APMP Releases First of Its Kind Ethics Survey Report to Membership

(Washington, DC) — August 8, 2018 – APMP’s 2018-2019 Ethics Survey Report was released today by the association’s Member Research Committee with findings that were equal parts surprising, encouraging and inspiring.  The report was e-mailed to all of APMP’s 8,057 members globally and is available for download at APMP.org (free to members).

More than 1,750 APMP members participated in the survey designed to find out answers to tough questions regarding industry and workplace ethics.  The goal of the survey is to fully understand the pressures facing bid and proposal professionals in the workplace and respond to the findings by designing education, training and possibly certification to address what works and what needs improvement.

The three biggest takeaways from the report are:

1. Workplace Behavior and Treatment – Eight out of 10 of those surveyed reported some sort of overwork, burnout or emotional distress in an industry known for its long work hours and demanding schedule.
2. A Sense of Accomplishment About Their Work – 88 percent of the respondents feel a strong sense of accomplishment on the job and 87 percent feel like “they are listened to.” The survey detailed other job satisfaction highlights including 68 percent “feeling valued by senior management” and 79 percent reporting being “noticed for a good job” and “given recognition and credit” for their work.
3. Gender Pay and Promotion – Nearly 48 percent of those surveyed believe there is gender discrimination affecting pay and promotion for women in the bid and proposal profession.

“APMP’s Ethics Survey Report and its findings are important because we can see where we are strong as an industry and where we need to focus for improvement,” said Rick Harris, Executive Director of APMP.  “I don’t know of another association that has taken this close a look at its industry.  Since APMP’s goal is to support the profession, we believe that defining and modeling the ethical behavior is significant to that endeavor,” he said.

Jamie Ninneman, APMP’s Chair, noted that the association focused research in the three areas that every member is familiar with in the workplace.  “We asked our members about bid and proposal ethics, workplace behavior and treatment, and business ethics violations.  We told our members from the start that their answers were completely anonymous and know that is why we got such candid feedback,” said Ninneman.

According to the report, APMP members rarely cited business ethics as a concern with 87 percent saying they “believe their companies are ethical” and 86 percent believing their “bosses are ethical.”  About 60 percent believe those in their company could benefit from further training and eventually some form of APMP ethics certification and training.

The 15-page APMP Ethics Survey Report is a culmination of careful work by a dedicated team. Ginny Carson, CPP APMP, and Neil Philipson, CPP APMP Fellow, and co-chairs of the APMP Member Research Committee partnered with Peggy Dufour, CPP APMP, in conjunction with Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, USA to produce the research and resulting report.

For more information about this report, please contact Rick Harris, APMP’s Executive Director at rick.harris@apmp.org.

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APMP is a 501c6 non-profit organization based in Washington, DC and is dedicated to advance the arts, sciences, and technologies of new business acquisition of its more than 8,057 members and to promote the professionalism of those engaged in those pursuits.