Through individual efforts or through their chapters, APMP members all over the world are working to promote their profession as an intentional career path in various ways. In 2015, the UK chapter of APMP participated in one of 26 “trailblazer” groups approved by the government to develop new apprenticeship standards, one of which was for the bid and proposal coordinator.
“In the UK, there is a structured approach to establishing and obtaining funding for an apprenticeship, which requires a trailblazer group from the industry to be formed to devise the standard and submit the application to the government,” explains Peter Coyle, APMP UK’s professional development director. “APMP UK facilitated, coordinated and participated in this group and the development of the training standard. In early 2019, the standard was approved, and three training providers commenced delivering the apprenticeship that summer.”
The apprenticeship lasts for up to two years, during which the individual will learn the necessary skills to become a bid and proposal coordinator. Some of these skills include:
- Bid process
- Proposal development
- Roles and responsibilities
- Organization and planning
- Writing and editorial
- Communications
Apprentices are encouraged to take part in the APMP student membership to gain access to the APMP Body of Knowledge. They complete an end-point assessment, which provides a certificate of training, and upon completion of the program, they will be ready to take the APMP Foundation certification exam.
Coyle says the aim of the apprenticeship is for companies to recruit newcomers (both new professionals and career changers) and prepare them with the knowledge, skills and behaviors necessary to succeed in the profession. By the end of 2020, there were 42 learners, with new cohorts planned to start in early 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic provided the impetus to innovate and develop online delivery this year. For the final module of the apprenticeship, the training provider, JGA Group, devised a three-day roleplay scenario-based module for the learners to experience the typical challenges and opportunities found in a bid room. This was intended to be delivered in a live environment, but instead, they used a virtual world, created by VirBELA, where participants’ avatars moved between dedicated briefing rooms, private and common spaces, and even a party area for the end of project celebration.
Apprentices received real tender documents for a contract in an industry in which they had no experience. APMP members acted as typical buyers, reviewers and subject-matter experts. The apprentices worked in teams with assigned roles and set out to plan, research, write, submit and win the tender against stiff competition.
“Both the apprentices and supporting team loved virtual environment,” Coyle says. “It delivered the functionality of Zoom but with greater user control and no staring at yourself on-screen all day! It enabled even the most camera-shy learners to play an active role in the project.”
APMP UK chapter members have been integral to this virtual experience and to the apprenticeship overall. “The trailblazer group is comprised of all APMP UK members,” Coyle says. “Our members are also working with the training providers to help with the preparation and delivery of the training. In addition, they will act as assessors in support of organizations carrying out the end-point assessment.”
Coyle, who got his start in the bid and proposal industry in 1995, says programs such as the apprenticeship are important in showing the value of professionals in this field.
“After spending more than 20 years in a wide variety of bid rooms, I find it frustrating that people don’t recognize the difference a professional can make to the quality and the win probability of submissions,” he says. “It amazes me when companies leave the preparation of bids for future business until the last minute and then rely on the least appropriate people to prepare them. By making bids and proposals an intentional career path, it will ultimately improve the quality of all submissions, thus giving the profession the recognition and respect it deserves.”
In his role as professional development director within the UK chapter, Coyle is active in promoting bids and proposals as an intentional career path through the Pathway to the Profession initiative, which would allow chapter members to represent the profession at relevant exhibitions; provide internships and work experience; and participate in career fairs at schools, colleges and universities.
Introducing the profession at the university level is an effort APMP UK member Isabel Moritz, CPP APMP Fellow, is helping take on. She is working with University of Hertfordshire principal lecturer Diane Morrad to develop a bid management module within the university’s Master of Science (MSc) marketing degree course. Moritz says the objective of this module is to teach students the foundations of bid management and develop skills in problem-solving and decision-making in a sales environment.
“We are providing evidence of the value of an APMP module to university business schools by raising students’ future employment prospects with skills needed by employers and providing them with a deeper and more global understanding of the sales lifecycle,” Moritz says.
She explains that for University of Hertfordshire course programmers, APMP UK has submitted data to demonstrate the high level of demand for bid professionals from companies of all sizes and sectors. “Universities compete hard for students,” she says. “They intend this module to differentiate their business degree courses.”
The MSc course will target motivated undergraduates and those candidates who already have some commercial experience but want to increase their capabilities and qualifications.
“They will certainly have a far more customer-focused view, and this will be an immense advantage for them out in the business world where understanding the capture process and being able to articulate the value proposition will mean that they will be more successful in whatever path they choose,” Moritz says.
According to Moritz, the business school is currently in the process of revalidating the MSc marketing course; APMP UK will use this experience of introducing the bid module to create a template for future introductions.
Moritz says, “These initiatives will eventually provide a model to guide other APMP chapters and confirm APMP’s status as the bid and proposal management reference point.”
This article is the final in a series exploring the APMP Intentional Career Path (ICP) Committee’s initiatives, as well as the efforts of individuals and APMP chapters that are working toward making the bid and proposal profession an intentional career path. Read the other articles in the series:
- Making Bid and Proposal Management an Intentional Career Path
- Getting Started in the Proposal Industry
- Bringing Bids and Proposals to the Classroom
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