Ashburn, VA – 1 November 2023 – Yesterday, the British Standards Institute (BSI) officially published PAS 360:2023, the first ever internationally-available code of practice for the bid and proposal management industry.
Sponsored by the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) and authored by BidCraft Ltd., PAS 360 establishes a clear picture of what constitutes good practice for a bid and proposal management function. Its landmark publication provides organizations with their first recognized framework for consistency in the approach to implementing a bid and proposal management function that successfully pursues and wins business.
“The development of PAS 360 began over two years ago,” Gareth Earle, Senior Consultant at BidCraft and credited technical author of the standard said. “I was sat with Jon Darby and Eve Upton (directors of BidCraft) and we realized that, while there were standards for procurement and project delivery, there was a gap when it came to bidding.
“We worked with BSI, APMP and the steering group to draft a document that went out for public consultation in March and April this year. Feedback from the Review Panel and the public was such a key part of the process – every single comment we received went through a process of consideration so that everyone could have a voice on the PAS during its drafting.
“Ultimately, we now have this amazing document which is available to everyone free of charge. It’s not mandatory – people can pick and choose what they need from it – but it’s a code of practice to help companies of all sizes and maturity to ensure they have a bidding function that is effective and efficient. This will improve the likelihood of winning and reduce the risk to procurement and contract delivery, whilst increasing the prominence of the function in an organization.”
The standard has been developed to address the issue of inconsistent practice among organizations and to bring bid and proposal management standards in line with the quality of established practices in similar industries. It complements APMP’s Body of Knowledge, which members have access to through their membership.
“Sponsoring the PAS 360 for Bid and Proposal Management provides us a unique opportunity to further the goals and founding objectives of APMP,” said Nic Adams, Director of APMP United Kingdom Development CIC and sponsor liaison for the project. “The process was very well-managed by BSI and the input from the steering group and the wider public was fantastic.
“The high volume of detailed feedback during the public consultation stage was near unprecedented and clearly indicates the importance of this document to the membership and broader public. We hope to see people downloading and making the most of this standard, both in and outside of APMP – this provides us with a foothold in moving towards a global standard in the future.”
BSI, the UK’s national standards body, encourages organizations to use their published standards as a framework for maintaining quality and consistency in the practices across their industry.
“This is a watershed moment,” said Mr Earle. “BSI is the oldest institute for standards across the world; it’s seen as a trailblazer. Whenever we’re asked why we do what we do, we now have something to point towards that is backed by the trust and the power that the BSI stamp of approval gives.”
APMP CEO, Rick Harris, praised the introduction of the standard, stating: “Our industry is on the map, and now we have a set of international standards. APMP is proud to support this innovation and help propel our industry to new heights. We have been recognized by a standards institution of being worthy of an international standard and we hope every APMP member is proud.”
To download PAS 360:2023 for free, visit the BSI’s website here.
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