UKAPMP - United Kingdom Association of Proposal Management Professionals

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IKON: Winners of the UK Proposal Management Industry 2008 People Development Award 
 
IKON Office Solutions, a leading global player in the document handling and lifecycle marketplace entered the prestigious industry awards held by the UKAPMP and went home with the trophy for People Development. 

With UK revenues of approaching £200 million and an increasing demand for formal responses to RFPs, the IKON UK Board recognised the urgent need for a fresh approach to the management of bids and tenders to support sales. The company appointed Laurence Greenhow to head the department with a clearly defined people, process and technology plan. Supported by a team of four, including Bid Managers Louise Gregory and Caroline Ley, Greenhow, Commercial Business Manager, created new processes that rigorously qualified the opportunities before supporting sales with bespoke, articulate, persuasive and compelling tender responses.
 
UKAPMP membership and accreditation training for the team
Full support from the Board meant that Greenhow was able to fund individual membership of the UKAPMP for his Bid Managers ensuring that they had access to information on best practice bid tools, procedures and methodologies. Although the team understood the benefits of membership, for them it would have been another personal cost, so IKON stepped in and offered to reimburse them as a reward for their commitment and hard work.
 
In addition, the team attended a UKAPMP Foundation™  level training course, then sat and passed the exam. "The framed certificates that now hang on the office wall remind us of what we have achieved" says Greenhow. "And introducing bid software has reiterated the UKAPMP methodology whilst other courses attended and books read by the team tell the same story and consistent message, again and again. Team progression through the APMP training programme is the way forward; rewarding the staff and benefiting the company."

Building a strong foundation
The industry award ceremony was held at the Annual UKAPMP Conference in October 2008, attended by over 250 people. As one of five categories, the People Development Award had three companies nominated, including Bid to Win and Carillion. The judges felt that it was clear that IKON had built a strong foundation based on its investment in people and their development. "The feeling of hearing our company and team name read out in front of other well known organisations, customers and competitors was astonishing. I couldn't resist sending a text to our MD straightaway" says Greenhow. "My two Bid Managers were ecstatic at winning the award." The bid team's success was subsequently featured as an article in the company's internal newsletter. The glass trophy stands proudly on display and adds credibility to the team's achievements and provides evidence of their ability. "To be recognised as an outstanding example within an association boasting more than 10,000 worldwide members was a totally uplifting achievement," continues Greenhow. "The only issue created by winning in 2008 is what category are we going to enter in 2009!”
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