News

Data Protection and Public Procurement

This week our Public Sector Bidding Expert, Andy Haigh has provided a fascinating overview of the new Data Protection Legislation and how it will affect new and historical bids. To find out more, click here: https://bidsolutions.co.uk/data-protection-impact-upon-bids/

To ask Andy a question, or any of our 17 experts, follow the link: https://bidsolutions.co.uk/bid-hub/ask-the-expert/

In other news, the latest edition of Bidding Quarterly is currently in production and will be exploring the topic of personal development. Keep an eye out for further updates ahead of its February release.

Our latest Permanent Opportunities this week include: 

Commercial Bid Manager Position based in London for a major construction organisation. Salary is up to £60k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16835

Senior Bid Manager Vacancy for a leading print management organisation, based in London. Salary is up to £55k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16833

Bid Manager Role for a leading logistics company. This position can be based in either Kent, Birmingham or Nottingham with homeworking available. Salary is up to £50k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16837

Bid Writer Vacancy for a leading security services provider, based in Woking. Salary is up to £45k –
https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16802

Business Development Assistant Position for one of the UK’s largest providers of social welfare, based in London. Salary is up to £33k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16787

For more information on these roles please contact the team on 020 8158 3952 / recruitment@bidsolutions.co.uk or for a full list of vacancies please visit – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs

GDPR for the Bid Manager

A few organisations are starting to pick up that on 25th May 2018, the new Data Protection Legislation (the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)), comes into force. It is targeted at improving privacy and preventing data breaches. It is based upon EU legislation. However, we expect that it will continue after Brexit, essentially unaltered. The Public Sector is already being pushed into altering all existing and new contracts, to bring them into alignment with this legislation.

Under the new regulations, companies must keep a complete record of how and when any individual gives consent to store and use their personal data. Individuals, also, have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. When somebody does withdraw consent, their details must be completely, permanently and swiftly erased, and not just deleted from a mailing list. In other words, the legislation gives individuals the right to be forgotten. There is some good guidance at https://ico.org.uk/media/1624219/preparing-for-the-gdpr-12-steps.pdf

The impact upon bidding organisations seeking both commercial and Public Sector contracts may be substantial. It is routine for us to include CVs and references in bids. We often name individual personnel to give credibility to their achievements or pass personal telephone numbers as emergency contact routes. From May, each business will need to record the consent to those involved and have an accurate system of managing withdrawn consent. It means we have to know where every instance of the personal data is logged and to be able to amend it quickly. For instance, can you be sure of where every one of your old bids are located?

When the legislation kicks in, companies will be required to provide regular data audits for EU authorities to prove they are compliant. This means someone will have to go through every software application and database and record details such as the exact type of data they contain – whether it be names and addresses, or more personal information like achievements. They will also have to identify who has access to it.

We expect that any organisation looking to comply with the new Data Protection legislation will incur costs in doing so, especially if it needs new systems or processes to be put in place. The Public Sector view is that such costs are attributable to conducting business and not just supplying the Public Sector. As a result, it expects all suppliers to manage their own costs in relation to compliance. This means the overall costs of doing business with formal proposals is about to go up.

As bid professionals, we need to prepare for the changes now. We must maintain a register of the personal data we use, when it was agreed to be used and where it is included in all our bids. We need to let everyone who has personal data used in our work know where and the reasons for its use. Plus, we have to tell them how they can withdraw their consent and how they can be sure that this has been achieved.

We think that this is a good time to include a preamble in every bid which contains personal details. Like the statement that identifies that a document contains sensitive information which needs to be kept confidential, we now need to add something like:

“This document contains personal information provided with the consent of the individuals involved. This information is highlighted on pages 7 to 9 and in Annex B. This information is provided for the sole purpose of fair evaluation of our proposal and may not be copied or passed on to others for any purpose beyond the evaluation in this competition. The individuals may withdraw their consent for the use of this information at any time and you must account for all copies of this information so it can be recovered or destroyed, if circumstances require. Should you be unable to comply with this requirement, you must return this document and all copies to us immediately for all personal data to be redacted.” We must then highlight the information accordingly.

