BWL’s Professional Bid Services Team helped with bid support for a Fire Protection and Security Systems contractor

This case study outlines how BWL’s Professional Bid Services Team helped with bid support for a Fire Protection and Security Systems contractor.

Client: Fire Protection and Security Contractor

Client employer industry: Fire Protection and Security Systems

Client contract value: £58,900

Scope of works:

In November 2020, BWL Group was approached by a Fire Protection and Security Systems contractor with a requirement for professional bid support services.

The contractor wished to secure an NEC4 contract which required a single contractor to provide Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM), Remedial and Reactive Works, Asset Management and Minor Works for fire protection systems across a laboratory site. Systems included Fire Alarms, Dry Risers, Fire Dampers and Ductwork, Gas Suppression Systems, and VESDA / PAVA systems.

Prior to developing a response, a member of our Bid Team examined the Terms and Conditions and Tender Agreement to identify and highlight any areas where the client may take on the unnecessary liability. The client was then advised of any caveats or assumptions they might wish to include with their submission to mitigate this and protect the business.

BWL assigned the response to a Bid Consultant with previous experience in supporting similar bids within the fire and security sector, who reviewed the tender documentation thoroughly to identify what information would be required to develop a robust response. These requirements were clearly outlined in an information request document which was promptly sent to the client, ensuring ample time for completion and return.

Once this information was received, the Consultant maintained regular contact with client Technical Leads to obtain clarity and confirm the accuracy of several areas covered by the response, such as management structures, operational processes, and demonstrating experience with open and closed protocol systems. The final submission, therefore, contained a high level of detail with no ambiguity left regarding the client’s systems and objectives.

The written quality section consisted of 5 questions with a page limit ranging from 1 to 4 sides of A4. The response was developed methodically using a ‘storyboarding’ technique which broke down each part of the question into headers to ensure a consistent structure. Each section was populated clearly and concisely while supplementing all described operational methods with references to the precautionary procedures required by an active laboratory site. To stay within the agreed timeframe, the Bid Consultant scheduled additional out-of-hours working time where needed, without any extra cost incurred to the client.

In addition to the written tender response, the assigned Bid Consultant developed editable CVs outlining staff qualifications and their role in the contract, as well as company graphics such as organisational charts and document templates that corresponded to the company colour scheme. This served to frame the response with a professional finish and stand out against other submissions.

The client was provided with full visibility throughout the process via real-time cloud-based sharing systems, enabling them to review progress and offer technical input for each response as it was developed. Prior to submission, BWL’s Bid Director carried out a full review of the bid to ensure quality, before also inviting the client to carry out a full final review. This was not only intended for confirming accurate and satisfactory content but also to critique the work so BWL could continually improve on bid standards.

The tender was successfully awarded to the client, who subsequently returned to BWL to request further support for two bid submissions in January 2021. As we had already developed several responses for the client, the existing written material could be adapted for use in a number of of the responses required for the new bid. As a result, BWL was able to offer a reduced cost to the client as less time was required to complete the submission.