Uncovering the Truth Behind a Bid Loss

• The Challenge:
  A multi-national IT provider lost a major contract renewal to the incumbent supplier. The client needed to understand exactly why they lost, despite known dissatisfactions with the incumbent, to prepare for a future bid against the same rival.
• The ChrisalysWorks Edge:
  Leveraging our field research expertise, we devised a creative, anonymous investigatory approach to secure calls and meetings with relevant decision-makers and influencers.
• Benefits Delivered:
  These interviews yielded highly precise data on the competitor’s winning contract. We uncovered the discounting threshold structure, licensing terms, and negotiation tactics the competitor had used.
• The Outcome:
  The intelligence allowed the client to conduct a direct, like-for-like comparison between their proposition and the winning bid. The client subsequently redeveloped their sales literature to mathematically prove that their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) over the contract’s lifetime was lower, putting them in a strong position to win the next tender.

“Losing a major contract to the incumbent is frustrating, but not knowing why you lost is crippling. Standard debriefs gave us nothing. The granular detail regarding the winner’s pricing and licensing structures allowed us to completely overhaul our TCO messaging. We are now in a prime position to win the next cycle.”

Bid Director, Multi-National IT Services Provider