Sales and Bidding Management Procedure

1.0 Purpose

The purpose of this procedure is to establish a standardized, efficient, and repeatable process for managing all sales opportunities and competitive bids. This ensures consistent quality, maximizes win rates, maintains profitability, and facilitates a seamless handover to the operations/delivery team, supporting the company's continuous operations model.

2.0 Scope

This procedure applies to all personnel involved in the sales, bidding, and proposal development process, including but not limited to Sales, Business Development, Technical/Engineering, Finance, Legal, and Senior Management. It covers all activities from initial opportunity identification to the final handover of a won contract.

3.0 Roles and Responsibilities

• Sales Representative: The primary owner of the opportunity. Responsible for client communication, identifying needs, gathering information, and leading the opportunity through the process.

• Sales Manager: Oversees the sales pipeline, provides strategic direction, approves the Bid/No-Bid decision, and approves final pricing and commercial terms.

• Bid Manager (for large/complex bids): Manages the end-to-end proposal development process, coordinating all involved departments and ensuring deadlines are met.

• Technical Lead / Subject Matter Expert (SME): Responsible for developing the technical solution, estimating effort, and writing the technical sections of the proposal.

• Finance Department: Responsible for cost analysis, pricing strategy validation, profitability analysis, and approval of financial commitments.

• Legal Department: Responsible for reviewing and approving all contractual terms and conditions (T&Cs).

4.0 Procedure Steps

The sales and bidding process is divided into seven distinct phases. All activities, documents, and decisions must be logged in the company's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.

Phase 1: Opportunity Identification & Logging

• Lead Identification: A new sales opportunity is identified through marketing campaigns, client inquiries, partner channels, or proactive prospecting.

• Initial Logging: The Sales Representative immediately logs the opportunity in the CRM, capturing all known preliminary information, such as client name, contact details, potential scope, and source of the lead.

Phase 2: Qualification and Bid/No-Bid Decision 🎯

• Information Gathering: The Sales Representative engages with the potential client to understand their requirements, budget, timeline, and decision-making process.

• Qualification Assessment: The opportunity is qualified against key criteria:

• Strategic Fit: Does it align with our core business objectives?

• Technical Capability: Do we have the skills and resources to deliver?

• Financial Viability: Is the potential return on investment acceptable?

• Competitive Landscape: What is our probability of winning?

• Go/No-Go Meeting: For opportunities exceeding a predefined value (e.g., $50,000), the Sales Representative convenes a mandatory Go/No-Go meeting with the Sales Manager and a Technical Lead.

• Decision & Record: The Bid/No-Bid decision is made by the Sales Manager.

• If "Go", the decision and its rationale are recorded in the CRM, and the process moves to Phase 3.

• If "No-Go", the decision is recorded, the opportunity is closed in the CRM, and client communication is handled professionally. This step is crucial to avoid wasting resources.

Phase 3: Proposal Development

• Kick-off Meeting: The Sales Representative or assigned Bid Manager organizes a formal kick-off meeting with all stakeholders (Technical, Finance, Legal). Responsibilities, tasks, and deadlines are assigned.

• Solution & Technical Proposal: The Technical Lead/SME develops the technical solution, scope of work, and delivery plan.

• Costing & Pricing: The Finance Department, in coordination with Sales and Technical teams, develops the detailed cost breakdown and determines the final pricing strategy. The Sales Manager provides final approval on price.

• Commercial & Legal Review: The Legal Department reviews the client's Request for Proposal (RFP) for any onerous terms and provides standard company T&Cs.

• Proposal Compilation: The Sales Representative/Bid Manager compiles all components into a single, professional proposal document using approved templates.

• Internal Review & Approval: The final draft is reviewed and approved by all stakeholders, with final sign-off from the Sales Manager or a Director, depending on the contract value.

Phase 4: Proposal Submission

Final Checks: The Sales Representative performs a final check to ensure the proposal is complete, compliant with all client requirements, and error-free.

Submission: The proposal is submitted to the client through the specified channel (e.g., online portal, email) before the deadline.

Confirmation: The Sales Representative obtains and saves a confirmation of receipt. The submission date and time are updated in the CRM.

Phase 5: Post-Submission Follow-up & Negotiation

Clarifications: The Sales Representative acts as the single point of contact for any client questions or clarification requests.

Negotiation: If shortlisted, the Sales Representative and Sales Manager lead negotiations on technical, commercial, and legal terms, with support from the respective departments.

CRM Updates: All communication and changes during negotiation are meticulously tracked in the CRM.

Phase 6: Contract Award & Handover

Status Update: The outcome (Won/Lost) is immediately updated in the CRM.

If Won:

The Sales Representative receives the formal Purchase Order (PO) or signed contract.

Legal and Finance perform a final review to ensure the awarded contract matches the negotiated terms.

An Internal Handover Meeting is scheduled with the designated Project/Operations Manager and delivery team.

Sales provides a complete handover package, including the proposal, signed contract, all relevant client communications, and a summary of key project objectives and stakeholders.

The project is formally transferred to the operations team.

Phase 7: Lost Bid Analysis

• Feedback: If the bid is lost, the Sales Representative makes a reasonable effort to obtain feedback from the client regarding the reasons for the decision (e.g., price, technical solution, relationship).

• Analysis: The sales team conducts a brief review to identify lessons learned.

• Record: The reason for the loss and key takeaways are documented in the CRM to improve future bidding strategies.

5.0 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 📈

• Win Rate: (Number of Bids Won / Number of Bids Submitted) x 100%

• Bid Submission Rate: (Number of Bids Submitted / Number of Qualified Opportunities) x 100%

• Average Proposal Turnaround Time: Time from "Go" decision to submission.

• As-bid vs. As-delivered Profit Margin: Comparison of profitability estimated during bidding versus actual project profitability.