Q: Baker Mallett have managed to maintain a 1 in 2 hit ratio for 10 years now in a competitive market. What’s the real secret behind it?

Natalie: Firstly, our starting point on whether to bid is always “no.” The case to change that position has to be strong enough for us to dedicate resource to it. We don’t chase everything, and we definitely don’t follow the crowd into the same overcrowded bid arenas. We focus on where our strengths genuinely add value and curate our bid stream around that. This means that we rarely bid in open tender situations and when we do, it’s usually for a framework. For us, it’s about being selective, being strategic, and being pretty nerdy about it. Historical data and current business conditions inform every decision. It keeps the quality of our bids high and, importantly for an SME, it protects our teams from being stretched.

Q: So if you’re not chasing everything, how do you decide what’s right?

Natalie: Alignment is everything. We bid when our expertise fits, when we know we can add value, and when there’s potential for a long‑term partnership. Working with clients short‑term doesn’t interest us. The longer we work with someone, the greater the impact we can make.

Q: And when it comes to the bids themselves, what makes them stand out?

Natalie: Clarity. Clients don’t want noise or waffle, they want confidence. Our bids are clear, straightforward, honest, and quietly confident.

Q: What about the bids you don’t win?

Natalie: We still learn from them. We still try to build a relationship with the client if we instinctively feel like we align. A lost bid isn’t necessarily a closed door,  it’s part of a longer conversation. Our goal isn’t just to win the next opportunity; it’s to build partnerships that last years, not months.  We bid to feed our repeat business client portfolio, not our annual turnover which in the last decade has never dropped below 85%

Q: How do you see the bidding landscape changing in the future?

Natalie: AI, without question. Right now, there are no real rules around when and how it can or can’t be used, so it’s not a level playing field. Someone is going to have to introduce parameters to manage that. My worry is that client organisations will feel they have no choice but to move toward financial scoring as a way to level things out but at that point, best value goes out the window.

As an industry, we need to be honest about the impact AI is already having on bidding and start shaping the rules before the rules shape us.

Q: So is the 1 in 2 hit ratio the goal?

Natalie: Not really, although we are proud of it. It’s more the evidence that our approach works. Our goal is to be a high‑trust, impactful business and in order to build a business that’s sustainable, client longevity is a big part of that

Q: If you had to sum up Baker Mallett’s bidding philosophy in one sentence, what would it be?

Natalie: I think the industry chases too much and thinks too little. Our success comes from bidding less, winning more, and only pursuing the work where we can make a meaningful difference.