From copy/paste to competitive edge
This article comes with a free Strategic Bid Health Checklist - a 2-page tool to turn these ideas into action. Link at the end.
AI is changing how we work. There’s real value in using it to automate the basics - bios, compliance tables, and standard responses.
But that’s not what wins. Strong bids show how you think. They offer insight. They connect the dots between the client’s world and what your firm brings to the table.
That’s what clients remember - not your org chart, not your file management system, and definitely not your industry awards.
It’s not about brand or size. It’s about substance.
Your bid is your brand, in the room when you're not
Larger firms have the benefit of campaign teams and published insights. Smaller firms have speed, personality, and direct client access.
Either way, the firms that stand out are those turning their thinking into value. Bids that win don’t just list credentials. They show relevance. They apply firm-wide thinking to client-specific problems. They make the reader feel like someone’s already done the heavy lifting.
That’s what cuts through - whether you’re a team of 5 or 5,000.
Too many bids still lean on the safe and familiar.
We are committed to client service.
We are pleased to submit this proposal.
We are experts in our field.
That’s not how you stand out. That’s how you blend in.
Bringing in a clear point of view, even in a paragraph or two, can lift the entire submission. Refer to current trends. Reference your thinking. Show that your team is already helping others navigate similar challenges.
Swap generic stock phrases for win themes with proof. Map your summary to the evaluation criteria or scoring lens. Show a simple path with the top three risks addressed and mitigated, and present your solution at a glance.
The difference is never in the formatting.
It’s in the thinking.
Turn insight into action
If you're ready to move your bids from generic to strategic, I've built a tool to help.
The Strategic Bid Health Checklist walks your team through the steps to create a winning bid. It covers everything from decoding the scoring lens and setting win themes, to shaping your solution, addressing risk and mapping your Executive Summary to what actually gets scored.
Use it at 4 critical gates: (1) kickoff, (2) strategy/storyboard, (3) before Red Team, and (4) 48 hours pre-submission.
It's designed to keep your team focused on what matters, when it matters - so you avoid last-minute rewrites and generic copy/paste content.
How to get it
Download the checklist here, or DM me and I will send it to you.