How we might deal with such information which has been distributed in past proposals, is uncertain. The GDPR covers the information in them too. No doubt, we will have some court cases in the future which will set the direction. In the meantime, your organisation should have a nominated Data Protection Officer and now is a very good time to talk through the issues with them.

By Andy Haigh, Public Sector Bidding Expert
https://bidsolutions.co.uk/experts/andy-haigh/

2018 Proposal Writer Salary Survey – Compare your Proposal Writer Salary.

There have been some fascinating changes in our profession since we conducted the last survey in 2015, and on the whole, I am pleased to report that the changes are positive. As well as outlining average salaries based on core job titles, these top-level statistics provide an indication of trends against variables such as location, education, and professional certification. For the first time, we have also collected information on the mindset of respondents, exploring whether they believe they will receive a pay rise this year and whether Brexit will impact their earnings. The detailed report and analysis will be released in February.

Key Findings

• The average industry salary across all permanent full-time roles is £51,816. This represents an 8% increase since 2015 (£48,088).

• The average salary for women is £47,211 (9.5% increase from 2015 (£43,099)). For men, the average is £57,321 (7.5% increase from 2015 (£53,339)). Across all those surveyed, men on average earn 21.5% more than women (the difference was 23.8% in 2015).

• In real terms, basic salary increases have outpaced inflation for the first time in our ten years of surveying salaries. Tracking inflation (Source: www.whatsthecost.com/cpi.aspx), the 2015 average female salary would now equate to £45,737. The male salary would be £56,603. In real terms, men effectively have 1% more buying power whilst women have 3% more.

• The average man in our industry is 41 (41 in 2015), and the average woman is 37 (38 in 2015). The average age of all professionals surveyed is 39. There is insufficient data to report on gender variants.

• Heads of Proposal Management are now the best-paid professionals within our industry, earning £73,436. Heads of Bid Management are a close second earning £71,149. Bid / Proposal Coordinators are the lowest paid earning £30,362. Bid Managers earn £54,358 (7% increase) whilst Proposal Managers earn £46,699 (4.5% increase). Bid / Proposal Writers earn £38,429 (9% increase).

• Heads of Bid Management are the best-paid contractors earning £678 per day. Proposal Managers earn £553 per day (5% increase). Bid Managers earn £549 per day (3% increase). Bid / Proposal Writers earn £413 per day (8% increase).

• Professionals located in Greater London (inside the M25) attract the highest basic salaries – £58,803 (13% increase). North East England recorded the lowest salaries – £40,263 (static since 2015).

• Over 72% (up from 67% in 2015) of participants have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher. 93% have A-Levels or higher. Less than 0.5% are currently on an Apprenticeship.

• 51% (up from 27%) of respondents have achieved APMP Foundation Level or higher. 24% of respondents feel the APMP Certification programme isn’t applicable to their current role (down from 37%). Disappointingly, 24% said their organisations do not support the training (previously 16%).

• 46% of respondents (down from 75%) regularly work unsocial hours but are able to claim it back as time off in lieu. 17% of respondents still work late on a regular basis. Only 8% work regular 9-5 hours.

• 48% (same as 2015) of respondents have no personal development plan. This increases to 60% for self-employed contractors.

• 59% of respondents haven’t attended any training courses during the past 12 months. This rose to 73% for self-employed contractors. Only 1 in 4 respondents had attended some form of external training in the past 12 months.

• 3% of respondents are unemployed / seeking work (2% in 2015). 81% are permanently employed (down from 87%). 16% are self-employed or in temporary work (up from 11%).

• 61% of respondents are either ‘Satisfied’ or ‘Very Satisfied’ with their current role. 44% are not satisfied or felt their current basic / day-rate could be better.

• 76% of those surveyed would choose work-life balance over pure financial reward (94% in 2015). Only 13% state career progression / financial reward as their main driver.

• 334 (up from 298) different job title variations were recorded in the survey.

• Brexit worries appear to be having little impact on the mindset of the profession. 28% of respondents feel ‘Extremely Positive’ about their prospects in the next 12 months whilst only 10% are ‘Extremely Negative’.

• Balancing all relevant individual, company and market factors, a resounding 31% of respondents feel ‘Extremely Positive’ about securing a pay rise in 2018. Only 2% are extremely negative and expect a pay cut.

