New bid writing firm launches in Edinburgh

An Edinburgh-based bid writing firm has been established by two experienced specialists with ambitions to provide the “Waitrose of bidding”.

Aspire Bidding has been set up by Scottish bid expert Andrew Morrison and Glasgow-based specialist Chris Denyer.

The new firm follows Andrew’s recent exit from Business Sale Basecamp and builds on the pair’s combined experience across bid writing, strategy, training and evaluation.

The boutique consultancy has launched with a team of six staff located around the country, with plans to grow as demand increases. 

Andrew and Chris say Aspire Bidding will target businesses with a turnover above £10 million, positioning itself as a premium service offering a more personal approach alongside the considered use of AI.

Andrew said: “I am very much looking forward to harnessing our years of bidding experience.

“I have so much respect for Chris’ work, particularly his great understanding of AI in bid writing.

“The bidding landscape is changing rapidly. 

“AI, bid automation platforms, content libraries and AI-enabled drafting tools are now widely available. 

“Most organisations – and most bid consultancies – now have access to the same tools, the same templates, and increasingly, the same language.

“On the surface, bids are becoming faster to produce but in reality many are becoming more generic, more similar and less persuasive.

“Our bids are shaped by experienced bid professionals, not junior writers following templates or prompts, and are put together in a human and compelling way.

“There are things that AI can do that can make the job quicker. 

“However, AI has its limits and, as yet, is no match for human specialist bid expertise. 

“As AI accelerates the mechanics of bid writing, it exposes a deeper truth: winning bids has always been about judgement, insight and human decision-making. 

“As human beings, we make decisions dictated by the emotional parts of the brain and as of yet, AI doesn’t have these emotions.

“AI also has glitches and gets quite a lot wrong, so care and experience are needed when using it and that’s where Chris’ expertise will be a real asset.

“We will also take our clients’ people on the journey with us so that their knowledge and experience grow as a result of our involvement. 

“While we can offer a ‘done for you’ service, working with us on a ‘done with you’ basis will leave a legacy of developing the skill set of existing teams.”

Chris added: “I first met Andrew a year ago and have always been impressed by his knowledge of the sector. 

“He is extremely well known and very, very good at what he does.

“The more we worked on things together, the more sense it made to join forces as I believe our different strengths are a powerful match. I’m really looking forward to seeing where the partnership takes us.

“Our focus is on providing the ‘Waitrose of bidding’.

“We want to work with companies who aspire to improve and grow. 

“If companies are committed to really investing in their ability to win work, even if they are not the biggest of firms, we can help them.

“Our focus is on people, an element so often overlooked in bidding; our goal is to bring a human touch to the process and make the whole experience stress-free for clients.

“One of the common reasons why bids fail is a lack of human connection. 

“Many bids describe services, processes and policies flawlessly, yet leave evaluators unable to answer the simple question: ‘What will it actually be like to work with these people?’

“Aspire Bidding places the human reality of the bidding organisation at the centre of the response.”

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