Top tips from Bid Winning Conference

Our bidding leaders Robyn Smith, Donald Holder, and Whitney Murrie were rapt to be at the APMP ANZ Chapter Bid Winning Conference in Melbourne this week – the only specialised bid response event in the Asia Pacific.

Bid writing is a niche profession. It’s a craft. Part project management, part strategic thinking, and part persuasive writing. There’s always more to learn.

Here are their top takeaways:

• Deborah Mazoudier's session on crafting a winning tender strategy was a standout. Our key takeaway? If we want bid strategies that are truly client-centric, active, and competitive, we need to move beyond BAU, get uncomfortable, and ask: how can we be innovative and disruptive?
• We loved the self-care advice from Harry Moffitt. From simple things like controlling your phone use to more visionary concepts like cultivating a strong sense of your future self, he emphasised the importance of working from a place of strength and peace, and bringing this into the bid room. The trick is to build mental strength before you need it, so you have the extra capacity when the chips are down. And don’t forget to breathe!
• Steve Tighe and Sinéad Coffey (MInstD, CP APMP) offered sharp reminders about what sits beneath the surface of bid work. Steve challenged us to question the assumptions we have stopped noticing, while Sinéad’s line, “Silence is the most expensive line item in any project,” captured how unspoken issues can become costly later.

While the conference covered many of the issues shaping our profession, from AI and procurement to communication, leadership, burnout, resilience, and the future of work, the common thread was people. By looking after our people, aligning stakeholders, and building shared confidence in the strategy, we set ourselves up to win.