From Fear to Framework: How AI Is Transforming Bid Management 

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By Millie Seymour, Digital Marketing Associate

At this year’s APMP 2025 Conference, BWL Group’s CEO, Michael Lee, delivered a powerful and forward-looking keynote exploring how artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the bids and proposal management world. 

Far from hype or fearmongering, Michael’s message was clear: AI is already embedded in our workflows, and now is the time for action. 

“The question isn’t whether you should use AI; it’s whether you’re using it well,” said Michael, speaking to a packed audience of bidding professionals. 

In his session, Michael outlined five key actions every business can take to make AI a force for good in driving quality, efficiency, and strategic advantage without compromising the human expertise at the heart of successful submissions.

Grasping the exponential rate of AI progression

Michael began with a personal reflection, recalling how in early 2023, he disrupted a board meeting to raise urgent concerns about AI’s speed of advancement. 

From early automation tools and semi-competent bid library software to the game-changing arrival of ChatGPT-3.5, GPT-4 and GPT-4.1, it became clear that AI was advancing far beyond Moore’s Law, accelerating at over 4x per year. 

“When GPT-4 was released, my heart sank. I realised this wasn’t incremental progress, it was exponential,” Michael noted. 

Rather than react with fear, he saw an opportunity for strategic adaptation. For bid professionals and businesses, this means moving fast to understand AI’s capabilities and implications, before the landscape shifts again.

Align AI with organisational strategy

AI tools alone won’t transform a business. What matters is how they’re embedded into the strategic fabric of the organisation. Michael encouraged attendees to develop an AI Business Plan, grounded in real goals: 

• Do we want faster turnaround times? 

• Do we want improved bid quality or higher win rates? 

• Are we looking for market insight or bid team efficiency? 

Once goals are clear, AI can be woven into the company processes, from opportunity scanning to market intelligence and compliance checking.

Focus on high-impact use cases

Not all AI tools are worth the investment. Michael urged businesses to focus on value-driven, feasible applications of AI: 

• Can this AI tool directly support our business strategy? 

• Do we have the infrastructure and skills to adopt it effectively? 

Starting with a small-scale pilot and measuring clear KPIs (e.g. time saved, improved scores) helps ensure tools are fit for purpose. 

Build AI skills through structured training

As Michael said, “AI is only as good as the people using it.” That’s why developing a comprehensive training and competency framework is non-negotiable. 

BWL Group’s approach includes: 

• AI literacy – Understanding what AI is and how it works 

• Ethical awareness – Mitigating risks around bias, misinformation, and data security 

• Strategic application – Using AI to inform win strategies and proposal content 

• Quality assurance – Reviewing AI outputs to ensure they meet client and compliance standards 

Training must be modular, hands-on, and role-specific, with ongoing updates to keep pace with this fast-evolving field.

Manage AI risks and measure success

Michael closed his talk focusing on governance, risk, and measurement, the foundations of sustainable AI integration. 

Key risks to manage include: 

• Accuracy and compliance 

• Data privacy and confidentiality 

• Ethical/legal concerns 

Key metrics to track include: 

• Time savings in task production 

• Improvements in quality and success rates 

• Cost reduction and return on AI investment 

A robust AI governance policy ensures tools are approved, used responsibly, and subject to regular review, transforming AI from a risk into a strategic advantage. 

Introducing AI Contract Finder by BWL Group 

During his session, Michael also unveiled AI Contract Finder, BWL Group’s latest innovation, designed to help businesses find public sector contract opportunities with greater speed and accuracy. 

Unlike generic portals, this platform uses intelligent tagging, relevance scoring, and user behaviour insights to return high-quality opportunities, fast. 

“We didn’t just build another search tool, we built something grounded in the day-to-day realities of bidding,” said Michael. 

Explore AI Contract Finder at www.aicontractfinder.com