Your Q1 2027 key pursuits strategy template
This is the template I come back to at the start of every quarter. It's built to help your bid team plan your key pursuits, sharpen how your company is positioned and get the right people in front of the right clients, so the tenders you chase this quarter are the ones worth winning.
8 pages to plan your quarter, plus a bonus
Work through it as honestly as you can with your bid team, BD lead and estimators... it takes less time than you'd think, and you'll start the year knowing exactly where your effort is going.
- 01
Quarterly goals
Agree what success looks like by the end of March, from tenders submitted to shortlists and interviews.
- 02
Target clients
Decide who you want to be in front of in 12 months' time, and what they need to believe about you before they'll shortlist you.
- 03
Pursuit pipeline
Map every pursuit for Q1 and be honest about which ones have the power, approval and funding to proceed.
- 04
Positioning
Choose the 3 or 4 things you want to be known for in 2027, with the proof behind each one.
- 05
Competitors
Track who you're up against, where they're strong and the message nobody is owning yet.
- 06
Key personnel
Decide who should be visible, which pursuits they'll be nominated in and whether their CVs back up your positioning.
- 07
Community proof
Start recording the community outcomes you can evidence, so you're showing proof when the community schedule comes up.
- 08
End of Q1 debrief
Look back at the end of March on what worked, what didn't and what you'll change for Q2.
- 09
Your Q1 bonus
The February and March industry events worth locking into your calendar, each with a content idea to post about.
Built for T2 civil, utility and construction teams
- Bid managers and coordinators who want a plan for the quarter, even with tenders already on the go.
- BD leads and directors deciding which pursuits are worth chasing in 2027.
- Estimators and commercial managers who sit in on go or no go decisions.
- Marketing teams who want the website, company page and key people's profiles all saying the same thing.
It works best when you fill it in together, so print it, share it on screen in your next team meeting or work through it page by page over a few coffees.
Edie LadaThe Bid Designer
I've spent almost 20 years in the built environment, from property development with Westfield and Lend Lease to town planning and corporate communications, and 10 years in bids, with firms including Paynter Dixon, Vaughan Infrastructure, Jacobs, Hassell, Hymix and Heidelberg Materials.
I've also sat in Key Pursuit Strategy meetings with a global T1, where every pursuit was planned 6 to 12 months before the tender was released, and a lot of what's in this template comes from planning that far ahead. These days I work with T2 civil, utility and infrastructure contractors on bid strategy, win themes and competitive positioning for their key pursuits, fully remote and Australia wide.
Edie x