Course Overview
Securing contracts in today’s high-stakes environment requires more than just ticking boxes — it demands compelling, well-structured, and buyer-focused proposals. This hands-on course is designed to guide participants through the full bid development journey, from initial bid/no-bid decisions to confident submission and presentation.
Drawing on real examples from across industries, this course helps teams and individuals build robust skills in planning, structuring, writing, and refining winning proposals. Through interactive exercises, tailored feedback, and scenario-based challenges, participants will learn how to produce bids that resonate with evaluators and differentiate them from competitors.
To ensure relevance, each course is customised using pre-training writing samples and organisational context.
Who Should Attend
- Professionals involved in writing, contributing to, or managing bids and proposals
- Business development, sales, and client engagement teams
- Technical or subject matter experts supporting tenders
- Anyone looking to strengthen their ability to compete for contracts or funding
What You’ll Gain
By the end of this programme, participants will be able to:
- Make strategic bid/no-bid decisions with greater confidence
- Recognise buyer priorities and evaluation logic
- Clarify value propositions and shape compelling win strategies
- Develop coherent, persuasive proposal structures
- Write with impact and precision to address client needs
- Create concise executive summaries that engage senior readers
- Coordinate collaborative writing with consistency and clarity
- Use layout, tone, and design to support the message
- Deliver and present proposals effectively to client panels
- Navigate post-submission discussions and negotiation phases
Course Modules
1. Strategy and Bid Qualification
- Developing a winning mindset for competitive proposals
- Understanding how clients assess bids — logic, risk, and emotion
- Assessing bid opportunities using strategic filters
- Articulating a clear and relevant value proposition
- Aligning your offer to client objectives and market context
2. Planning and Structure
- Crafting structured narratives that guide evaluators
- Mapping content to key themes and scoring criteria
- Building logical flow using headlines, summaries, and signposting
- Collaborative writing: setting roles, timelines, and editorial control
3. Writing Techniques for Bids and Proposals
- Writing persuasively without exaggeration
- Adapting tone and style for different audiences and sectors
- Avoiding jargon and writing in plain, active language
- Spotting and fixing common grammar and clarity issues
- Editing and refining for maximum impact
- How to use Chat GPT to save time and maximise the chances of your bid being successful
- Learn how AI hallucinates and prevent it happening to you
4. Visual Communication and Layout
- Using visuals to simplify complex ideas (diagrams, tables, matrices)
- Designing documents for ease of navigation and scoring
- Maintaining consistency in branding and formatting
- Presenting risk-reduction messages through layout and tone
5. Presenting the Proposal
- Preparing for client review meetings
- Structuring persuasive proposal presentations
- Managing Q&A sessions with confidence
- Reading stakeholder cues and responding adaptively
6. Closing and Post-Submission Engagement
- Framing pricing and value effectively
- Responding to clarification questions and feedback
- Handling objections and negotiation dynamics
- Planning for follow-up and contract initiation steps
Learning Approach
- Expert-led sessions grounded in real-world experience
- Group activities, peer review, and collaborative tasks
- Practical writing exercises using real or simulated bids
- Pre-course sample analysis to identify specific learning needs
Duration: 2 days (adaptable to your needs)
Format: Face to face or online delivery
Locations: Available UK-wide, including London, Leeds, and Edinburgh
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Accreditation:
Course participants can showcase their expertise with our industry-recognized certificates, complete with shareable LinkedIn digital badges and verified CPD points – demonstrating their commitment to professional excellence.