If you require support in producing the language for sections of your bid, we can assist with leading on the Commercial Response, write/guide the Value for Money, Risk and FCDO hot topics. Strategy guidance can be provided on approaching the budget, consortia formation and risk mitigation strategies.

A full analysis of your final submission documents against the Terms of Reference, Evaluation Criteria, potential competitors and FCDO’s priorities and hot topics to maximise points scored. We can further support an in-depth post-win/loss analysis to ensure lessons learnt are embedded within an organisation to maximise learning by doing.

We provide longer term support through a series of workstreams to bridge the gaps identified per department, including fee rate construction, Duty of Care and the FCDO Code of Conduct.

Bid Team Writer and Adviser on:

• What Works for Violence Against Women and Girls: Innovation and Scale
• International Multi-Disciplinary Programme Framework Agreement, (IMDP)
• Improving Early Childhood Development in Rwanda (IECD-R)
• Skills for Prosperity
• African Cities Research
• Disability Inclusiveness in Development
• Accelerating Sustainable Control and Elimination of Neglected Tropical Diseases (ASCEND)
• Implementation of the Stopping Abuse and Female Exploitation (SAFE) Programme
• International Citizens Service (ICS)
• Conflict, Stabilisation and Stability Fund, CSSF

Successful Bids Led Include: 

• Research on Violence Against Women and Girls in Emergencies, (component II)
• EQUIP-T, Education in Tanzania
• Wealth Creation Framework
• Global Development Delivery Framework, GDD

Review and Advice on:

• Global Evaluation and Monitoring Framework Agreement (GEMFA)
• The Evidence Fund
• Support to Delivery of Basic Services, Ethiopia
• Governance and Education, DRC
• Global Girls Research Initiative
• WASH Challenge Fund
• Community Based Disaster Risk Management Component of Building Disaster Resilience, Pakistan
• Conflict Security and Stability Fund (CSSF)

Our Commercial Contracts Director, Haniya, has experience of evaluating both potential primes and sub-contractors to find suitable partners from the private sector and not-for-profit world. For INGOs it is particularly important to find not just any partner but one which has a similar approach and is open to sharing learning and enabling sub-contractors to build their capacity. She has led a number of workshops for new partners working together. She also advises on contract negotiation with potential partners to enable both parties to gain from the collaboration.

As the founder of the Commercial Contracts Working Group, which now resides with Bond, Haniya is a strong advocate of forging links with new organisations and developing long terms relationships with favoured partners.

We will explain the current FCDO contracting landscape and the bidding process both for suppliers and behind the scenes at FCDO. We can help your team to both learn and improve bid submissions (SQ and ITT), help with networking, formulating the fee rate, leverage your competitor analysis and go/no-go decisions and mitigate risk through the payment by results schedule and fees.

We offer advice on conducting a contract specific risk analysis, setting organisational parameters and reviewing your organisational readiness, across finance, HR and business development teams.

All training is very practical with tools and techniques you can use.

Discover how best to present Value for Money and use adaptive management. Understand how best to work with FCDO and the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO). We can help with a project Management Manual; working in consortia; and problem solving using the FCDO Terms & Conditions, Code of Conduct and FCDO’s Smart Rules.

Elevate your negotiating skills with FCDO and sub-contractors. Get tailored support with negotiations with primes on what to include in Pre-teaming and Teaming Agreements and which clauses add or to push back on. Learn key techniques and common clauses of contention in contracting with FCDO. Prepare for negotiation using tested tools and practice using real-life scenarios.

Training and support is in the form of practical solutions tailored to your organisation. A range of tools can be provided to support improvements and frame concepts on risk costing, value for money, negotiation and fee rate setting.

We cover the philosophical, risk, financial, compliance, capacity and capability requirements to be a strong sub-contractor or prime. An in-depth review of your organisation’s systems and processes against key FCDO compliance requirements is offered, along with recommendations and a road map of priorities to be contract ready either as a prime or sub-contractor.

We can provide you with support to streamline your decision-making process, help adapt your due diligence and risk evaluation to take account of commercial contracting considerations and help improve your HR system to be more responsive to tender deadlines and requirements. This involves a participatory cross departmental approach, including business development, finance, M&E, HR and senior teams.

We also offer an FCDO Readiness Audit and conduct a gap analysis and provide a report on findings and recommendations. Longer term support to implement the recommendations is available through a series of workstreams to bridge the gaps identified per department, including fee rate construction (pricing); positioning within the market, adjusting systems and processes; Duty of Care; and the FCDO Code of Conduct.

We can support with preparation for engagement and negotiation with the FCDO Procurement and Commercial Department, potential competitors and partners.

If you have a question about FCDO bids or a specific implementation challenge, we can assign your organisation a focal point to e-mail or talk to.