* Please note all salaries / contractor rates discussed are an average of basic salary / day-rates unless otherwise stated.

Gender Pay Gap – The 2018 Bid & Proposal Salary Survey

The 2018 Bid & Proposal Salary Survey has once again shone a light on gender inequality within our profession, with men on average earning 21.5% more than women. The difference was 23.8% in 2015, so while the gender pay gap is closing, there is a long way to go for parity to be achieved across genders.

Next week, we will release an overview of the survey with more detailed findings to follow across select criteria, including gender, location, age and industry.

Our latest Permanent Opportunities this week include:

Proposal Coach Opportunity based in London for a professional services organisation. Salary is up to £75k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16828

Strategic Bid Manager Position based in London for a major construction organisation. Salary is up to £75k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16830

Proposal Manager Opportunity based in London for a professional services organisation. Salary is up to £60k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16829

Proposal Manager / Writer Position based in Luton for a leading social housing organisation. Salary is up to £60k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16820

Knowledge Manager Position based in London for a major construction organisation. Salary is up to £45k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16831

Bid Manager Role based in Hereford working for a payment service provider to public and private sector organisations. Salary is up to £40k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16822

Bid Coordinator Role based in East Birmingham for a building services specialist. Salary is up to £35k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16824

Bid Writer Position based in Reading for an IT solutions organisation. Salary is up to £50k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16825

Business Development Assistant Role based in London, working for a provider of social welfare. Salary is up to £36k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16787

For more information on these roles please contact the team on 020 8158 3952 / recruitment@bidsolutions.co.uk or for a full list of vacancies please visit – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs

Looking for Bid Writer Jobs?

January is the time of year for resolutions and plans for personal and professional development. It is also our busiest period for recruitment. Whether you are planning your next career move and looking for a new opportunity, or hiring into your team and taking advantage of a busy candidate market; we recommend you reach out to the team and discuss how you can benefit from our expertise in this sector.

Our latest Permanent Opportunities this week include:

Proposal Manager / Writer Position based in Luton for a leading social housing organisation. Salary is up to £60k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16820

Senior Proposal Manager Opportunity based in London for a leading facilities organisation. Salary is up to £50k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16814

Bid Manager Role based in Hereford working for a payment service provider to public and private sector organisations.  Salary is up to £40k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16822

Bid Writer Position based in Woking for a security services provider. Salary up to £45k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16802

Bid Manager Opportunity for our client, a leading healthcare provider based in Kingston-upon-Thames. Salary is up to £40k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16801

Business Development Assistant Role based in London, working for a provider of social welfare. Salary is up to £36k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16787

For more information on these roles please contact the team on 020 8158 3952 / recruitment@bidsolutions.co.uk or for a full list of vacancies please visit – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs

5 Key Points for Winning Bid Presentations

Happy New Year from Bid Solutions! This week, our Construction & Professional Coaching Expert, Holger Garden, was asked about preparing and delivering bid presentations. With a wealth of experience in the field, Holger has provided 5 key points one must consider at a bid presentation. To find out what these are, follow the link: https://bidsolutions.co.uk/questions/bid-presentation-preparation-delivery/

To ask a question of any of our 17 experts, click here: https://bidsolutions.co.uk/bid-hub/ask-the-expert/

Our latest Permanent Opportunities this week include:

Proposal Manager / Writer Opportunity based in Luton for a main contractor, with a focus on Social Housing. Salary is up to £60k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16820

Senior Proposal Manager Position based in London for a leading facilities organisation. Salary is up to £50k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16814

EMEA Bid / Proposal Manager Opportunity based in Chippenham for a global retailer. Salary is up to £40k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16792

Bid Writer Position with a security firm in Woking. Salary is up to £40k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16802

Bid Writer Vacancy based in Stevenage for a national utility contractor. Salary is up to £45k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16816

Bid Assistant Opportunity based in London for one of the UK’s largest providers of social welfare. Salary is up to £36k – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs/?keywords=VAC-16787

For more information on these roles please contact the team on 020 8158 3952 / recruitment@bidsolutions.co.uk or for a full list of vacancies please visit – https://bidsolutions.co.uk/jobs