How To Tick A Key Box In Your Bid For Public Sector Contracts

If you run a small to medium sized business, professional practice or part of a voluntary

sector organisation, chances are you are already looking around at the opportunities likely to emerge as the public sector begins to contract.

For the private sector to take advantage of opportunities to tender, be a sub-contractor or joint venture partner it is obvious that delivering a quality service within extremely tight margins will be crucial.

Two thoughts immediately spring to mind:-

1. How do you ensure that if successful in gaining new contracts the cost of delivery is really achievable, without damaging business stability?

2. How do you demonstrate that you have the management capability to be entrusted with service delivery in what will be a highly competitive arena?

The smart money has to be on those businesses that, alongside other criteria, can show robust line management practices.

Many private sector businesses are already salivating at the thought of the potential opportunities. Before we break open the champagne let's just get real for a minute or two and think about some of the risks involved.

Being successful in securing this new business may well mean absorbing some public sector staff still reeling from being made redundant and not necessarily "thankful to have a job". You may be asking your own people to do more for the same, or less. Your best people will be very attractive to your competition. Minimising sickness and absenteeism will become critical to delivering the level of and quality of service you promised.

This is a tall order that will demand the very best of people management skills at the front line to maintain goodwill all round week after week. Managing change, maybe growth; delivering on demanding targets and key performance indicators, keeping people motivated, keeping costs down. This has always been the management task; the difference now is there is no slack, no room for error and little time to adjust.

So, back to those line management practices I mentioned earlier. How do yours stack up?

Here are just three quick questions to discuss before you even begin to put a bid together:-

=> Are you and your line managers ready for the challenges that success may bring?

=> Do you have a system in place you can rely on to support your people as you pick up new contracts?

=> Can you describe the line management process and show how it makes you and your management team a safe choice?

My business focuses on unleashing the power of line management to help people make sense of their work at an individual level - answering questions, driving action and performance, engaging people and ensuring that they keep moving forward. As the full reality of the kind of economy that is going to become the norm begins to bite maybe the time has come to refresh our thinking on this everyday activity?

Here's to your success in this brave new world!

by: Fiona Pearson

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