BB7 at APMP’s BIDx 2025

Our Tenders Team recently attended APMP‘s annual conference in Wales. This two-day event brings together industry leaders from across Europe to connect, share knowledge and be inspired by workshops given by experts in the industry.

Representing BB7 were Bid Manager, Jenna Lagodziuk, and Bid Coordinator, Ellie Warner. As a growing team and company, attending this conference provided a whole host of learning opportunities for the team. From keynote speakers and presentations to workshops and exhibitions, the overall content of the conference focused on three key areas:

1. People: bringing the human element to the forefront of an AI-driven world, whether that’s through wellbeing, understanding human psychology, or strengthening learning and development.
2. Process: showcasing how the profession is using its natural creativity to develop innovative, responsive approaches to delivering high-quality bids.
3. Tools: exploring how AI and technology can support the profession by making our roles and processes easier, more efficient, and ultimately higher in quality.

Key takeaways from the day

• The profession is changing rapidly, and like all industries, the growth of AI tools has sent shock waves through the community. This has sparked a variety of discussions on both the benefits and drawbacks of implementing AI into a company’s tender process. There’s a lot to consider before implementing AI: current processes and infrastructure, team capacity, training needs and return on investment.
• Upskilling and cross-skilling are essential for future-proofing a company’s capability and helping them stay ahead of the curve. While many organisations are prioritising AI training for their employees, with tenders teams being no exception, it’s equally important to recognise the value of wider professional development. Strengthening areas such as leadership, management, communication, and creative skills can make a huge difference to how teams work together to deliver a high-quality output.
• Collaboration with subject matter experts is one of the most important aspects of producing a strong bid, yet it still remains a challenge across many sectors. The whole bids and tenders team has a part to play in improving this, and more often than not, it starts with something simple – building a relationship with the SME away from the pressure of the tender process.
• Companies are placing greater emphasis on environmental, social and governance (ESG) values. With the Procurement Act 2023 in effect, teams are under increasing pressure to demonstrate innovative solutions, evidence their social value delivery and show the added value they bring. ESG – especially quality and social values – is more important now than ever before.

For the BB7 tenders team, the APMP conference gave us fantastic insight into how the industry is evolving, including what skills, tools and processes we will need to stay ahead, enabling us to focus on ensuring that our technical expertise and added value is presented in all of our proposals.