are passionate about the bid and proposal profession, this is what we’ve achieved since launching in July:

📈 Grown to 328 LinkedIn followers (and counting!)

🎉 Welcomed 106 subscribers and 7 founding members.

🎤 Delivered 4 webinars packed with insights and practical takeaways.

🌟 Made countless meaningful connections.

None of this would have been possible without your support, so thanks!

Looking ahead🔭

In 2025, we’re turning it up a notch:

✨ New content series to keep you inspired and informed

✨ A new resource 27 Bid Pros to Follow on LinkedIn in 2025

✨ More webinars

✨ Lots of opportunities to connect with bid and procurement pros all over the world!

Thank you for your support, and follow us on LinkedIn for more updates and upcoming events! 💪

Regards

Natalie

The Bidding Files: Unlocking Procurement's Greatest Mysteries - Intro

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🎙 @𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐝 𝐇𝐮𝐛'𝐬 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 was packed with insights, banter, a dad joke🤦‍♂️, and a momentary distraction when Jo's cat threw up on her carpet! 😼

Hosted by Natalie Schroeder, Paul Rogers and Jo Toon delved into the mysteries of procurement processes. Here’s what we covered: 🤔

✅ 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐬. 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫: Paul and Jo highlighted the differences—public sector evaluations are all about structure and rigour, while private sector evaluations? Well, let’s just say they like to mix things up a bit! 😉

✅ 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬: Friend or foe? Turns out, it depends! They can help bidders sharpen their focus (a bit like writing haikus) or they can limit creativity. The panel agreed that when used right, word limits force us to get to the point.

✅ 𝐏𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐬: 🌬️ We discussed the difference between puffery (unverifiable claims) and misleading claims (objective falsehoods). Jo shared a case where a bidder's false claims about experience eroded trust. The takeaway? Both Paul and Jo were clear—evaluators don’t have time for fluff. Prove your claims, or risk having your response marked down (or thrown out if you're really full of it).

✅ 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: We can spend hours on them, but are they worth it? In the private sector, GOLD. In the public sector, not always necessary. Keep it tight and give it substance. 💡

✅ 𝐀𝐈’𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞: Is the future all about AI-generated responses? Jo and Paul see a shift—soon. AI might handle the basics, but face-to-face interaction and cultural compatibility are set to matter more than ever. We’re heading into a world where “who” you are could be just as important as “what” you write.

Missed it? Don’t worry! The recording is now available at The Bid Hub.

Get leads with LinkedIn: 7 hacks to up your LinkedIn strategy

The Bidding Files: Unlocking Procurement’s Greatest Mysteries

Really excited to announce our next webinar on Friday 4 October with two absolute legends in the procurement world, Paul Rogers and Jo Toon. This is a true Trans-Tasman extravaganza!

Like the AI session on Friday, this is a conversation, with lots of stories, advice and guidance about working with our great friends on the other side of the bidding fence.

What did I learn at the AI webinar?

Natalie Schroeder - Admin

Here are my points that I rustled up from the depths of my cerebral cortex to help prompt discussion.

✅ 𝐄𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: as AI generates content at lightning speed, how do we ensure accuracy, compliance, and consistency in our bids? Strong governance and reliable sources of truth are key to maintaining quality and trust.

✅ 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Think of your AI as an intern—if you don’t give it clear instructions, it won’t give you the best output. We discussed how providing context and structure in prompts can lead to more accurate and tailored responses, turning AI into a powerful tool for bid professionals.

✅ 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬: Yes, buyers are starting to use AI to review tenders. The Australian Government, for example, is contemplating using AI in their evaluation process. What does this mean for us? We’ll need to adapt quickly to ensure our submissions hit the mark in an AI-driven review process.

✅ 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: While it’s still early days, procurement's use of AI may start shaping how we, as bidders, respond to tenders, or other more creative approaches to market. It’s crucial we track these developments and prepare ourselves for the impact.

✅ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐈 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲: If you're considering AI for your bid process, start by asking: what problem am I trying to solve? AI isn't a one-size-fits-all solution—it’s a tool to help us be more strategic and efficient. It’s all about solving the right problems with the right technology.

We’re still in the early stages of figuring out how AI will impact bidding, from ethics to governance, but this is an exciting opportunity for us as bidders to be bold, explore, and be pioneers in adopting AI.

Big thanks to our speakers

A huge thank you to Nyree McKenzie, Mark Riley and James Smith for their time, insights, and for supporting The Bid Hub in Friday's session. It was a fantastic conversation with lots of discussion from attendees.

Virtual Networking – 2-Month Anniversary!

Join us for our Virtual Networking Session on Tuesday, 10 September at 5:45pm AEST. This also marks our 2-month anniversary, so come along to celebrate and connect with fellow Hubbers! RSVP in the Events Hub.

Upcoming Webinar Announcement

We’re excited to announce that our third webinar will take place on Friday, 4 October. Full details will be revealed in the next couple of days, so keep an eye out for the announcement—this one’s going to be another great session!

From Excel to AI: Evolution to Revolution in Bid Management

Register to receive you invitation to this free Webinar.

From In-House Bid Star to Consulting Pro

Webinar now available at The Bid Hub. Simply register on the main page and we will send you an invitation to join.