What is the capture process?
Capture Planning is the process which links business development to the actual writing of a finished bid or tender. Typically, the Capture process starts when an opportunity is identified and informs the actions that take place prior to the ITT arriving with you. The vertical sales cycle will typically look like this:
Opportunity Identification
Business Development
Capture Phase
Win Plan Development
Final Bid No Bid
Proposal Writing
Shortlist Presentation
The capture process can be divided broadly into two clear areas of focus: the internal and the external.
It varies from organisation to organisation but will always cover:
- An analytic evaluation of the client and their market
- An examination of your competitive landscape associated with the opportunity
- A discussion surrounding the likely scope of the contract and the internal resources required to bid for it and service it
- An initial commercial evaluation from a pricing and contract specific P&L perspective
- The likely contract issues
- The probable Win Themes that will lift your bid into a winning position
- A trial bid Go/No Go decision
- Project meetings and the initial bid kick-off meeting
The process may well stretch over several months as the project ebbs and flows and its complexity and resource consumption will be directly linked to the complexity and size of the contract being evaluated.
The objective of the capture process is to achieve an understanding of how you will construct your written bid submission to a standard that will create a benchmark that your competitors are unlikely to reach. This understanding should then be written up into a capture plan.
The key elements of Bid Perfect training in Capture Planning are:
- How to analyse the client
- Researching and what you are trying to establish
- How to assess your relationship and understanding of the client
- How to analyse the competitive landscape
- How to ghost your competition
- Creating the capture team
- Roles and responsibilities
- Putting the correct resources in place
- Running the capture process
- Development of the possible solution
- Development of the commercial arguments
- Writing the capture plan
- Trialing the Go/No Go decision
- Planning for the kick off meeting
Using the core elements listed above, our Capture Planning course is tailored specifically for each client’s environment.
If you would like an initial conversation please call us on 0845 6000 281 or alternatively click here to send an enquiry and we'll get back to you.
Testimonials
Marcus was lively, challenging and we all left feeling energised and enthused, and with a revised style of writing which we felt contributed greatly to our success in winning the tender. We subsequently brought Bid Perfect back to run a couple of day courses for colleagues in the wider voluntary sector about 'writing winning bids', and we had enthusiastic and excellent feedback from course participants.
Julia Baron, Shropshire RCC
I am delighted to report that we have won the bid we were going for, in all areas, coming top in the marking process. We believe the influence of Bid Perfect had much to do with this. We will have no hesitation in enthusiastically recommending their services or employing them again ourselves.
Newsome Vaughan LLP Solictors
We were successful in obtaining an award, to supply all the Lots out for Tender for the BBC
This is due in no small part, to the efforts of the Bid Perfect Team and in particular, Alison Reeves who managed to get us through the Pre-qualification Questionnaire (PPQ) and Helena Bissett who managed us through the Invitation to Tender (ITT).
Barry Measure,Take 2 Films
I just wanted to let you know that we received the Hyundai contract back yesterday! Obviously we're thrilled and I just wanted to update you guys at Bid Perfect and say thanks for your help. We'll obviously be in touch next time we get a RFP over!
Gemma Storkey, Sales Manager, Market Makers
Bid Perfect were thoroughly professional and compelling in their approach to the training.
Our team thoroughly enjoyed the two days and the course was very good value. I am sure that we will improve our future bid responses and win rate as a direct result of this training.
I have no hesitation in recommending Bid Perfect for training and we also hope to use them on a consultancy basis for future relevant tenders.
Anne Johnston - Business Development Manager, Eve Trakway
Bid Perfect have worked with us for five years and have always been responsive, flexible and throughly professional. They have been our default bid training organisation and also a supplier of talented bid support personnel. I am very happy to recommend Bid Perfect.
Liza Beukes, Sales Retention Director, Compass Group PLC