Proposals Manager

About the Role
This position involves end-to-end bid management and ownership, ensuring a seamless process from the invitation to tender (ITT/RFP) through proposal submission and post-bid activities. The role will require strong collaboration across technical and operational teams, and involves governance, financial and technical proposal development, stakeholder coordination, risk management, and knowledge management.

Key Responsibilities
End-to-End Bid Management and Ownership

• Take full ownership of the bid lifecycle, from receipt of the invitation to tender (ITT/RFP) through proposal submission and post-bid activities.
• Review and analyze RFP requirements, including scope of services, deliverables, evaluation criteria, contractual requirements, and submission instructions.
• Develop and maintain the bid preparation programme, including key milestones, internal deadlines, review gates, and submission requirements.
• Coordinate and monitor inputs from internal technical teams, business lines, and external consultants to ensure timely and compliant submissions.
• Develop proposal templates, compliance matrices, submission checklists, and other bid management documentation.
• Establish the preliminary bid delivery strategy in consultation with the relevant technical and operational teams.
• Identify gaps in technical capabilities, resource availability, and specialist expertise, and coordinate appropriate solutions.
• Facilitate bid kick-off meetings, progress reviews, coordination workshops, and technical/commercial alignment sessions.
• Oversee final document compilation, formatting, quality checks, and production to ensure consistency and compliance with client requirements.

Bid Governance and Internal Approvals

• Take ownership of the bid governance and internal clearance processes in accordance with internal policies and applicable business line protocols.
• Prepare and coordinate governance documentation, including Go/No-Go (GNG), risk evaluations, and other required approval materials.
• Coordinate Gate Review meetings, including preparation of presentations, supporting documentation, and records of decisions.
• Monitor compliance with the Delegation of Authority (DoA) requirements and applicable approval thresholds.
• Coordinate with relevant stakeholders to secure the necessary approvals before proposal submission.
• Maintain records of bid approvals, governance decisions, and associated documentation.
• Follow up on outstanding governance actions and ensure their timely closure.

Commercial and Financial Proposal Development

• Lead the preparation and development of financial proposals in coordination with the Cost Manager, technical teams, and relevant management stakeholders.
• Develop the detailed cost build-up, incorporating internal resources, external consultants, project expenses, and other applicable cost components.
• Establish the preliminary resource deployment plan, including staffing requirements, man-month allocations, and resource availability.
• Coordinate with technical teams to validate resource requirements, levels of effort, and associated costs.
• Consolidate and evaluate subconsultant financial proposals and integrate their costs into the overall commercial offer.
• Develop the proposed fee structure and target fee in alignment with the approved commercial strategy.
• Calculate and assess gross margin (GM), profitability, EBIT, and other relevant financial indicators.
• Develop cash flow projections and proposed payment schedules.
• Incorporate risk contingencies based on the project risk register and associated commercial exposure.
• Establish commercial assumptions, qualifications, and exclusions in consultation with the relevant stakeholders.
• Prepare commercial summaries, pricing breakdowns, and financial information required for internal reviews and management approvals.
• Coordinate the finalization of the financial proposal and obtain the required commercial sign-offs.

Technical Proposal Development and Coordination

• Develop the technical proposal structure and content framework in accordance with the RFP requirements and evaluation criteria.
• Prepare initial technical write-ups, including project understanding, proposed methodology, delivery approach, value proposition, and key differentiators.
• Develop preliminary project delivery strategies in coordination with technical leads and project management teams.
• Identify key project risks and coordinate the development of corresponding mitigation measures.
• Coordinate the preparation of project-specific organizational structures, team composition, and reporting arrangements.
• Develop project organization charts and support the preparation of responsibility allocation matrices.
• Coordinate with project planners to develop the proposed project programme and key milestones.
• Ensure alignment between the technical scope, resource deployment plan, delivery programme, and financial proposal.
• Review and tailor personnel CVs, project references, and corporate experience to demonstrate relevance to the tender requirements.
• Coordinate the preparation of technical inputs and ensure consistency across the various disciplines and proposal sections.
• Review technical submissions for completeness, consistency, and alignment with the overall bid strategy.

Internal Stakeholder and Multidisciplinary Coordination

• Act as the central coordination point between the Aviation Sector, supporting business lines, and other internal stakeholders throughout the bid preparation process.
• Coordinate with technical leads, project managers, resource managers, and commercial teams to establish the proposed delivery arrangements.
• Align relevant team members on the scope of services, fee allocation, resource requirements, and availability.
• Coordinate with the Commercial Team, Group Legal, Group Finance, Group Insurance, Group Taxation, and Group Risk Management to address bid-related requirements and obtain necessary clearances.
• Facilitate multidisciplinary coordination meetings and workshops to resolve technical, commercial, and contractual matters.
• Monitor outstanding actions, identify potential bottlenecks, and escalate critical issues to the relevant management stakeholders.

External Consultants, Subconsultants, and Partners

• Identify and engage potential subconsultants and specialist partners to address project-specific technical requirements.
• Coordinate the preparation and execution of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and other preliminary engagement documentation.
• Prepare and issue requests for technical and financial proposals to external consultants and partners.
• Coordinate the clarification of scope boundaries, deliverables, responsibilities, and commercial arrangements.
• Review and consolidate subconsultant technical and financial submissions.
• Negotiate and align proposed fees, resource allocations, and commercial assumptions with external partners, as required.
• Coordinate the preparation and finalization of subconsultancy agreements with the Commercial and Legal teams.
• Maintain communication with external parties throughout the bid preparation process to ensure alignment with the overall submission strategy.

Contractual and Risk Management Coordination

• Review tender contractual requirements and identify matters requiring specialist commercial or legal input.
• Coordinate contractual reviews with the Commercial Team and Group Legal.
• Consolidate contractual comments, proposed departures, qualifications, and clarifications.
• Support the identification and assessment of project delivery, commercial, and contractual risks.
• Coordinate the development and maintenance of the bid risk register.
• Ensure that identified risks and mitigation measures are appropriately reflected in the technical and financial proposals.
• Coordinate the finalization of proposed contractual conditions and commercial qualifications with the relevant stakeholders.

Aviation Sector Systems, Reporting, and Knowledge Management

• Manage and maintain the Aviation Sector SharePoint, including proposal records, project references, bid templates, and supporting documentation.
• Maintain and update Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) opportunity records and associated information.
• Manage and update global and regional aviation opportunity trackers.
• Maintain organized records of bid submissions, governance approvals, commercial proposals, and correspondence.
• Support the development and maintenance of the Aviation Sector's proposal knowledge base.
• Coordinate updates to the Aviation Sector's capability statements, project references, and relevant marketing materials.
• Ensure that proposal information and records are appropriately organized and accessible for future opportunities.

Proposal Submission and Post-Bid Activities

• Coordinate the final proposal review, ensuring completeness, consistency, and compliance with the RFP requirements.
• Manage the finalization and production of technical and financial submission packages.
• Coordinate the execution of required tender forms, declarations, and authorization documents.
• Manage proposal submissions through client portals, email, or other prescribed submission channels.
• Coordinate responses to post-submission clarifications and additional client information requests.
• Support commercial and technical negotiations during the post-bid stage.
• Coordinate the collection and review of client feedback following bid outcomes.
• Facilitate lessons-learned discussions and identify opportunities to improve future submissions.
• Support the transition and handover of successful bids to the relevant project delivery teams.

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