If you are like me or my wife, you keep a checklist. These lists can be for personnel items that you need to get done around the house or you can utilize them for work. With today’s technology we have access to all kinds of apps that can help us keep organized and reach our goals.  There are many areas in business where one could be helpful. Do you have a checklist for targeting business opportunities and responding to those bids?  The likely answer is “no”.

A checklist for capturing business versus responding to bids may be quite different, however, both are essential to reaching your goals.  Let’s first look at the bid process.  Having clear objectives and activities will make you more successful and ensure you have not overlooked a key element. Your bid checklist can be very detailed or simple in nature.  What are some of the things you should cover in the list?

1. 1. Have you identified a potential opportunity?
   2. Have you done this type of work for other clients?
   3. Who are the key team members available to prepare research and answer questions?
   4. Have you utilized the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain past bids and current contracts?
   5. Do you know your qualifications?
   6. Have you identified your strengths and weaknesses?
   7. What are your competitor’s strengths?
   8. Is your pricing competitive?

These are the high-level elements of any bid checklist, but how you set it up and utilize this tool is up to you. Do not feel the need to recreate the wheel when it comes to developing a bid checklist. You may want to start by going online to see what is out there or consult with someone to see if they may have a tool or can develop one for you.

In future blogs we will look at the key elements of the business capture checklist as it relates to public procurement.

Michigan Legislative Consultants is a bipartisan lobbying firm based in Lansing, Michigan. Our team of lobbyists and procurement specialists provide a wide range of services for some of the most respected companies in America. For more on MLC, visit www.mlcmi.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.