What does a bid manager do?
A bid manager spearheads and oversees a company's bidding procedures for goods and services. They are in charge of managing a team of bidding analysts, reviewing customer requirements, and preparing proposals in adherence to guidelines and protocols. They also perform market research and analyses, study client and competitor behavior, gather and analyze data from other offices, perform risk assessments, and maintain databases. Moreover, a bid manager also has the responsibility to supervise staff, monitor their performance, and resolve issues should any arise.
Bid manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real bid manager resumes:
- Create and manage a full project schedule from RFP release to proposal submission.
- Lead global, cross-functional customer account management and supply chain team to deliver OEM products.
- Manage and maintain SharePoint site for proposal content and business collateral.
- Provide advanced functionality for healthcare facilities including registration, billing, denial management, and auditing for manage care and Medicare.
- Complete, review RFQ documents and chair RFQ review meetings.
- Train BDC personnel and maintain the software for the call center.
- Assist the manager with the day to day operations of the BDC.
- Develop executive summaries, value propositions, win themes and discriminators, and other key proposal summaries.
- Assist IBM sales reps with management and preparation of client proposal documents (RFPs, RFIs, and RFQs).
- Promote to create, implement, and execute the annual profit plan including monthly acquisitions, and individual BDR goals.
- Perform the daily tasks of a BDR and handle 60-80 calls daily to further demonstrate properly setting an accurate appointment.
- Provide functional analysis and logistics engineering insights for propose technical approach.
- Support diverse projects for international sales, science and technology, logistics, emergency management response, and mobile networks/applications.
- Provide advanced functionality for healthcare facilities including registration, billing, denial management, and auditing for manage care and Medicare.
- Develop and perform user acceptance testing (UAT) and parallel testing.
Bid manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Bid Managers are proficient in Project Management, Value Proposition, and Pursuit. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Creativity.
We break down the percentage of Bid Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 17%
Applied project management methodology to navigate the bidding process from initial RFP through implementation of solution.
- Value Proposition, 10%
Apply business acumen and industry trends to create and communicate value proposition to C-level executives.
- Pursuit, 10%
Create and track internal budgets for the sales pursuit teams involved in creating the solution to maintain within corporate budget guidelines.
- RFP, 9%
Perform in depth analysis of Request For Proposal (RFP) requirements to create a thorough and accurate response.
- Business Development, 8%
Prepared and designed presentations in collaboration with Business Development teams for all customer briefs related to on- going proposal opportunities.
- Subject Matter Experts, 6%
Evaluated client RFPs and collaborated with salespeople and subject matter experts to plan strategies for winning proposals.
Most bid managers use their skills in "project management," "value proposition," and "pursuit" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential bid manager responsibilities here:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a bid manager to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to analyze industry trends to determine the most promising strategies for their organization." Additionally, a bid manager resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "managed project activities including contract development, business analysis, and customized solution design negotiation. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling bid manager duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "managers must be able to communicate effectively with a broad-based team made up of other managers or staff members during the advertising, promotions, and marketing process." According to a bid manager resume, here's how bid managers can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "conducted operations management activities such as business planning, operational plans, project management, and communications for global enterprise solutions. "
Creativity. This is an important skill for bid managers to perform their duties. For an example of how bid manager responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must be able to generate new and imaginative ideas." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a bid manager: "tasked with creating proposal management center with a dedicated production hub, proposal mangers, and creative staff. ".
Organizational skills. bid manager responsibilities often require "organizational skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "advertising, promotions, and marketing managers must manage their time and budget efficiently while directing and motivating staff members." This resume example shows what bid managers do with organizational skills on a typical day: "collaborated across mantech business units and organizational groups: recruiting, business development, hr, contracts, operations and pricing. "
The three companies that hire the most bid managers are:
- System One10 bid managers jobs
- Bank of America6 bid managers jobs
- Ledcor6 bid managers jobs
Compare different bid managers
Bid manager vs. Manager, project management
The role of a project management manager involves the planning, execution, monitoring, control, and closure of projects. Project managers oversee the scope of the entire project, the team, success or failure, and its resources. They facilitate productivity and commitment, remove obstacles, and motivate their team members. Their skills should include leadership, critical thinking, communication, negotiating, and risk management. They should also know about cost management, scheduling, and task management.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a bid manager are more likely to require skills like "value proposition," "pursuit," "subject matter experts," and "bid strategy." On the other hand, a job as a manager, project management requires skills like "risk management," "portfolio," "customer service," and "on-time delivery." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Managers, project management earn the highest salaries when working in the pharmaceutical industry, with an average yearly salary of $115,297. On the other hand, bid managers are paid more in the professional industry with an average salary of $100,156.The education levels that managers, project management earn slightly differ from bid managers. In particular, managers, project management are 3.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a bid manager. Additionally, they're 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Bid manager vs. Consultant/project manager
Consultants/project managers act as planners, leaders, and advisors in business enterprises. These professionals facilitate meetings and establish positive relationships with vendors, management, and clients. They make customer visits, maintain industry knowledge, procure third-party software and hardware, and deliver projects. It is also part of their duty to manage complex initiatives in an individual business unit or organization. Their skills include analytical, time and cost management, problem-solving, interpersonal skills, and proficiency in project management software.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, bid manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "value proposition," "pursuit," "subject matter experts," and "bid strategy." Meanwhile, a consultant/project manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "project scope," "executive management," "customer satisfaction," and "manage project scope." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Consultant/project managers earn a higher average salary than bid managers. But consultant/project managers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $107,463. Additionally, bid managers earn the highest salaries in the professional with average pay of $100,156 annually.consultant/project managers earn similar levels of education than bid managers in general. They're 4.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Bid manager vs. Communications project manager
A communications project manager is in charge of overseeing the development of internal and external communication materials. Their responsibilities typically revolve around performing research and analysis to identify client or company needs, developing effective communication strategies, coordinating different teams to ensure the quality and accuracy of projects, setting objectives and goals, and managing schedules and budgets. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the team to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from bid manager resumes include skills like "value proposition," "pursuit," "bid strategy," and "rfq," whereas a communications project manager is more likely to list skills in "powerpoint," "web content," "status reports," and "communications projects. "
Communications project managers earn the best pay in the manufacturing industry, where they command an average salary of $81,929. Bid managers earn the highest pay from the professional industry, with an average salary of $100,156.communications project managers typically earn similar educational levels compared to bid managers. Specifically, they're 0.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Bid manager vs. Program/project manager
The program manager and project manager are two important positions within a company that are thought to be similar. However, program managers direct diverse projects and programs while project managers head the team who is responsible for ensuring a project is completed on time and within budget. Program managers are responsible for the conveyance of the company goals and generally act as a customer interface that helps clients get their desired update and change of a project. Project managers, on the other hand, focus on the project's schedule, scope, and resources needed to complete it on time.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between bid managers and program/project managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a bid manager might have more use for skills like "value proposition," "pursuit," "subject matter experts," and "bid strategy." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of program/project managers require skills like "program management," "pmp," "status reports," and "infrastructure. "
In general, program/project managers earn the most working in the professional industry, with an average salary of $123,832. The highest-paying industry for a bid manager is the professional industry.The average resume of program/project managers showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to bid managers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 5.8% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.8%.Types of bid manager
Updated January 8, 2025
