Four references in the bid, four approvals chased one by one.
The bid manager needs four project references with key figures for the tender. For each one, they look for the client's approval: one is attached to an email held by the client relations manager, one is a clause in the framework agreement, and two have not been looked at since the last bid. Meanwhile, legal checks whether naming the client is covered by the contract.
4references in the bidThe tender asks for four comparable projects with volume and duration.
3places per referenceApproval, key figures and expiry date sit with client relations, in the framework agreement and in project controlling.
16emails in circulationEvery request produces a reply, a follow-up question and a forward.
1expired approvalOne of the four approvals expired on 31 May, and none of the people involved noticed.
On the day the bid is prepared, each reference shows whether it may be named and until when, and that adds up to 60% less coordination effort.
The 60% reduction in coordination effort is this agent's headline figure. The four references, the three sources per reference and the round of emails describe a typical run-up to a submission, not actual counts.