Bid Manager

Colliers is a leading commercial real estate services company, providing a full range of services to real estate occupiers, developers, and investors on a local, national and international basis. Services include brokerage sales and leasing (landlord and tenant representation), real estate management, valuation, consulting, project management, project marketing and research. We provide our services across the core sectors (office, industrial, retail and hotel) as well as many specialised property types.

The UK business is headquartered in London, with over 1200 specialists throughout 16 offices across the UK and Ireland.

Colliers has an exciting opportunity for a bid manager to join our London HQ based award-winning Bid team. This full-time London-based role involves bid and framework account management on behalf of the UK business. The candidate must have a proven track record in managing competitive tenders and informal proposals through all bid stages, framework and line management. The successful candidate will ensure high quality, competitive and consistent delivery is achieved by Colliers when tendering for business.

This role is for an experienced Bid Manager to be responsible for strategic oversight and support on major new business pursuits and pitches, framework and line management.

Working with senior leaders across our business, the role is to strategically support the conversion of major new business opportunities - from strategic pre-positioning to major pitch strategy and execution. The role will help continuously elevate the broader business’ pitching skillset through best practice training and collaboration.

The overall objective of the role is to preposition our team, create best-in-class pitches contributing to increasing revenue and win-rate for the UK business. This role enables working with senior leaders across the business in a fast-paced and dynamic environment and is encouraged and empowered to bring news ideas, creativity, innovation, and process improvements.

The role reports to the Head of UK Bid Team and enjoys close collaboration with experts across our Marketing and Communications Team, Client Engagement, Research, and Business Development teams to help support strategic bids.

Purpose

• Manage Competitive Tenders (professional services and transactional for public and private sectors) through all bid stages (from pre-qualification to debrief feedback), and compliance requirements, facilitating inputs from multiple business lines nationally and globally.
• Framework Management
• Provide expert strategic bid advisory support to teams pitching for business ensuring quality and consistent delivery of deadlines on time, to meet Bid team’s financial targets and win-rate.
• Manage and develop client relationships in a proactive and professional manner.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the bid process through all pitch stages for key bids, including compliance and content delivery through collaboration with fee-earning teams, ensuring the bid is compelling, well-written, attractive and accurate.
• Bid writing expertise (content and formatting of documents) and strong attention to detail and compliance requirements, excellent English, writing and numerical skills in pricing mechanisms are essential.
• Coach business lines through all stages of the bid, providing them with tools and guidance.
• Use project management techniques to ensure a well-planned, organised, and controlled process, taking personal responsibility to drive the process forward.
• Ensure a clear win strategy for each bid (based on solid commercial awareness) and articulating it to the team in a convincing way.
• Partner with business lines to position key content messages and form a client-centric compelling story for qualified opportunities.
• Formulating effective relationships with clients (internal and external) at all levels; so that challenge and direction can be given ensuring the company’s approach is benefit-driven and client-focused.
• Excellent presentation skills and facilitating presentations.
• Undertaking projects to develop tools, templates and commercial best practice.
• Share new and innovative ways of working to continuously improve Colliers’ approach to pitching and disseminating bid best practice, ensuring compliance.
• Framework Management and OJEU monitoring and Pursuits Tracker.
• Managing bid strategy meetings and presentations confidently.
• Strategic research
• Collaborate with internal & external partners on client engagement events.

Collaborate and align with the creative and design teams on design development

• 6+ years of commercial bids, business development, and/or marketing experience within the commercial real estate services industry.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire, motivate and influence key stakeholders to perform well in a pitch environment and maintain positive relationships with clients.
• Results orientated: proven track record of delivering timely bids through all stages in the private and public sectors ensuring compliance requirements.
• Exceptional project management skills and an ability to deal with several projects concurrently while successfully working to time-critical deadlines – not a strictly nine to five role – an understanding the deadline must be met and this requires some flexibility to hours worked.
• Advanced computer skills in Microsoft Office: PowerPoint, Word and Excel are essential.
• Strong understanding of the content and visuals required to produce a compelling bid/presentation.
• Experience with Salesforce or similar CRM.
• Versatile thinker, able to problem solve and has a can-do attitude.
• Must be able to “think outside the box” so that new opportunities can be exploited.
• Ability to persuade, influence and challenge in a constructive manner and identify solutions

At Colliers, we are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. In line with the Equality Act 2010, we will accommodate any suitable candidate requiring assistance to attend or conduct an interview. If you need any adjustments or support, please let us know when either scheduling your interview or in your application cover letter. We are dedicated to ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and are here to support you throughout the process.