Term: Buy a Contract

25 May 2015 25 May 2015

Bid lower than cost or lower than cost-plus-a-reasonable-markup to be more sure of winning a contract. Used to break into a new industry or to discourage other competitors from entering your own.

This site focuses on RFP responses, but there's help here for RFP issuers, too. For even more help -- on either side of the contracting divide -- check out my manual.

"... a brilliant articulation of everything you ever needed to know about proposals." Carla Dawes, Founder: Rising into Resilience; former Business Development Manager & Proposal Consultant

Available as an ebook from these sources:

Publisher

Amazon

Available as a PDF from me, via the Contacts page.

Harvard Business Review often publishes good articles on managing yourself at work. Here's one of them:

6 Science-Backed Ways
to Improve Your Well-Being at Work

More effort creates beauty and magic and remarkability.

Perfectionism is a false hope and a place to hide.

Effort, on the other hand, is our best chance to do work that matters.

Source: Seth's Blog (like, where else?)

"There are only two things: contracts and conversations.
If you don't have the one, all you have is the other."
- An American Colonel whose name is lost in the mists of time,
but whose trenchant comment lives on

Here's a good overview of procurement, written in a conversational tone.

What is Procurement?

Posted: 2020 Nov 14

“Thanks everyone for comments on the draft, here it is revised with all your edits.” pic.twitter.com/pSV16wQqca

— Ben Phillips (@benphillips76) September 17, 2023

I invite you to help me make a difference by buying my latest book. All my royalties go to Food Banks Canada.

Things you rarely hear about these days…

10. A precedented situation
9. A mitigated disaster
8. Foreseen circumstances
7. A non-brutal reality
6. A credible Hulk
5. An imperfect storm
4. A fate better than death
3. A brunette bombshell
2. A charm defensive
1. A single whammy

— Adam Sharp (@AdamCSharp) January 5, 2024

My favourite door-knocking event so far:
Me to 10 yr old who answered: “I’m here to talk about the upcoming mayoral election, are one of your parents home?”
Kid: “My dad doesn’t want to run for mayor.” *closes door*

Sign this kid up for a proposal team. Not.

Source: Tweet by Michael Oshry, who *was* running for Mayor of Edmonton

"If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done."

Source: Former proposal colleague