Defence
Naval Ship Management Major Defence Contract
Developing a winning proposal for a major Defence contract
About Naval Ship Management
Naval Ship Management Pty Ltd (NSM) provides planning, scheduling, management and the execution of preventative and corrective maintenance for naval ships and their support facilities on Australia’s east and west coasts.
NSM offers complete maritime sustainment solutions for their customers’ critical assets, including engineering support services, maintenance support services, ship repair, refit and refurbishment, supply chain management, procurement and logistics.
Major sustainment and asset management contract opportunity
The Commonwealth was seeking a prime contract provider for the support and sustainment program for two Canberra Class Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs), HMAS Canberra and Adelaide, and 12 LHD Landing Craft (LLC) at the Garden Island Defence Precinct, for up to 15 years.
Prior to the tender release in early 2018, NSM had been positioning itself as a leading supplier of Navy maintenance and support services across Australia. They were already an integral provider, having maintained the ANZAC fleet of Royal Australian Navy frigates since 2012. However, the LHD contract was a strategically important opportunity for NSM’s growth plans..
Insufficient internal capacity to tender
While NSM had the technical expertise to deliver the $1.5 billion contract, they lacked the internal bid capabilities and processes to manage and deliver a large defence proposal. They knew they needed to invest in additional support to ensure they could develop a compelling and compliant proposal that clearly articulated their value proposition.
Having canvassed the marketplace, NSM chose to work with BidWrite given its deep experience in defence tendering, range of in-house bid support skills and practical approach to winning.
Supplementing bid expertise
NSM engaged BidWrite to occupy several bid roles during both the EOI and RFT stages of the tendering process. BidWrite mobilised key resources to support the tender response including a Bid Director, Bid Manager and two Bid Consultants. BidWrite also managed additional external resources including two Graphic Designers, two Technical Writers and a Bid Coordinator.
BidWrite’s proposal specialists provided high level management, developed the bid strategy and value proposition, supported persuasive writing and document coordination, and provided graphic and visual design content for the final submission documents.
Crucially, BidWrite staff worked closely with NSM’s subject matter experts to help tell their story and demonstrate to the Commonwealth exactly how NSM was going to deliver the full scope of the contract more efficiently than their competitors.
“We valued the professionalism, expertise and collaborative approach
of everyone in the BidWrite Team.”
– Naval Ship Management
Strategically important contract award
NSM was awarded the maintenance and sustainment contract for two LHDs and 12 LLCs in December of 2018. This award was a major win for NSM, giving them revenue security for the next 15 years as well as further recognition as a major supplier of defence maritime sustainment services.
Since engaging BidWrite’s services, NSM has achieved an increased presence in the Australian defence industry and demonstrated the organisation’s technical capabilities as a dedicated major warship sustainment company.
Further attesting to NSM’s success, in August 2019 they were announced a finalist in the Australian Defence Industry Awards, being shortlisted in two categories ‘Major Defence Contractor of the Year’ and ‘Naval Business of the Year.’
“The tender was highly competitive with a well-established incumbent and
the BidWrite team were instrumental to our success by ensuring
we delivered a compelling proposal to the Commonwealth.”
“In addition to tendering best practice, their knowledge of the Defence sector as well as broader industry trends were particularly valuable in evolving key aspects of our solution.”
– Naval Ship Management