At Step5, people are at the heart of everything we do, driving transformation through expertise, collaboration, and innovation. Having joined Step5 earlier in the year, Bid Writer Fabian Shipton, has been instrumental in streamlining and advancing our bid management processes, helping Step5 stand out in the competitive public sector landscape. We spoke to Fabian who shared insights into his role, the challenges he’s helping to overcome, and his vision for the future of Step5’s bid strategy.
Managing the Public Sector Bid Process
“My role is as a Bid Writer, but I wear many hats,” Fabian begins. Managing the end-to-end bid process, Fabian breaks his responsibilities down into four key stages: bid sourcing, governance, submission, and post-bid due diligence. Using cutting-edge AI tools, he identifies opportunities, collaborates with the Step5 team, with colleagues across TXM Group, and with external partners to optimise Step5’s ability to win business in the public sector.
“Our enhanced governance framework and cutting-edge AI tools ensure a more seamless collaboration with internal teams and external associates,” Fabian explains. "These tools simplify the bid submission process, allowing associates to contribute effectively, with clear expectations, streamlined workflows, and faster turnaround times.” By enabling smoother integration with external partners, Step5 ensures that everyone involved can work efficiently toward a common goal.
Data analysis is also a core focus for Fabian, helping the team improve submissions and identify new markets. His contributions extend to spearheading internal projects, such as the contract expiry process and supporting the wider Step5 sales team, coming up with new ideas and new avenues to try and penetrate the market across both the public and private sectors. “I work in bids, but I also support the team in trying to mature the business and push for continuous improvement,” he explains.
Transforming Processes and Scaling for Success
“When I joined, it was clear Step5 had great potential but needed a fresh lens to invigorate the bid process,” said Fabian. “I put my initial focus into identifying areas which could be immediately improved, such as understanding why public sector organisations go out to tender, our current performance, where are we finding and the current statuses of our bids.”
Fabian has also been focussing heavily on the maturity of how we respond. “With the rise of AI, we've looked at how we can integrate certain tools to help us with the bid process,” he explains. “One of the big fundamentals has been our adoption of cutting-edge AI solutions which are purpose built to support bid writers and bid managers in producing first draft responses. These tools are still new, but we have seen huge leaps since their introduction, such as a reduction in submission times and more focus on quality to help us get across the finish line and make the difference in our bid responses.”
Fabian has also prioritised data-driven decision-making. “We have really undergone an analytical shift. We’ve developed dashboards to track performance and trends, so our decisions are based on data and evidence rather than assumptions," he explains.
Improved governance, collaboration, delegation, and communication have fostered a team environment where tasks are clear, and submissions are on time. “It is about having the ability to get buy-in from team members to ensure good time management and ensure everything runs smoothly. We're no longer rushing for time, and everything is clearer. There are still improvements to be made but we have come a long way in that respect. We’ve increased the number of tenders we’re exposed to, improved the quality of our submissions, and ultimately enhanced our likelihood of winning bids.”
Skills That Make a Difference
For Fabian, success in bid management requires a combination of technical expertise, creativity, and people skills. “You need to be very analytical,” he says, “but you also have to think outside the box.”
Qualifying opportunities with a thorough breakdown ensures everyone on the team knows what’s required. “This level of detail fosters a sense of ownership and connection among the team,” Fabian explains.
Time management and delegation are equally crucial. “You have to recognise that those supporting you also have other responsibilities. Building strong relationships and showing appreciation for contributions is vital to maintaining team morale and ensuring high-quality work.”
Fabian identified the need to think differently, highlighting that: “Often, you have to get into the buyer’s mindset and question if the bid really meets their expectations. It’s about thinking of new ideas which could help the buyer truly understand what you're trying to portray. There’s an element of trying to pre-empt what it is that they're asking for and then producing something that's going to impress.”
Already, the team has seen the improvements Fabian has implemented in recent tender opportunities. “We’ve made fundamental changes to our internal processes and the internal governance, and I have had to leverage my communication and relationship building skills to make sure that everyone understands how the process should work so that we can all be more efficient. As a result, everyone is in a position where they know what they need to do. They know where they need to go if they need support, and they know their role within the overall picture.”
Standing Out in a Competitive Marketplace
“In the public sector, meeting requirements is essential, but standing out is what wins contracts,” Fabian says. "ESG has become a key focus recently.” Fabian is supporting efforts to mature Step5’s approach to Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria, aligning with new regulations under the upcoming Procurement Act.
“At present the business is gearing up to mature and scale to have the right processes, procedures, responses, and governance in order for us to score better. If you look at the market right now, a lot of businesses are not doing this and risk being under unprepared for when this goes live in February next year,” he warns. “This is an opportunity for us to mobilise, scale and mature quickly in order to have a more competitive advantage when this comes into effect.”
This proactive approach is just one example of how Fabian ensures Step5 remains competitive. “We’re constantly evaluating our processes and looking for ways to innovate,” he adds.
Preparing for the Future
By combining strong bid content with streamlined processes, Fabian aims to achieve Step5’s vision of a more autonomous bid management system.
“The aim is to have bid-ready, winning material that anyone across the business or across the Group can access with ease and use with confidence. We’re also striving to standardise material, and we are constantly reviewing what we have and ensuring it is kept to a high standard. These initiatives could be the difference between winning or losing an opportunity.
“As for the bid process, we have already moved away from a very manual set up, and now we are semi-automated, but the end goal is an autonomous bid process. That means leveraging automation workflows and implementing new software to build a system that can source, qualify and group opportunities for us. A system that can engage the appropriate team members, that can work with our data collection tools and performance dashboards, and can identify the required documentation which can then be prepopulated by our AI tools.”
Fabian’s vison for the bid process would greatly improve efficiency and significantly reduce the demand on the team. “To achieve this, we have to ensure our content is fully developed, the two have to work in tandem. Though we’ve made good progress already, there’s still a long way to go on that journey. Ambition is the vision.”
A Vision for Growth
Reflecting on his first five months with Step5, Fabian shared: “I’m relishing the appetite for growth and innovation at Step5. I'm someone who is very open to new ideas and I'm keen to see where we can improve. Everyone has been amazing, and we work well together to improve the business. I’m also fortunate to be exposed to other business across the Group, working with people from all different backgrounds and experiences.
“At times you reflect on the decisions you make, and you say to yourself, was that the right step for me? I think I did make the right decision to join Step5. I've been given the tools to forge my own process and I've been given the support from the likes of our Managing Director, Justin and our Chief Operating Officer, Hannah. I've been given the buy-in from the wider team and I think there is a level of satisfaction that a role can give you when you have built it in your own vision.”
Fabian’s innovative approach and passion for continuous improvement embody Step5’s commitment to excellence. By transforming bid processes, fostering collaboration, and leveraging cutting-edge tools, he’s helping Step5 stay ahead in a competitive market. As we prepare to scale operations in 2025, these enhanced bid management processes will enable us to tackle more complex opportunities, collaborate with more associates, and continue delivering exceptional results.
If you’d like to learn more about how Step5 can support your organisation’s transformation journey, get in touch with us today.
