Bids, Tenders and Proposals: Winning Business through Best Practice (Bids, Tenders & Proposals: Winning Business Through Best)

The basic repertoire of bid graphics includes the following items:

• flow charts or network diagrams displaying the logic and structure of a work programme;

• Gantt charts and bar charts showing activities and professional inputs as horizontal bars against a calendar;

• work trees, illustrating the hierarchy of tasks in a project;

• matrices indicating, for example, skills and experience;

• plans and diagrams of systems, processes, mathematical modelling procedures, test procedures, design elements and other technical features of an assignment;

• maps, plans and layouts of sites, study areas, catchments and so forth;

• sections, elevations and profiles, etc;

• organization charts depicting the structure of teams, management hierarchies, institutions and other units;

• drawings, artist's impressions and thumbnail sketches (Figure 19.1).

  Figure 19.1: Use of Thumbnail Sketches

This list can be supplemented by a host of items relevant to bids in specific sectors of work. Figures can be imported from business software, spreadsheets, project management packages and computer-aided design files, as well as from graphic design applications.