<![CDATA[How to Bid]]>https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keystone-procurement3Riverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Mon, 26 Oct 2026 08:18:29 GMTMon, 05 Oct 2026 08:14:25 GMT60Keystone ProcurementHow to Bid: A Procurement Podcast demystifies the world of public procurement, helping businesses, leaders, consultants and bid writers understand how to write winning bids, navigate tender processes, and build stronger, more competitive proposals. Hosted by Ross McCarthy and Donnacha Phelan of Keystone Procurement, each episode breaks down real-world procurement challenges into practical, actionable advice.episodicKeystone Procurementross@keystoneprocurement.euno<![CDATA[Map the Market Before You Bid]]>How to Bid: Where to Start When You’re New to Public Tenders

Winning public contracts starts with a map, not a tender document. Ross McCarthy and Donnacha Phelan, go back to first principles: map your market and target your top five buyers, build a bid library, understand the real cost of a bid, and find your way around the UK’s patchwork of tender portals.

Your first tender shouldn’t be the first one you find. 🎧

https://keystoneprocurement.eu

https://keystoneprocurement.trainercentralsite.eu/course/what-is-bid-management

]]>https://keystoneprocurement.eufd1511cf-8696-4891-a815-86e135f3ff89Mon, 12 Oct 2026 13:07:58 GMT<p><b><strong>How to Bid: Where to Start When You’re New to Public Tenders</strong></b></p><p>Winning public contracts starts with a map, not a tender document. Ross McCarthy and Donnacha Phelan, go back to first principles: map your market and target your top five buyers, build a bid library, understand the real cost of a bid, and find your way around the UK’s patchwork of tender portals.</p><p>Your first tender shouldn’t be the first one you find. 🎧</p><p><a href="https://keystoneprocurement.eu" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://keystoneprocurement.eu</a></p><p><a href="https://keystoneprocurement.trainercentralsite.eu/course/what-is-bid-management" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://keystoneprocurement.trainercentralsite.eu/course/what-is-bid-management</a></p>no00:26:0812Map the Market Before You Bidfull<![CDATA[Right Map, Right Territory: Getting Your Bid There on Time]]>One file to upload. One deadline to meet. And a very bad ten to twenty minutes...

Fifteen years into his bid writing career, Donnacha Phelan, director at Keystone Procurement, found out the hard way what an unfamiliar tendering platform can do. The platform was built for Windows, it needed an app to be downloaded and registered, and his laptop's administrator controls wouldn't allow it, all in the final hour before the deadline.

His story leads to a bigger point: bid management is about getting the document to the buyer, on time and in the right form. The five rights of procurement apply to suppliers just as much as to buyers.

In this episode:

  • Why the public sector is worth targeting, especially in uncertain economic times
  • Why small and micro businesses so often think bidding isn't for them
  • What bid management means in one phrase: strategic winning
  • What How to Bid will cover: the fundamentals, how public tendering really works, strategy and planning, writing, compliance, AI, consortia and more


How to Bid is for bid writers, bid managers, project managers, business owners and anyone with a stake in winning tendered work. Expect practical tips, real examples and as little jargon as possible...

More from Keystone Procurement: https://keystoneprocurement.eu

]]>https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/keystone-procurement3/episodes/Right-Map--Right-Territory-Getting-Your-Bid-There-on-Time-e3poau49e0c58bd-66a1-47a9-acca-a9fe3420fff8Mon, 05 Oct 2026 05:00:00 GMT<p>One file to upload. One deadline to meet. And a very bad ten to twenty minutes...</p><p>Fifteen years into his bid writing career, Donnacha Phelan, director at Keystone Procurement, found out the hard way what an unfamiliar tendering platform can do. The platform was built for Windows, it needed an app to be downloaded and registered, and his laptop's administrator controls wouldn't allow it, all in the final hour before the deadline.</p><p>His story leads to a bigger point: bid management is about getting the document to the buyer, on time and in the right form. The five rights of procurement apply to suppliers just as much as to buyers.</p><p>In this episode:</p><ul><li>Why the public sector is worth targeting, especially in uncertain economic times</li><li>Why small and micro businesses so often think bidding isn't for them</li><li>What bid management means in one phrase: strategic winning</li><li>What <em>How to Bid</em> will cover: the fundamentals, how public tendering really works, strategy and planning, writing, compliance, AI, consortia and more</li></ul><p><br /></p><p><em>How to Bid</em> is for bid writers, bid managers, project managers, business owners and anyone with a stake in winning tendered work. Expect practical tips, real examples and as little jargon as possible...</p><p>More from Keystone Procurement: <a href="https://keystoneprocurement.eu/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://keystoneprocurement.eu</a></p> no00:20:5011Right Map, Right Territory: Getting Your Bid There on Timefull