Job Title – Strategic Bids and Business Development Manager
Location – Flexible/Hybrid, with regular travel to Bedford and customer Sites
Salary Details – Competitive salary, depending on experience
Job Summary – RSP UK is looking for an experienced Strategic Bids and Business Development Manager to identify, develop and win complex, high-value opportunities across the UK specialist vehicle and vacuum technology market.
You will build relationships with customers and procurement teams, understand future fleet and operational requirements, shape solutions before tenders are issued, and lead approved bids through to submission and award. The role combines proactive business development, capture planning and ownership of the tender process.
Our portfolio includes RSP suction excavators, Amphitec high-vacuum and industrial cleaning equipment, P-Series vacuum and tanker technology, BROCK specialist road sweepers, and related vehicle, hire and service solutions.
Duties/Responsibilities-
Build a qualified pipeline of opportunities where RSP can compete on technical performance, productivity, lifecycle value and service support. Position RSP early by understanding customer needs, competitors, decision-makers and procurement routes, then develop a clear proposition before an invitation to tender is published.
Strategic opportunity development:
- Identify high-value opportunities across the full portfolio and maintain a forward looking pipeline of customers, frameworks and major fleet replacement programmes.
- Engage customers before procurement begins to understand operational, fleet and technology requirements and identify decision-makers, technical influencers and procurement stakeholders.
- Develop capture plans for priority opportunities, including customer engagement, competitor positioning, solution development and the route to award.
- Coordinate demonstrations, technical discussions and customer visits with Sales and Product specialists, shaping solutions around customer requirements.
- Identify where RSP has a clear technical or commercial advantage and direct resources towards opportunities with a credible chance of success.
Lead a disciplined bid/no-bid process and present clear recommendations to the Directors. Assess each opportunity against:
- Technical differentiation, competitive position and the ability to influence the specification.
- Customer relationships, knowledge of the requirement and strategic importance.
- Margin potential, probability of winning and the buyer’s evaluation methodology.
- Internal resource requirements and the capacity to deliver the proposed solution.
Recommend against bidding where the opportunity offers little scope to differentiate and procurement is predominantly price-driven. Standard vehicle procurements should be pursued only where there is a clear commercial or strategic reason.
Tender and bid management:
For opportunities approved to proceed, take ownership from qualification through submission, clarification, negotiation and award.
- Review tender documents, identify mandatory requirements and develop the bid strategy and key win themes.
- Create tender programmes and compliance matrices, with clear responsibilities, deadlines and review stages.
- Coordinate technical, commercial, service, training, finance and legal input.
- Lead high-quality written responses that address the buyer’s evaluation methodology and scoring criteria.
- Manage clarification questions, tender presentations and customer meetings.
- Ensure submissions are complete, compliant and submitted on time; manage post-submission clarifications and negotiations.
Framework and procurement strategy:
Develop RSP’s position across relevant national and sector procurement routes, including GCA / CCS, ESPO, YPO, NEPO / TPPL, Scotland Excel, water utility and local authority frameworks, and infrastructure and highways procurement.
- Maintain visibility of prior information notices, preliminary market engagement, dynamic purchasing systems, open frameworks, renewals and future supplier admission opportunities.
- Engage procurement organisations early, while future framework specifications are being developed.
- Where direct framework access is unavailable, identify suitable leasing companies, fleet providers and existing framework suppliers as potential partners.
Priority markets:
Focus on technically differentiated opportunities across water and wastewater, utilities, environmental services, industrial cleaning, highways, airports and airfields, rail, infrastructure and other specialist fleet applications. Priority applications include high-vacuum industrial equipment, combination sewer‑cleaning vehicles, vacuum tankers and jetting technology, suction excavation and specialist heavy‑duty sweepers.
Internal coordination:
Provide clear ownership across complex opportunities, involving the right people at each stage. Work closely with the Directors, Sales, Product specialists, Service, Technical, Training, Finance, Marketing and external partners to develop credible, commercially sound proposals.
Bid library and commercial intelligence:
Build and maintain a structured, current library of approved bid material and market intelligence, covering:
- Company information, policies, procedures, accreditations, health and safety, environmental information, ESG, social value, cybersecurity and insurance.
- Financial information, technical specifications, training capabilities, service and maintenance support.
- Case studies, customer references and standard responses.
- Competitor and framework intelligence, opportunity records and historical tender outcomes.
Qualifications, skills and attributes required
Essential experience and skills:
- Strong experience in strategic business development, capture management, bid management or a combination of these disciplines.
- A track record of managing complex, high‑value opportunities and developing customer engagement before formal tender stage.
- A strong understanding of UK tendering and procurement, supported by sound commercial judgement.
- The ability to build relationships with senior customers and procurement stakeholders.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to produce clear, persuasive tender responses.
- Experience coordinating technical and commercial teams and working directly with Directors and senior management.
- The ability to independently manage multiple strategic opportunities, prioritise work and meet deadlines.
Desirable experience and knowledge:
Experience in water and wastewater, utilities, environmental services, industrial cleaning, specialist vehicles, fleet, infrastructure, highways, waste management, engineering or heavy capital equipment would be particularly valuable. Knowledge of the following would also be advantageous:
- GCA / CCS, ESPO, YPO, NEPO / TPPL and Scotland Excel procurement routes.
- The Procurement Act 2023, open frameworks and dynamic purchasing systems.
- APMP / Shipley methodology, capture planning and social value.
- Commercial vehicle leasing and contract hire.
You will be commercially minded, proactive and confident in identifying where RSP should focus its time and resources. You will be able to explain why an opportunity is worth pursuing and when the business should decline to bid.
You will challenge assumptions constructively, qualify opportunities objectively and work effectively with colleagues to focus the business on profitable opportunities where RSP has a strong competitive position.
Why join RSP UK
This newly created role offers the opportunity to build and shape a strategic function from the ground up. You will work directly with the Directors and senior team, influencing where RSP invests its time, resources and commercial focus.
You will work across technically advanced specialist vehicles and vacuum technology in markets where innovation, productivity and operational performance make a practical difference to customers.
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