Bid Manager

at  Flowbird UK

Role Summary
Flowbird Transport Intelligence are searching for an experienced Bid Manager to join our team to build on recent successes, and drive additional growth. Focusing on defining solutions, producing content and managing bid responses across the UK+ Region, which includes UK, Ireland, Nordics, Middle East, South Africa and Australia.
The successful candidate will lead bid management and tendering activities and will be able to demonstrate a history of success in winning strategically important bids, working well under pressure and to tight deadlines, taking full responsibility for the evaluation and preparation of bids, ensuring that bids are assessed and responded to on time and to the highest standards.
This position offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on the future of the business, working in Flowbird to grow in an exciting, challenging and competitive market and technologies. It will be a pivotal role within the team at Flowbird.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with sales teams to develop proposals and actively participate in the response strategy and the qualification of bids (e.g., Go/No Go).
• Qualify needs, analyse specifications, identify feasibility and profitability criteria, mobilise and support the response team to clarify customer needs and direct them towards our solutions.
• Organise and manage the response to the call for tender (launch meeting, monitoring, workshops, manage consistency of the response, etc.) in accordance with the bid processes from the Go decision to bid submission and post award contract handover.
• Work in collaboration with the Product and R&D teams to identify and promote solutions to meet customer needs.

Compile response documents related to the capital project delivery (Build) and operational support and maintenance (Run) phases. This includes the construction of the financial offer, analysis of contractual clauses and drafting of technical offers (including compliance matrix).

• Collect and analyse the cost elements which will be integrated into the bid PnL. This includes the costs of equipment, development, support, maintenance, licenses and the assessment of levels of risk and contingency.
• Prepare and participate in presentations and client meetings.
• Organise and participate in the transfer of knowledge of the offer to the project team in charge of implementation.
• Develop a high level of knowledge and understanding of the Flowbird portfolio of solutions.
• Take full responsibility for the evaluating and preparing of bids, ensuring that bids are assessed and responded to on time and to the quality expected.
• Develop the solution for bids, using your knowledge of Flowbird systems in order to determine the best solutions to meet customer requirements and seek opportunities for expanding the system.
• Liaise with the relevant departments across the business to gain the technical, quality and financial input required for each bid, ensuring that each bid goes through the required gateway review process.
• Support the Sales team on “Business As Usual” customer quotations, bringing together the content required and facilitating the review process when needed.
• Play a key role in maintaining strong relationships both with Flowbird’s customer base and also with Flowbird’s own internal stakeholders that will be instrumental in preparing content for tenders.
• Monitor global bid portals for relevant opportunities and highlight potential bids for go/no go reviews.
• Maintain the bid library, to include the content for future bids.
• Interface with the relevant supply chain, commercial, operations, software and hardware, delivery teams to ensure high quality bid responses are prepared for ‘right first time’ governance reviews.
• It will be necessary to write bid response content. Bid content will be supported and supplemented by other internal stakeholders.
• Maintain records of bid activity and report on current and forthcoming and opportunities via regular updates to the sales team and wider company.
• Experience

A background in smart ticketing systems such as public transport and mobility fares systems would be an advantage. As would experience in payments systems, mobility apps, journey planning, real-time passenger information solutions.

• Proven experience and success in Bid Management (minimum 3-5 years).
• Experience in B2B and B2G formal tendering processes.
• Core Skills

Comfortable with drafting tender briefs (many of which are public contract awards), managing and coordinating multidisciplinary teams

• Comfortable working in a corporate environment
• Organised with a structured approach to bid response activities
• Excellent relationship skills both internally and externally
• French language would be an advantage
• (customer relations, oral fluency)
• Behavioural factors

Ability to work under pressure and to deadlines

• Resilient and persistent
• Excellent organisation and communication skills

Location and travel
The position will be based out of Flowbird’s Head Office in Poole, Dorset where it is necessary to attend the office a minimum of three days per week. The position may require travel throughout the UK and occasionally overseas

• Work closely with sales teams to develop proposals and actively participate in the response strategy and the qualification of bids (e.g., Go/No Go).
• Qualify needs, analyse specifications, identify feasibility and profitability criteria, mobilise and support the response team to clarify customer needs and direct them towards our solutions.
• Organise and manage the response to the call for tender (launch meeting, monitoring, workshops, manage consistency of the response, etc.) in accordance with the bid processes from the Go decision to bid submission and post award contract handover.
• Work in collaboration with the Product and R&D teams to identify and promote solutions to meet customer needs