JQ IQ Bid Management Jargon Buster
Decoding the Secret Language of Bid Management
Welcome to the world of bid management, where deadlines are tight, coffee is essential, and words like 'methodology' are thrown around like confetti. If you've ever felt like bids come with their own secret language, you're not wrong. But don't worry—we've got your back.
A-Z of Bid Speak (Translated into Normal English)
Bid
What it should mean: A structured offer to deliver goods or services.
What it feels like: A frantic group project with higher stakes and less sleep.
RFP / PQQ / ITT / RFQ / RFI
→ Just fancy ways buyers ask you to tell them how amazing you are, as they can't agree on a single descriptor (with strict word counts and forms that hate formatting).
Competitive Dialogue
When the buyer knows they want something, but are too snowed under to work out what it is, so they get you to do it, for free, over at least 6 months.
Clarification Questions
Your one chance to say: "What on earth do you mean by that?" without sounding clueless. Use wisely.
Evaluation Criteria
How your bid will be scored. Like a school exam, but with more spreadsheets and fewer biscuits.
Weighting
Each section's importance in the scoring. 60% quality, 40% price? Great — time to obsess over that 60%.
Win Themes
Your irresistible reasons why they should pick you. Think of them as the headline on a "dating profile" make it sing.
SME (Subject Matter Expert)
The person who actually knows the stuff... but may disappear just when you need them most.
Pink / Red / Gold Reviews
Not a mood board — these are staged reviews. Pink = early draft, Red = serious critique, Gold = the final shine.
Bid Library
The mythical folder where all your best past answers should live. Also known as "where good content goes to be lost forever."
Storyboarding
No crayons required. This is where we sketch out what a great answer looks like — structure first, waffle later.
Social Value
Not just "nice-to-have " often a dealbreaker. This is where you and your company explain how your work will do some good in the world.
Commercials
"Everything to do with pricing, risk, and contracts" AKA the bit everyone avoids until the last minute.
Live Bid
The moment it gets real. There's a deadline. There's panic. There's probably snacks. Welcome to the thunderdome.
Go/No-Go
A pre-bid decision where you ask: "Is this worth it?" Sadly often skipped... until it's too late.