What do you do?

3 Nov

It’s the question I’ve always dreaded.

Josh Berry’s recent description of management consultants nails it (lovely punchline😉).

It reminded me of turning up late at a comedy gig, as a graduate bid writer, wearing an ill-fitting suit. After being understandably singled out by the comedian, Ross Noble (so at least it was a good one), I was required to try and articulate what I did in front of a comedy club crowd. The subsequent abuse will always live with me.

Luckily I can now hide behind 50D and describe all the good stuff the team do whilst waving my arms, my general role these days.

As we’ve developed from a pure play bid writing consultancy into to a management consultancy driving growth, our service offer and ‘what we do’ has evolved a lot over the last 12-months.

So what does a week look like at 50D? well this week we have:

Supported and participated in two dialogue sessions with two different government departments in the UK, fully integrating with our client teams
Prepared a market entry strategy for a client who’s diversifying into related markets in the UK
Supported a client with its acquisition strategy through vendor due diligence and market research
Written bid responses across prison operations; patient transport; community justice; defence; facilities management; and education services
Developed a complex resource model for a 500 FTE service, over a ten year contract
Undertaken local labour market analysis into the causes of health inequalities in a large Local Authority area
Scoped out the win themes, value proposition and Needs Outcomes Solution and Evidence analysis for a total facilities management contract
Developed new proposition collateral (working with our graphics partner TDL) for a global firm seeking to sell new technology products
Developed a supply chain for a leading outsourcer, identifying local partners aligned to commissioner requirements
Advised on social value outcomes and sustainability best practice
Supported clients bid for services across Canada, Australia and the UK
Gone cycling in the rain (to be fair that was just me, not the whole team)

Am sure there’s other stuff too that the team are doing that they’re keeping me well out of.

My interpretation of what I (now we) do, is bringing bright people together, integrating with our clients, working hard, delivering results.

From market research to large-scale complex bid management, to solution design, the principles of our approach remain consistent. Be good to work with, have fun, deliver results.