Before a tender is released, the shortlist is often already taking shape. In this episode of Chasing The Win, Deb speaks with Susan Mercer, Business Development Manager at ADCO Construction, about pre-tender positioning and what it really takes to be “in the game” before probity tightens and the tender process becomes formal.

Susan breaks down why business development in construction tendering is not surface-level sales. It’s about building trusted client relationships early, understanding what matters to the client, and asking the questions that uncover real priorities, risk concerns, and what’s keeping stakeholders awake at night.

She also unpacks why your first interaction is a preview of delivery, and why introducing the right delivery team early can be a competitive advantage. When capability is similar across contractors, culture fit, communication style, and the personalities a client will work with for the next one to three years can be the deciding factor in winning tenders.

If you’re trying to improve your pursuit strategy, strengthen your bid and tender pipeline, and stop wasting time on opportunities that were never real, this conversation is a practical guide. You’ll hear how to share pursuit intelligence with bid teams, shape the opportunity before the tender drops, and make smarter bid/no-bid decisions in a competitive market.

CHAPTER MARKERS

00:00 Introduction

01:37 Trust and values alignment with clients

03:00 Introducing delivery teams early

06:17 Why relationships beat open tenders

08:47 Client fit personalities and culture

10:10 Building consultant trade partner trust

12:15 Reliability over cheapest price

14:23 Shaping the opportunity before probity

18:11 Guardrails for client-safe innovation

21:51 Ask better questions avoid assumptions

22:42 When to walk away bid no-bid

26:25 Breaking into new markets

27:42 Seven touchpoints to build trust

30:39 The thrill of the chase in pursuit

Connect with Susan Mercer

Linkedin: https://au.linkedin.com/in/susan-mercer-gaicd-1366bb2a

Connect with Deb at Tender Plus

Web: https://www.tenderplusconsulting.com.au/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tender-plus/

If your bid process always turns into a scramble in the final week, you don’t have a “busy team” problem. You have a timing problem. In this episode, I sit down with Tania Field from Tender Plus about shifting left in tendering and bid management, and why moving key work earlier is one of the fastest ways to reduce stress and lift submission quality.

We take a look at why the end of a tender gets so ugly, with mandatory criteria, forms, CVs, org charts, commercial and legal input, and approvals all landing at once while the team is still trying to write, review, and polish the proposal. Shifting left is a practical bid planning approach that spreads the load across the timeline so the final stretch becomes a controlled finish, not a rescue mission.

Tania explains what shifting left actually looks like in a real bid environment, including pulling forward the parts of a submission that don’t need to live in the last week. We talk compliance and governance, early drafts, baseline checks, and the decision points that create bottlenecks when they’re left too late. The key idea is simple: decisions are the real deadline, not submission.

We also get into the human side of bids, because stakeholder alignment matters more than a perfect Gantt chart. When teams have context early, they collaborate better, make stronger judgement calls, and stop changing things out of nerves at the eleventh hour. If you work in tendering, proposals, submissions, or bid leadership, this is a practical framework you can apply on your next bid straight away.

CHAPTER MARKERS

00:00 Introduction

03:06 What Shift Left Means

03:46 Resourcing Reality Check

05:38 Early Wins in Writing

06:47 CVs and Org Charts Early

10:48 Preplanning Roles and Timeline

13:14 Burnout and Sustainability

14:45 Reprioritising Team Workload

17:42 Hold the Line on Decisions

19:03 Ringfencing Unblockable Items

20:20 Strategic Reviewer Timing

22:42 Ending Long Hours Culture

25:00 Governance and Approvals

Connect with Deb at Tender Plus

Web: https://www.tenderplusconsulting.com.au/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tender-plus/

In this episode, I’m joined by David Harding, a senior executive and board leader with deep experience across infrastructure, construction, energy, transport and public policy, to unpack strategy and leadership lessons from the Sydney Metro Martin Place integrated station development. We go back to the Macquarie Group unsolicited proposal and why the work that wins major projects rarely starts with clever bid writing. It starts with outcomes, and making sure every stakeholder can see themselves in the story.

David explains why a strategy without a north star is aimless, and why complex pursuits usually need multiple north stars that can be quantified and described in language different audiences actually believe. We talk about how to frame direct, indirect and amplified benefit, and why unsolicited proposals work when they unlock outcomes government can’t easily connect through silos, budgets, or existing strategies. The goal is bigger than compliance. It’s creating human outcomes that improve a city, not just a project that looks good on paper.

We also discuss the Powerhouse Museum Parramatta and what it looks like to stay outcome-led through an international competition, from early concept work in a small office to a cultural asset that can represent Western Sydney to the world. Along the way, David makes the case that tendering is storytelling, not paperwork, because bids are often won on trust, capability, capacity, and the client’s confidence that the team can deliver safely and well.

Finally, we get into leadership and delivery, including what David took from nearly nine years in the Royal Navy: clear aims, empowerment, training, and putting the right people in the right roles with the right tools and ethics. We also cover modern construction methods, productivity, and why change needs to be introduced carefully so small business and industry capability comes with it. If you work in tendering, strategic pursuits, infrastructure bids, or major project leadership, this one will give you a sharper way to think about outcomes, strategy, and the story that makes a proposal land.

CHAPTER MARKERS

00:00 Introduction

03:37 Outcomes First Strategy

06:29 Global First Metro Hub

08:29 Amplified Benefits Framework

11:00 Powerhouse Museum Parramatta Bid

15:41 Storytelling Wins Tenders

17:28 Royal Navy Leadership

21:28 Translation Across Sectors

23:17 Modern Construction Methods

27:18 What Excites Him Next

Connect with David

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-harding-a8b90320/

Website:

Connect with Deb at Tender Plus

Web: https://www.tenderplusconsulting.com.au/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tender-plus/